‘Playful, rustic and nostalgic’ Treehouse hotel comes to London
Jenny
A new sister brand to eco-luxury 1 Hotels, the Treehouse hotel will open in London this November, complete with resident horticulturalists, ‘farm-to-glass’ cocktails and rooms with organic cotton sheets. Jenny Southan reports
Operated by SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, the Treehouse London has been created by hotelier Barry Sternlicht, who originally founded W Hotels. It will be more affordable than its eco-luxury sibling 1 Hotels, which has properties in New York, Miami and LA.
As a brand, Treehouse is described as being “playful, curious, rustic and nostalgic” and “imagined through the carefree, optimistic lens of childhood and balanced with a distinctly modern sensibility“.
Located on Langham Place in Marylebone, the new London property will feature Mexican restaurant Toca Madera (there is also one in LA), rooftop bar the Nest with 360-degree views of central London, and a treehouse-style coffee/wine bar called Backyard.Upon arrival, guests will take a lift to check-in on the 15th floor, which features a wooden mosaic with festoon lighting. Meanwhile, the bar and lounge sport a tandem swing set and a DJ booth in a treehouse “fort”.
There will also be “resident horticulturalists” who give tours of local gardens, plus book clubs and poetry slams. Meanwhile, the Treehouse app lists places of interest in the neighbourhood.Just like 1 Hotels, it takes sustainability seriously, and has incorporated elements of “biophilic” design in the form of verdant living walls of foliage. Reclaimed wood is used in abundance, there is a “robust” composting and recycling program, and a commitment to keeping single-use plastics to a minimum. Toca Madera uses organic ingredients and has a quirky “farm-to-glass” mixology programme. However, it remains to be seen if the hotel itself has an many environmental initiatives as 1 Hotels.
The Treehouse’s 95 guest rooms (including 15 suites) have cuckoo clocks and sleeping bag throws, as well as beds made up with organic cotton sheets and bath products that are locally sourced.Contrasting hard concrete walls and ceilings will be decorative raw birch tree trunks, plants and mismatched, tactile cushions. Workdesks and chairs will be made of elegant, smooth timber. Sternlicht says: “It’s really exciting to launch our first Treehouse Hotel in one of the greatest cities in the world. I believe Treehouse, with its unique philosophy and playful aesthetic, will introduce a new kind of hospitality experience to the London market – fun, witty, surprising, and as much a destination for visitors as it is a local hangout.”SH Hotels & Resorts also operates five-star Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand that made its debut in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship property in New York. It also has projects under development in Doha and Bordeaux.
