Mandeville Hotel, London, United Kingdom
Mandeville Hotel 4 Stars
Historic furnishings meet Perspex in the ‘Baroque and roll’ design, with swift service and a fun bar north of Oxford Street.
Hotel Overview
Review of Mandeville Hotel, by The TI Review Team
Tucked away in fashionable Marylebone and minutes away from Oxford Street, The Mandeville Hotel is a pleasing mix of classic comfort and trendy décor. It underwent a major renovation in 2005, under the aegis of world-renowned English designer Stephen Ryan to bump the Mandeville up to four-star status.
The facilities
The Mandeville's public spaces are marked by clean lines, marble, and mirrors, while the colourful DeVigne Bar features glass-enclosed chandeliers under which guests and locals alike can be found sipping fanciful cocktails most evenings. The DeVille restaurant is equally small and intimate, with baroque floral wallpaper, large obsidian vases, and lights in the shape of little glowing faces. It's both irreverent and sophisticated.
The rooms
The Mandeville's 142 rooms vary in size; springing for a deluxe double may be worth the extra stretching space. All contain surprisingly colourful details, whether an adorable Chinese umbrella-stand or a candy-striped pink ottoman. The hotel is divided into two sections, "the tower" and "the front;" tower rooms are designed in warm neutral tones, while street-side rooms take on more vibrant purples and greens.
The one-bedroom suites were designed with business travellers in mind, offering a small sitting room with separate entrance. The marble bathrooms are equipped with plenty of large, fluffy towels, bathrobes, and Penhaligon toiletries.
Facilities
Hotel Policies
Rooms
142Who stays here?
Girlfriend shopping getaways; editors, stylists, and other Fashion Week attendees; a smattering of designers (Zandra Rhodes, a fan of the hotel, designed the Royal Doulton china that is used for their Afternoon Tea).
Come for...
- Pink Lady-style afternoon tea
- Shopping at Selfridges, just over the road
Not Suitable for...
- Smokers - it's not allowed anywhere in the hotel
Children
Children are welcome at the hotel; several rooms interconnect for easy access, and a babysitting service is available. No cots, but baby cribs are available for children under three.
Eating in
The pop art, low velvet seating and fun, glamorous air attract a glossy crowd to the deVigne Bar for snack-style canapes and very good cocktails. Afternoon Dinners in deVille restaurant are good and decently priced, particularly if you stick to the standard Modern European classics.
The Press Say
"It was a setting that combined French boudoir chic with the icing-pink Disney fantasy world so beloved of little girls; a bit sugary at first glance, but somehow quite delightful once my eyes had managed to stop blinking." Guardian 06
Reviews
Review of The Mandeville, by Angela Moore
The handsomely top-hatted doorman at The Mandeville is the last bit of old-fashioned décor you'll see. This luxury hotel was recently sold, gutted, redesigned and relaunched as a fun and fashionable new face on the London scene.
The facilities
Design-wise, it's softer-edged and wittier than the severe designer norm; what Vogue called 'Baroque and roll'. There are faux-renaissance oil paintings, their heavy, curli-cued frames wittily replicated in clear Perspex. Old-fashioned, curly-legged armoires are painted in fresh pinks and greens. A touch of neon is supplied by framed LED 'paintings. It's tongue-in-chic and lots of fun.
A low-key, stylish crowd gather in the theatrical deVigne Bar, where candy-coloured leather seats line up in front of a long glass bar. The deVille Restaurant is very chic in fabric-covered walls, mirrored furniture and silver leather seating.
The rooms
All 142 rooms are served by an elevator, and there is an excellent staff presence in the luxury hotel - including a proper concierge desk. The rooms also have relatively spacious bathrooms (no contortionism required) with the bonus of walk-in showers, as well as tubs.
Junior suites have a small sitting area with a sofa and armchair; best bets are probably the deluxe doubles - or the Penthouse, which has its own terrace. Décor-wise, the rooms at this luxury hotel are pleasant and fresh, with flatscreen TVs, Penhaligons in the bathrooms and broadband internet access.The location is very good, near restaurants and shopping and with easy access to Soho.