When Hotel Russell opened in 1898, its grand silhouette caused such a stir that not only did its Russell Square neighbours rush to copy its distinctive light terracotta façade, but the owners of the RMS Titanic also tapped the hotel’s designer, Charles Fitzroy Doll, to create their ship’s dining room.
Happily, the Grade II-listed building survived the intervening century rather better, and is just emerging from a lavish overhaul of its interiors.
Designers Tara Bernerd and Russell Sage have modernised the 334-room pleasure palace, now renamed the Principal, with a dose of creamy drapery, tufted fabric, and artwork that is intended to evoke the Bloomsbury neighbourhood’s artistic and literary heritage. The restored Palm Court is once more a light-washed eyrie, while chef Brett Redman’s Neptune restaurant sports a raw bar as well as an aquatic menu speckled with Exmoor caviar, Isle of Mull scallops, and cured chalk stream trout served with mole-spiced beetroot.
There is a 200-kilo custom-designed chandelier in the hotel’s entrance. There are 30 bespoke cast-iron panels surrounding the entrance lobby fireplace
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
1-8 Russell Square
-
Ghanaian cuisine has a story to tell at Washington, DC restaurant ElminaThe new restaurant is chef Eric Adjepong’s colourful ode to the recipes he grew up loving
-
Pedro y Juana's take on architecture: 'We want to level the playing field’Mexico City-based architects Padro y Juana bring their transdisciplinary, participatory approach to the Mexico pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025; find out more
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boatsPolish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France -
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in TokyoStep inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel
