The Hospital Club Adds 15 Bedrooms

Today I’m excited to feature the newly added bedrooms at the Hospital club. My regular readers will know that I’ve been a proud member of this private membership club for almost 10 years. I’ve blogged about the club, its history and our lovely CEO before. You can also read about the Oak room addition back in 2013.

In January this year the club changed yet again and added 15 luxurious bedrooms to its already exciting offerings. Designed by Russell Sage Studio I knew I would instantly love it, having seen their previous work in the club and some of their other projects.

Cosy, luscious, sophisticated, kitted out with leathers, velvets, warm woods and stained glass the rooms range from Small to Medium and Large to Suites. There’s been a lot of press coverage so you can find many images. I wanted to concentrate on some of the details and find out more about the thinking behind it so asked Michael Berg, Creative Director of the club, some questions.

How do you start a project like this. Where does the inspiration come from? The decision to put bedrooms in the club was a result of feedback from members. Three out of every four new members asked about accommodation. Also when we talked to existing members about developments they would like to see in the club, bedrooms were always mentioned. We were also lucky that due to the length of time to get the planning permission, it enabled us to talk, research, define and debate what we personally liked about hotels and what we didn’t like. We were able to fully define the service and the design route for the rooms.

So, now you had some ideas on paper. What came next? We were able to present to Russell Sage a very detailed view of what the bedrooms should be like , ideas, the features and also how we intended to service them. This enabled  him and his team to go away and create a full presentation for us.

Russell Sage Studio has worked on many areas within the club. What makes you choose his studio over and over again? I originally introduced Russell to the previous CEO when we were refurbishing the 2nd Floor. Russell had always been a fan of the club and was always saying to me how much he wanted to work on the club. He consistently delivers, he understands our DNA and, most importantly, gets the right balance between design and comfort. I also think that over a period of time you get to know and understand each other, and as a testament to this, we only changed a handful of ideas from the original pitch.

You had a special carpet designed by Russell Sage Studio. Can you expand? We knew early on that it was important to give the rooms an identity, and in our building that can at times prove challenging as there are very few distinct or stand out original features. The idea with the carpet is that when you see it in a photo alongside the headboards you will immediately say “Hospital Club”. It’s a bold design that carries through from the corridors to the rooms.

How detailed was the brief to the interior designers. How do you make sure you stay within budget? It was a very detailed brief, in terms of what we wanted and did not want, what we hoped to achieve et cetera. We employed a separate company to project manage all aspects of the build, including interiors and I am delighted to say it did come in under budget.

You involved artists from the club in your decor of the rooms. Good collaborations? When we decided to put art in the rooms we wanted a program that had resonance and a connection to the club. It made total sense to ask artists who had previously been exhibited in the club, it reinforces the provenance and commitment to contemporary art that we have created. All the artists were amazing, offering their work unconditionally. It has been a wonderful and delightful collaboration.

The detail of attention is impeccable. Tell us about your special cocktail mixes and the little book of creativity. The cocktail mixes were the inspiration of our head barman and the bottles came from a goodie bag I received. The Little Book of Creativity was our answer to the Gideon’s Bible normally found in hotels.

We live in an information age and want to feel at home, wherever we are. Is the Hospital Club with bedrooms now a true ‘home from home’ space? I certainly hope so, I think it completes the offering, we are now truly 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a week.

Is there a particular part of this process you enjoyed the most? I think the most enjoyable part was the sourcing and selection of items in the rooms, from blankets to kettles, clocks, hot water bottles, toiletries but also getting the art together!

Thank you Michael!

Stepping out of the lift on the third floor where the bedrooms are located.

Fabulous carpet design by Russell Sage Studio found throughout the third floor.

Part of the corridor on the third floor. On the other side, Solomon & Wu have added witty, medically-themed resin murals lining the bedroom corridors.

Exquisite overarching headboards in warm wood. Another signature feature of all the bedrooms. This here is part of a Suite.

All rooms have Roberts radios.

Beautiful hand-stitched detail on blankets.

Artefacts, books, ornaments, 70’s retro cabinets and quirky display units make the Suites feel more like a private residence than a hotel room.

Another great touch. In each room, the respective artist chose their three favourite books for guests to enjoy.

Always with the fingers on the pulse, there are also some Terrariums found in the Suites.

Beautiful Terrarium by Alyson Mowat of Botanique.

Some hanging Terrariums by Alyson and a writing desk.

 

You can purchase this Little Book of Creativity, as well as other items featured in the rooms in the Hopsital club shop. All proceeds from the Little Book of Creativity will go to the h.Club Foundation

Sunny mirror.

Magnificient Rockstar Whisky Bar in one of the Suites by Buster + Punch.

Incredible workmanship and detail of the Rockstar Bar.

Customised cocktail mixes.

All rooms are kitted out with Roberts radios, old style telephones, iPod docks, TV screens and lots of charm and details. In the Suites you’ll find extras like a terrace,  an Espresso machine and an erotic mini bar by Holloway Smith Noir. All bedrooms have the midas touch and even the couple of windlowless rooms make you feel cocooned.

One of the most genius features are the stained glass designs. All different, they add a glorious touch and luminous light.

Truth be told, photographs don’t do the bedrooms justice. Like with any multi-layered, textured, tactile and sensual space, you have to actually be in one and experience it for yourself. The best part is that by staying in one of the rooms you automatically get the Hospital club experience as if you were a member. Great service, food, cinema screenings, excellent value for money. I could go on and on and on, but then I’m bias. Rumour has it that there’s a mobile barman who arrives outside your room at 7pm with a trolley fully stocked with lethal cocktails.

A great team work and as I said at the beginning of my post I’m a proud member of this private membership club for almost 10 years and not about to go anywhere else. For those of you who would like to stay in one of the bedrooms, give me a nudge and I’ll see if I can pass on my membership discount to you.

I’m taking a little hiatus. See you back here on Thursday 16th April.