CitizenM Bankside opens in London
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Budding Dutch hotel group CitizenM (opens in new tab) has recently brought its brand of 'affordable luxury' to London in the first of what will be a trio of concept hotels in the city. Conveniently sited across the road from Wallpaper* HQ, seconds from Tate Modern (opens in new tab), CitizenM Bankside (opens in new tab) is the fourth hotel from the group, which also has bolt-holes in Amsterdam and Glasgow, with more planned in New York and Paris.
CitizenM caters to a new generation of technophile travellers, and its latest effort is a notable step-up for a company already known for rethinking the budget hotel concept. Filled with eclectic furniture, accessories and books, the Bankside hotel's striking open-plan lobby is 'styled to look like the living room of a very well-travelled person', according to CMO Robin Chadha.
Guests are offered a self check-in service, using touch screen terminals, and they can refresh themselves at the self-sevice CanteenM - the brand's antidote to the notoriously exorbitant mini-bars, arguably the biggest bane of modern travel.
'We looked at where people spend their time,' says Chadha. 'Do you spend time in the bedroom? No, it's always the living room - and, even more, the kitchen.' The bakery-style kitchen is open around the clock, and serves up sandwiches, salads, sushi, warm dishes and beverages, while the adjacent coffee bar morphs into a cocktail bar as day turns to night.
Unique to this CitizenM is a newfound focus on contemporary art. Turner Prize-nominated artist Mark Titchner (opens in new tab) features on the exterior of the building with a text piece boldly claiming 'Another World Is Possible', a sentiment that also formed the basis of the design of the hotel. Inside eagle-eyed art enthusiasts may recognise works by Hans op de Beeck (opens in new tab), Gavin Turk (opens in new tab) and Mario Testino (opens in new tab). Also new for the hotel group is a partnership with Amsterdam-based bookshop Mendo (opens in new tab), the self-styled 'candy store for book aficionados'. In the pop-up bookshop, guests can purchase tomes on photography, architecture, fashion or travel, and have them sent directly to their home address.
The hotel is built around a serene atrium that offers a rare green haven in the bustling metropolis, with tall birch trees reaching up through hanging lanterns and encompassed by a bold 35-meter mural from art collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus (opens in new tab). A dramatic spiral staircase leads up to the first floor, where 'business nomads' will find a collection of seven meeting rooms that eschew the corporate look, featuring wooden bookshelves, Eames 'Plastic Chairs' and dramatic lighting fixtures.
The rooms at CitizenM Bankside are compact cubicles of cool, featuring wall-to-wall windows, superking-size beds, space-age rain showers, furniture from design powerhouse Vitra, Skype-based phones, global plug sockets and complimentary wi-fi and films. Remote controls are made obsolete by a bespoke touch-screen tablet that controls everything from the expected (television, window blinds, temperature) to the unexpected (social media channels, ambient mood lighting and themed wake-up alarms).
With rates starting from just £99, CitizenM has set a new standard for techno-forward budget luxury.
Notoriously exorbitant mini-bars, arguably biggest bane of modern travel, have been replaced by a self-serve CanteenM on the ground floor
Unique to CitizenM Bankside is a newfound focus on contemporary art. Pictured is 'Large red fright wig', by Gavin Turk
The hotel has partnered with Amsterdam-based bookshop Mendo (opens in new tab) to create a curated pop-up bookstore
The hotel is built around a serene atrium that offers a rare green haven in the bustling metropolis, with tall birch trees reaching up through hanging lanterns
A dramatic spiral staircase leads up to the first floor where ‘business nomads’ will find a collection of seven meeting rooms, as well as bedrooms
ADDRESS
20 Lavington Street
London UK, SE1 0NZ
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
Stanya Kahn’s Frieze Los Angeles commission to unearth the ‘understory’ of human intervention in nature
We speak to multidisciplinary artist Stanya Kahn, whose ‘Understory’ installation will be unveiled at Frieze Los Angeles for the 2023 R.U.in.ART Commission
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
On your marks: the best looking sports watches
Choose the right sports watch for you, for its capabilites or its tools for outdoor adventure, bringing the greatest physical and mental benefits
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Onitsuka Tiger hosts British artist Michele Fletcher in its in-store gallery
Michele Fletcher is the latest artist to show in Onitsuka Tiger’s open-to-all Tiger Gallery, found within the Japanese brand’s London flagship
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Art’otel Battersea opens with immersive interiors by Jaime Hayon
An exclusive tour of Art’otel Battersea, the first UK opening from the group, located opposite the Battersea Power Station and featuring immersive interiors by Jaime Hayon
By Rosa Bertoli • Published
-
Ælfred: the new east London destination for vintage Scandinavian design
Ælfred opens in Hackney Wick, offering democratically priced Scandinavian furniture, lighting, ceramics and glassware
By Emma O'Kelly • Published
-
Hyperlocal design: these Atelier100 products are made within 100km of London
Atelier100 launches its retail space and debut locally focused design collection in London’s Hammersmith
By Martha Elliott • Published
-
Peek inside London’s One Park Drive penthouses by Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron unveil bespoke penthouses at One Park Drive tower in Canary Wharf with furnishings and styling by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio
By Martha Elliott • Last updated
-
Dimoremilano opens immersive Marylebone residency around Frieze London 2022
Coinciding with this year’s Frieze London, Dimoremilano has opened an immersive residency at The Invisible Collection’s new Marylebone HQ
By Mary Cleary • Last updated
-
Holloway Li’s debut furniture collection is like colourful candy
Holloway Li presents the ‘T4’ collection of furniture, created in collaboration with Turkish manufacturer Uma and inspired by the designers’ 1990s childhood
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated
-
Bill Amberg creates leather furniture in collaboration with the Knepp Estate
London-based designer Bill Amberg has created a series of furniture pieces for the Knepp Estate, Sussex, using leather from the rewilding project's animals for an on-site cafe due to open in 2023
By Giovanna Dunmall • Last updated
-
Colourful London office imagined as a post-pandemic workspace
London consultancy Zetteler unveils new post-pandemic offices by Studio Rhonda, a colourful, vegan space designed for connection
By Rosa Bertoli • Last updated