New Six Senses hotel to open in upscale London shopping gallery

by | 18 Jan 2020 | Portfolio

The stunning facade of Six Senses’ newest property in downtown London. (Photo: IHG)

The luxurious Six Senses brand comes to the former Whiteleys department store in Bayswater, London and charms guests with its stunning art deco style.

The former Whiteleys department store in West London is set to receive a fancy new tenant in the form of a landmark Six Senses hotel.

IHG’s luxury brand will open in the Art Deco shopping mall in 2023.

We find out more.

Six Senses to land in London

2023 is set to be the year that Six Senses lands in the UK, with its inaugural property to open in London’s upmarket Bayswater neighbourhood.

Close to famous addresses such as Knightsbridge, Hyde Park and Kensington, the decommissioned Whiteleys department store will be the setting for the first Six Senses hotel in England.

The upscale shopping mall will house the 110-key hospitality offering, which will boast a mixture of luxurious guest rooms and suites, as well as 14 branded private residences. The hotel will fall in line with the brand’s focus on wellness, as well as a new focus on community and the arts, tapping into the area’s vibrant cultural identity.

Alex Michelin, co-founder of real estate developer Finchatton, spoke of the project, saying, “Six Senses London will be a first, not only having a best-in-class spa and amenities, but also a new kind of social and wellness club unlike anything we have seen in London or for that matter, in a new development.”

“We identified Six Senses as the ideal partner for the Whiteleys redevelopment with wellness at its core and also experiential pioneering programs. These are things which will be at the heart of the new Whiteleys offer and we look forward to creating something really incredible together,” Mr Michelin elaborated.

Old and new meet in Whiteleys

The design team behind the new Six Senses venture are sensitive towards the place Whiteleys holds in the hearts of many Londoners, and indeed guests from abroad.

Chief Executive Officer, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Neil Jacobs, said, “I feel nostalgic when talking about Whiteleys. I grew up in the neighbourhood and my parents used to bring me here. It is a wonderful opportunity to pay homage to this heritage and bring our brand values to life in this part of town, while celebrating our first port of call for Six Senses in the UK.”

The former department store is set to become a mixed-use development, with the Six Senses hotel forming part of the reimagining of the site.

Starchitects Foster + Partners will be responsible for the architectural design, while AvroKO will handle the interiors in collaboration with executive architects EPR, and the team will endeavour to retain the character and essence of the Grade II listed Art Deco structure, while at the same time bringing it into the modern era.

Art will be a focus of the new hotel, and the Great Exhibitions of the Art Deco age are to be channelled with rotating shows by British artists.

Wellness will also form a large part of the Six Senses offering, with the entire second floor being dedicated to a new, exclusive wellness and social club, with a bar and lounge, coworking spaces, wellness and treatment rooms as well as a restaurant and a schedule of innovative events to encourage connection and interaction.

ABOUT THE CHAIN

 

Six Senses was founded in 1995 with a mission to promote responsible practices in top-tier hospitality.