One of 2027’s most anticipated hotels owes its soul to a fashion icon

When the St. Regis London finally opens its doors in early 2027, it will bring a little of New York’s Gilded Age to Mayfair.

The luxury hotel brand was founded in 1904 by John Jacob Astor IV, whose mother, Caroline Astor, was one of the great arbiters of New York society. More than 120 years later, the family name remains central to the St. Regis identity.

The hotly anticipated hotel will be London’s first St. Regis, and arrives a few years after it was first scheduled to open.

London-based Richmond International has brought a fresh approach to the interior design that is distinctly British. That comes in the form of an arrangement with Sarabande, the charitable foundation established in 2007 by the late English fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen, whose own career began just a short walk from the hotel’s Conduit Street address.

As a teenager, McQueen apprenticed with Savile Row’s Anderson & Sheppard and Gieves & Hawkes, mastering the exacting techniques of traditional British tailoring that would be the foundation of his designs. His work drew on that heritage throughout his career, even as he delighted in challenging its conventions.

The hotel’s interiors take inspiration from Savile Row craftsmanship, Bond Street fashion and Mayfair’s celebrated galleries and auction houses. And McQueen’s legacy is woven into the building through an extensive collection of contemporary art curated by Sarabande’s House of Bandits gallery.

McQueen, who died in 2010, left a substantial portion of his estate to Sarabande, which provides scholarships, mentoring and affordable studio space for emerging artists and designers. The gallery has curated more than 1100 artworks by more than 60 artists for the 193-room hotel.

The collection includes original works and site-specific commissions spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and illustration, displayed throughout the hotel’s rooms, suites and public spaces. Among the contributors is Sarabande graduate Leyman Lahcine, who has been commissioned to create more than 50 paintings, while photographer Kasia Wozniak’s work includes a portrait of celebrated British milliner Stephen Jones.

The St. Regis occupies the former site of Westbury on Conduit Street, a Mayfair landmark dating from 1955. Its transformation, overseen by architects Morrison Design, includes a new upper level, rear extension, additional basement and reworked facade, substantially expanding the building’s footprint.

There are 193 rooms, including 66 suites, with the crowning glory a penthouse featuring a 150-square-metre private terrace and panoramic views across London. An intimate central courtyard, two wellness suites and a gym to cater to guests who want respite from the UK’s frenetic capital.

The famous names continue in the dining room, where American chef Daniel Rose will make his London debut with Le Perroquet. The Chicago-born chef trained in France at the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse before establishing himself in Paris with restaurants including Spring and La Bourse et La Vie. He subsequently took his talents to New York, where his French restaurant Le Coucou earned a Michelin star.

At Le Perroquet, an all-day French brasserie, Rose will work alongside executive head chef Robert Aikens, twin brother of British celebrity chef Tom Aikens. The pair formerly worked together in New York and promise traditional French cooking in a lively setting designed to attract Londoners as well as hotel guests.

Alongside Le Perroquet, the hotel plans a bar with live jazz and cocktails, while its signature St. Regis rituals, including champagne sabering, will bring a little theatricality to proceedings.

See marriott.com