Marylebone is one of London’s most stylish and intriguing areas to visit. Go back a thousand years and it was little more than a village, a parish with manor houses well outside the city. But as London expanded, little Marylebone was swallowed up into the City of Westminster. It gentrified, and glamorous Welbeck Street became known for its private medical practices, ballroom, and Egyptian Rooms auction house, as well as for being home to a lively line-up of intellectuals and socialites. The Welbeck Palace Hotel was commissioned in 1907 and in the course of the 20th century reinvented itself many more times, before being born in its latest incarnation, The Welbeck, in February 2025.
Behind the hotel’s grand Edwardian facade are 164 exquisite rooms and suites designed by the award-winning architecture and interior design company Studio Moren. There is a nod to the building’s history in the rooms’ Art Deco-inspired decor, but even the use of gold is tastefully understated. If you are treating yourself (or a loved one) to a swanky weekend away, book one of The Welbeck’s gorgeous suites, complete with boldly painted ceilings and classy art prints on the walls.
The Welbeck’s sustainable bathroom amenities are by Templespa, and if you need expert help to unwind, there is always RUUBY, an in-room beauty concierge service delivering massage, facials, and other beauty and wellness treatments. This embodies the hotel’s mantra: “Stay Well, Travel Well, and Be Well.” The commitment to an active, healthy lifestyle continues through the design of the 24-hour gym, calming pillow sprays to improve your quality of sleep, and even the choice of items on the breakfast menu. Start the day with The Welbeck Ginger Shot – which includes a pinch of cayenne pepper – and you will soon be wide awake and ready to face the world!
The hotel’s Welbecker Bar morphs over the course of 24 hours from cozy retreat serving teas, coffees, and light meals, to a lively cocktail bar. It’s open to guests and locals alike. Line up a couple of the bar tender’s signature drinks, perhaps accompanied by a little snack like porcini arancini or beetroot carpaccio, and relax here late into the evening.
Digital Version
Subscribe to Swanky Retreats Magazine’s DIGITAL version. Read the latest issue online or download it to your computer.
