There’s a warm, jazzy vibe when I walk into the moodily lit lobby of 47 Welbeck Street on a wet Sunday evening. Smart doormen in natty bowler hats and well-dressed mixologists in the adjacent Cocktail Bar set the scene. First impressions count, and The Marylebone doesn’t disappoint.
The first London outpost of The Doyle Collection debuted in Marylebone Village in 1984, extending the reach of the Dublin-based hotel group into the UK for the first time. Since then, the London branch of the family has expanded into two additional addresses, The Kensington and The Bloomsbury, while the wider portfolio includes hotels in Washington D.C., Cork and Bristol, as well as a brace of homegrown hideaways in Dublin.
My 44-square-metre Luxury Suite is expansive for an established central London property, with a curved corner window that looks down upon the intersection of Marylebone Lane and Bulstrode Street, where the gleaming red façade of a traditional London pub keeps the spirit of the old city alive. Lemon cheesecake and tea await in the living room of the suite, which is fitted out with a comfy L-shaped sofa and glass writing desk overlooked by a black and white print that evokes the energy of nearby Soho.
In the bedroom, the king-sized bed sits below a floor-to-ceiling teal leather headboard and there’s plenty of storage space for anyone planning an extended stay. My personal highlight is the etch-a-sketch bathroom, a temple of black and white marble accented with Tiffany Blue bath panels that entreat you to soak in style.
Small touches please me: fresh milk in the minibar for morning tea and a copy of Slice of the City, a neighbourhood guide focusing on the locales of the eight Doyle Collection properties around the world. There’s also a copy of the well-made Marylebone Journal, produced by the Howard de Walden Estate and The Portman Estate, which collectively manage more than 200-acres of prime Marylebone real estate.
When I head down to the hotel’s health club, Third Space, shortly after it opens at 6.00 am the next morning, I’m quietly confident that I will be the first visitor. But the good people of Marylebone Village are a health-conscious set and the members-only gym is already heaving. Thankfully the 18-metre basement-level swimming pool, a rare find in Central London, is blissfully quiet, and an early morning plunge in the blue-black vault eases the rigours of travel.
Breakfast is served in The Salon, a section of the hotel’s 108 Brasserie & Bar, which was relaunched in 2020 with interiors by Alexander Waterworth. Burgundy leather banquettes and mustard-yellow armchairs sit upon parquet floors; bright turquoise walls are ribboned by floral wallpaper by London-based Cole & Son and dotted with antique mirrors.
The 108 Bar is a smart neighbourhood spot where the bartenders are just as happy to pour a pint of local brew as they are to mix a martini or pop a Champagne cork, while the heated outdoor terrace on Marylebone Lane is no-doubt a crowd-pleaser when the rain is not lashing London. Upstairs, the Cocktail Bar has a decidedly different atmosphere, with cosy corners, jewel-toned armchairs and intimate nooks around a fireplace, where the cocktails are inspired by the seasons and the décor feels homely and opulent.
Set back from the hoo-ha of Marylebone High Street, the hotel is flanked by handsome four-storey townhouses and just a short hop from Bond Street Station and the gleaming portals of the Elizabeth Line. (“It’s like the Premium Economy of Tube travel,” I explain to an overseas colleague.) Just like its guests, The Marylebone is well-connected and worldly, close enough to the action of Mayfair and Soho but far enough removed to feel private and discrete. A hotel for all seasons with the well-worn feel of a genuine London classic.
