Home Suite Home: London's Athenaeum Hotel

On a stereotypical, drizzly mid-autumn evening in London, I first discovered the legendary Athenaeum Hotel. Somehow, a reservation mixup had left me without a place to stay. Soaked and dripping wet, in search of a place to rest my weary head, I stumbled into the lavish Athenaeum on Piccadilly Street in Mayfair … and it was love at first sight.

Built-in 1864 as a Victorian gentlemen’s club called Hope House, it was once a favorite haunt of author Charles Dickens. A team of dapper doormen, each one dressed to the nines, carries that sense of historic luxury into the modern era.

Head and shoulders above them all, literally, is 6-foot, 6-inch Jim Burns, an authority on all things London. “I’ve been blessed to meet so many people from all walks of life,” Burns said, naming film stars Stephen Spielberg and Harrison Ford among them — and, more recently. Kim Kardashian and Kayne West. “I even had the opportunity to meet Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela,” he said.

At the front of the luxe-boutique property is an outdoor seating area, perfect for sipping espresso while watching passers-by on Piccadilly. Beside the reception counter and concierge desk, natural sunlight bathes a relaxing seating area with oversized glass windows that face Green Park.

Within the Athenaeum building are 18 posh, cosmopolitan apartments mimicking a private Mayfair home. These quarters connect to the main hotel, which features 111 guest rooms and suites on nine floors.

“We want each guest to feel like they are staying in their own home,” said general manager Joanne Taylor-Stagg. “Our guests come first. You can see it in the way that our staff greets each patron. Our traditional values from our past are at the heart of the hotel today, but we keep up with contemporary times.”

A few years ago, the hotel received an in-vogue makeover from world-renowned English designer Mark Hulbert. He took the once-stodgy guest quarters and introduced a smashingly British schematic, complete with miniature statues of Her Majesty, toy double-decker buses in shadow boxes, and cuddly stuffed teddy bears, the Athenaeum mascot.

A stone’s throw from the reception desk is the new 116 Restaurant, helmed by executive chef Ian Howard. A casual, low-lit space, it specializes in international comfort food, from eggs Benedict and smoked salmon breakfasts to braised beef cheek, wild-mushroom risotto, and beer-battered fish and chips. Howard consults daily with produce suppliers in preparing fresh-from-the-garden meals for guests.

In The Bar at the Athenaeum, virtuoso mixologists create craft cocktails and serve single-malt Scotch whisky from the hotel’s private reserve. Cozy couches and comfortable leather chairs draw an eclectic crowd from all walks of life.

New to the property is The View, a private members club on the top floor. Open to guests only, it features designer seating and complimentary food and drinks.

One floor below ground is the REN Spa, which offers relaxing solace from busy London days of exploration. Visitors can rejuvenate and leave stress behind in a sauna, steam room, two cedar-wood hot tubs, and a relaxation area.

The Athenaeum puts a special emphasis on family, providing child-friendly services without compromising on five-star luxury. The 18 private apartments come with cooking facilities. Many of the hotel rooms can accommodate extra beds and cots for kids. A children’s concierge can arrange nannies and babysitters.

Indeed, the landmark hotel is family-run. Its owners also operate The Grove in Hertfordshire, a palatial, five-star countryside retreat 18 miles outside of London. Like the Athenaeum itself, the Grove is a sleek, modern alternative to the goliaths of Park Lane and Mayfair.

–Nicholas Kontis