The Newman, London hotel review: check into Fitzrovia

Does a place shape its people, or do people shape a place? A familiar paradox, it’s one that feels surprisingly easy to resolve after a stay at the much-anticipated Newman hotel in central London. More than a new opening, it marks the debut of Kinsfolk & Co., a British hospitality newcomer entering a market crowded with global players. Its proposition is sharply defined: a hyperlocal boutique experience that sits neatly between a rigorously design-led environment and assured five-star service.

CEO and founder Paul Brackley brings more than two decades of luxury hospitality experience, having led major London properties and held senior roles across international groups. Most recently, he worked with the Shangri-La Group as general manager and director of its flagship London hotel at The Shard. The Newman reads as his love letter to Fitzrovia – past and present – and, more pointedly, to the craft of hospitality itself.

Wallpaper* checks in at The Newman, London

What’s on your doorstep?

While The Newman sits moments from the charged rhythm of Soho and the overt luxury of Mayfair, Fitzrovia’s palimpsest of Georgian order and industrial graft lends it a distinctly residential character. Its past as a bohemian enclave during the 20th century continues to shape a sociable, lived-in atmosphere, yet it remains unmistakably current. Charlotte Street, often considered the spine of the neighbourhood, is lined with storied pubs once frequented by a thriving artistic community. The Fitzroy Tavern, for instance, was a favourite haunt of figures such as Dylan Thomas, George Orwell and Aleister Crowley. It is an area abundant in choice yet subtly concealed, making it one of London’s most compelling settings to experience the city at its loudest and quietest.

Who is behind the design?

A new hotel by a new hospitality group might call for a new interior studio. Not quite – but it does mark a step up in scale for London-based Lind + Almond, whose only other hotel project sits in Copenhagen. Led by Pernille Lind and Richy Almond, the duo immersed themselves in Fitzrovia’s layered character, mapping its bars, pubs, restaurants and, inevitably, its blue plaques.

‘What makes Fitzrovia unique is its mix of uses. We started peeling back its layers, researching and speaking to locals. It became clear that the people themselves were the real source of inspiration. Between the 1920s and 1950s, it was home to artists, poets, writers and political activists who gathered here to eat, drink and exchange ideas,’ says Richy Almond as we join him for a tour of the hotel. He mentions the duo came across so many figures by reading British novelist Julian Maclaren-Ross’ work.

The interiors sit on an art deco base, sharpened with bespoke interventions drawn from Fitzrovia’s bohemian heyday. Almond admits the studio avoids overt colour; instead, it works through restraint, gestures that don’t demand attention, but hold it. Timber and deep wood tones lead, offset by polished stainless steel. All furniture is bespoke, except for some contemporary pieces.

British writer, heiress and political activist Nancy Cunard becomes a recurring reference point. Her aesthetic is distilled into precise, inventive details: stacked bangles reworked as sculptural headboards; her geometric headwear abstracted into motifs across plaster reliefs, rugs and carpets. 15 artists, such as illustrators Christopher Brown and Marcel Garbi, alongside painting duo Sandhills Studios, were commissioned to depict figures from the era, alongside a photographic series by Rory Langdon-Down, who captured present-day Fitzrovia in black and white, deliberately collapsing the distinction between the past and present.

The room to book

Across 81 guest rooms and suites, the mood is intimate and snug. Clean-lined ceilings cut through dark timber, while brass and steel lend a restrained, eclectic edge. Bathroom tiling nods to the neighbouring Gem Langham Court Hotel’s Victorian glazed brick façade, rooting the interiors in Fitzrovia’s layered fabric. In summer, those with outdoor space are the ones to book, opening onto a soft, late-evening city breeze. All rooms are equipped with Anatomē products.

The Penthouse is the headline: an expansive residence with a 130 sqm private terrace, complete with sauna and cold plunge, and direct views towards the BT Tower. It connects seamlessly to a Deluxe Room. Inside, the plan is clean and considered: a separate living room with a dining area, kitchenette, and powder room, alongside a master bedroom with a dressing room. There is also a dining table that seats up to eight.

The palette holds steady, but the finish is elevated. Swaledale stone lines the bathroom walls, while furnishings by contemporary studios, including Louise Roe and 3 Dot Furniture, command attention. Do take advantage of the available amenities – such as the exclusive Morning coffee pod machine, the Deesse Pro Express LED mask, the Hyperice massage gun, or the full-size minibar – and do not overlook the artwork. Textured paintings by Nadia Tuercke and Adriana Jaros adorn the living room, while Anastasija Kulda decorates the bedroom.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

Located on the ground floor, Brasserie Angelica references the traditional Victorian pub, reinterpreted with a lighter hand. It unfolds across three distinct areas attuned to different moments: coffee, brunch, wine. The palette is airy and awash with natural light during the day, with a glass screen partially concealing the kitchen as the team prepares comforting northern European plates: fresh and pickled gravadlax with cucumber salad and mustard sauce, or buttermilk-fried haddock with celeriac remoulade. A leather banquette runs along the street-facing windows, unifying the space, while Nils Jean’s playful illustrations of local characters add a narrative thread.

Below, reached via the grand lacquered staircase connecting the lobby and ground floor, the Gambit Bar leans into something more seductive. Its mood draws on the occultist Aleister Crowley, referenced in carpet motifs and even cocktails such as the tequila-based Angels and Demons. It is Fitzrovia’s darker edge that informs Lind + Almond’s design language here: curves offset by fractured geometry, rather than softened lines. Figures such as Percy Wyndham Lewis, founder of the Vorticist movement, echo through the coffered ceiling.

Order from the signature list, perhaps the Kings and Queens, a mix of whiskey, olive and sweet vermouth, and watch as your drink leaves its trace on the low copper tables, part of the room’s evolving patina. The Newmans collaborated with Freddie Darke and Georgie Bennett on a series of watercolour drawings depicting figures, including the flamboyant raconteur Quentin Crisp.

Where to switch off

Inspired by the Swedish Grace movement, the spa channels a tactile, grounded warmth; fabrics and textures are layered to create a space that feels both restorative and enveloping. Tapestries by Christabel Balfour and Laura Vargas Llanas hang within the treatment rooms. Pair an ultra-Swedish massage with time in the wet area, which includes an experience shower, ice and salt room (a first in a London hotel), steam room, sauna and hydrotherapy pool. For those who find clarity through movement, a workshop-style studio with a salt wall hosts daily Pilates, mindfulness and yoga sessions for guests and locals alike.

The verdict

When you check into The Newman, you check right into Fitzrovia, its layered history and present rhythm. The experience feels intimate and deliberate, from a service team devoted to its guests to interiors, cuisine and wellness that operate with clarity and intent. It’s rare for a hotel group to arrive with such conviction in a saturated market. Barely two weeks in, The Newman already knows exactly what it is, and who it’s for.

The Newman is located at 50 Newman St, London W1T 3EB, UK

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Sofia de la Cruz is the Travel Editor at Wallpaper*. A self-declared flâneuse, she feels most inspired when taking the role of a cultural observer – chronicling the essence of cities and remote corners through their nuances, rituals, and people. Her work lives at the intersection of art, design, and culture, often shaped by conversations with the photographers who capture these worlds through their lens.