CitizenM’s new Flagship Hotel at the Tower of London
citizenM’s new 370-room flagship hotel opens opposite the Tower of London.
Designed by the acclaimed Amsterdam-based creatives of Concrete, the property’s facade blends in with its surroundings. A light and airy glass and limestone facade mirrors the buildings neighbouring the hotel.
citizenM’s second property in London marks another milestone in the history of this young and innovative Dutch hotel brand. Since it was founded in 2008, the company has been a disruptive force, breaking the rules of traditional hospitality with its belief in offering an outstanding experience and advanced thinking, treating all guests equally and seeking to give them what they really want – contemporary design, technology that enables a streamlined experience and friendly, efficient service at a very smart price.
Entering the hotel through its signature style red glass box, guests are immersed immediately into the group’s philosophy of redefined luxury for modern travellers. The ground floor is the heart of this hotel where guests can relax after a long day in the UK’s capital. Here they can rest, work, get together by the fire place, watch TV or pamper their souls or stomachs. The concept of this area sees five different yet connected spaces that cater to the needs of both modern business travellers and tourists.
In the centre of the new hotel are the self check in terminals, arranged in circles around small sapling trees, which allow a swift and easy check in and out in seconds. Oversized shelves let the guest enter the humorous world of citizenM. Filled with books on subjects such as photography, travel and design, and a collection of unique objects that reflect aspects of traditional British heritage, citizenM’s love for quirky details will delight guests from all over the world. A stuffed boar’s head surveys its surroundings while vintage cricket bats, antique riding boots and silver sports trophies adorn the communal spaces. Furniture from Vitra, citizenM’s long term partner, is used throughout the hotel, showcasing classic pieces from designers such as Verner Panton, Charles & Ray Eames, and Jean Prouvé.
Continue through the lobby and discover a work space furnished with beautiful custom made communal tables, where iMacs and printers are free for guests to use. At the back of the hotel is an outdoor terrace, furnished with bright red picnic tables, which looks onto the ancient Roman wall, a reminder the capital’s rich history.
Upstairs, the Concrete design team has created a winning approach to the much-loved bedrooms ensuring that every element packs a punch. Each room has large wall-to-wall windows, to create space and light, a modern-day luxury itself. Below the window is a huge and extremely comfortable bed with crisp linens that is the main focus of the room. The bathroom offers a Rain Dance shower to soothe and enliven the most tired traveller with toiletries specially made for citizenM with a choice of AM or PM. citizenM also offers a full range of free on demand movies and Skype-based phone rates from the rooms – and if you want to watch your own choice of films and shows, you can stream them from your mobile device and watch them on the wall-mounted TV screen. Add to this an iPad that controls everything in the room from themed wake up alarms to coloured ambient lighting, and it’s clear that at citizenM, it’s the guest who is in charge.
In order to fully appreciate the ancient splendour of the Tower, a fortress, prison and palace, and home to the Queen’s Crown Jewels, citizenM has crowned its new eight-storey property with a jewel itself; a dramatic double height space with floor to ceiling windows and a wrap around terrace that offers a stunning 360° view on London and its famed skyline.
It’s at the top of the hotel that you will discover the most spectacular space of all. The cloudM bar with its outstanding terrace, is a wraparound double height space offering what must be one of the most dramatic views of London’s skyline with the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and its iconic skyscrapers including the Gherkin and the Shard.
Located on the top two floors as well is SocietyM, the hotel’s popular business meeting rooms that are both creative and functional, with whiteboards, blackboards, free super fast Wi-Fi. Styled to evoke a 1950s design ethos, with vintage typewriters, telephones and Bakelite radios, these eight meeting spaces are designed to encourage imaginative thinking and innovative ideas.
citizenM Tower of London is the eighth citizenM hotel, and joins London Bankside, Glasgow, New York, Paris, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. citizenM Shoreditch is set to open in September 2016 and construction is currently taking place on two hotels in Paris as well as in New York, Taipei and Shanghai. New hotels will also be built in Seattle and Los Angeles.