A boutique bolthole with heaps of charm, L’oscar London has quickly risen to rank among the city’s most revered places to stay and play. The interiors are stylish, the restaurant lively and the service top-notch. With so much to offer, the whimsical property wins over all those who stay here.
London is magnetic, pulsating with an irresistible energy that blends old-school charm with contemporary cool, a timeless backdrop for avant-garde fashion, eclectic art and diverse cultural offerings that have defined its evolving identity through the ages.
No wonder then that the UK capital’s somewhat bohemian individuality gave birth to the ‘dandy’, and for us at OutThere, there was no greater dandy than Oscar Wilde, the Victorian poet and playwright, LGBTQ+ icon and snappy dresser. Celebrated for his sardonic wit, he is best remembered for his plays and epigrams, as well as for his dramatic, forbidden queer romance with a member of the British aristocracy.
Wilde’s rakish identity is one that a number of the city’s luxury hotels play up to. But if there’s one property that has taken being ‘Wilde’ at heart to a new level, it’s the Michel Reybier Hospitality-owned, Jacques Garcia-designed L’oscar London, the former brand known for distinctive, contemporary hospitality and the latter for his signature, non-conformist opulence. Together, they’ve taken over a Grade II-listed building (once the London HQ of the Baptist Church) in Holborn and turned it into a playful, hedonistic 39-boudoir hotel.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Sophisticate | LHR / LCY | GMT |
| While you’re Out There |
| There’s more than you could ever wish to explore on a single trip to London within easy walking distance from the hotel, but one particularly memorable place to discover is the Sir John Soane’s Museum on Lincoln’s Inn Fields. A house museum dedicated to the building’s original owner, Sir John Soane, its many rooms are filled with art, antiques, drawings and memorabilia from a lifetime of creation. |
Plenty of hotels deliver luxury in a staid way, but we assure you, not this one. The name says it all. The hotel is everything a dandy is – extravagant and extraordinary, witty, charming and a tad outré – with a sophisticated, whimsical appearance and unashamedly sensual sensibility that set it apart from other properties. A gem-encrusted jewellery box of a hotel, it opens up into various spaces, each hiding its own treasure. Our L’oscar Suite comes to mind, with its dark-wood-panelled walls, velvet chaise longue, bright yellow, floor-to-ceiling brocade bedhead and gold and red carpet. The Committee Room and Library are also exquisite, as is the quirky little garden/courtyard nook.
But the most over-the-top space is the hotel’s landmark restaurant and bar, set in its hexagonal chapel. At the time of writing, this was being transformed into a new eatery. Exactly what that will be is all hush-hush, but we’re sure it will fast become a hotspot for dandy shenanigans of all kinds.
Photography courtesy of Michel Reybier Hospitality
