Hybrid home-hotels offer more than just a room for the night. London’s Bermonds Locke features studio apartments, co-working space and a cultural programme. Olivia Palamountain reports
Locke has brought its “home-meets-hotel” concept to Bermondsey with the launch of a third London outpost called Bermonds Locke. (The company also has properties in Dublin, Edinburgh and Manchester.)
A contemporary take on the serviced apartment, Locke properties blend affordable studio apartments with co-working areas, restaurants, bars and workout studios – “all the stuff you actually need to continue your everyday, even when you’re away from home,” it says.
Globetrender has previously reported on the co-living trend, which takes co-working a step further to incorporate communal housing. Home-meets-hotel is another iteration of the trend, this time as a temporary rather than permanent residence.
Each of the 143 studio apartments at Bermonds Locke features a living/working space with one-of-a-kind furniture, plus a fully fitted kitchen and laundry facilities, designer kitchenware and coffee-table reading. 
Eating in? Recipe and ingredient boxes are available for delivery and there’s an on-site restaurant and bar.
The smallest studios start at 23 sqm – bigger than the average boutique hotel room – and the largest apartments offer a generous 35 sqm of space, on a par with some of the largest London serviced apartments.
London-based interior architecture studio Holloway Li designed the spaces as an “homage to nature’s wonder in both aesthetic and eco-responsibility”.
An earthy colour palette inspired by the Californian desert is complemented by brass, concrete and rattan and brought to life with leafy plants and succulents.
Re-purposed construction materials have been used throughout both the public areas and private apartments – concrete testing cubes destined for landfill find new purpose as a plinth for a six-metre long terrazzo tables in the ground floor workspaces, whilst in the rooms bespoke bed frames woven out of blackened rebar are accented with linen canopies to “infuse old ideas of the concrete jungle with a new sense of sanctuary.”
Additional offerings that differentiate Bermonds Locke from traditional hotel rooms include “activated public spaces” (think co-working areas and meeting rooms for hire) with super fast wifi and free-flowing coffee until 9pm, yoga sessions and a locally-led cultural programme.
Bermonds Locke comes fully staffed by a team of “House Hosts”, offering insight to ensure both long and short-term visitors have access to the best local knowledge and insider tips.
Situated by Tower Bridge near the excellent bars, restaurants and art galleries of Bermondsey Street, the cobbled streets of Shad Thames, Maltby Street Market and Borough Market are just a 15-minute walk away.
The flexibility of the “home-tel” format appeals to a broad range of travellers across the leisure and business markets, for both extended and short stays, at a time when the demands of contemporary travellers are changing.
Stephen McCall, CEO of Locke’s parent company Edyn, says: “We are delighted to open our third property in London with Bermonds Locke. Locke aims to liberate guests from the confines of a typical hotel room by creating beautiful apartments that are designed to be lived in.
“The type of guest we’re accommodating wants to explore life as a local, and so the Bermondsey neighbourhood has played a significant role in defining the aesthetic, partners and programming.”
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