Project of the Week: Cheval Blanc London

A Foster + Partners-designed scheme to create an 83-room luxury hotel operated by LVMH’s Cheval Blanc brand in Mayfair has won our latest Project of the Week crown.

French luxury products giant LVMH is hoping to transform a prominent plot next to Bond Street, London’s iconic premium shopping destination, into Cheval Blanc London.

Mayfair prepares to welcome Cheval Blanc

In October 2019, Westminster City Council granted full planning permission to O&H Grafton Development to demolish the existing buildings at 8-10 Grafton Street, 11-14 Grafton Street and 22-24 Bruton Lane to make way for a new hotel-led mixed-use scheme. It’s envisaged that the luxury hotel, plus accompanying F&B venues and spa, would all be operated by Cheval Blanc.

The scheme involves constructing two buildings linked at ground-floor level. The Grafton Street property would rise seven storeys high and include three basement levels, while the Bruton Lane property would span 11 storeys plus a two- to three-level basement.

Michelin-starred gastronomy

The 17,640 sq m development would include 12,345 sq m of hotel accommodation, comprising 61 deluxe rooms, 19 junior suites, two top suites and one apartment. There’d also be over 2,000 sq m of F&B – including a 43-cover fine-dining restaurant and a large rooftop bar and terrace – and a 597 sq m spa, incorporating a gym and 25-metre indoor pool.

Cheval Blanc, which draws extensively on LVMH’s expertise in wines and spirits, is known for its commitment to high-end gastronomy. Chef Arnaud Donckele’s restaurant La Vague d’Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez, for example, currently holds three Michelin stars – the Michelin Guide’s highest accolade.

In addition, the scheme would feature retail space along Grafton Street and the corner of Bond Street, plus six apartments.

A new world-class hotel

Architect Foster + Partners prepared a design and access statement in support of the scheme.

“This application proposes to create a new world-class hotel in the heart of Mayfair to complement and enhance the outstanding cultural, retail and culinary experiences of the area,” it said. “The hotel will be managed by Cheval Blanc who have an international reputation for delivering excellence in hospitality and who have a close association with LVMH.”

The project team also includes Gerald Eve (planning consultant), Shoosmiths (planning solicitor), Hoare Lea (MEP engineer), Ramboll (structural engineer) and Montagu Evans (heritage consultant). The ambitious scheme has been pencilled in to open in Q3 2022.

Many TOPHOTELNEWS articles draw on exclusive information from the TOPHOTELPROJECTS construction database. This subscription-based product includes details of thousands of hotel projects around the world, along with the key decision-makers behind them. Please note, our data may differ from records held by other organisations. Generally, the database focuses on four- and five-star schemes of significant scale; tracks projects in either the vision, pre-planning, planning, under-construction, pre-opening or newly opened phase; and covers newbuilds, extensions, refurbishments and conversions.

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