For years, Leicester Square was that place you walked through on the way to somewhere more interesting, like dim sum on Gerrard Street or an all-nighter at the Prince Charles. Better known then for greasy spoons and tourists who insisted on calling it ‘Ly-sester’, it regained a semblance of its original elegance following a multi-million pound renovation that attracted higher-end residents, like the W and the Radisson Blu, into the area.
The latest to join them is Victory House, an 86-bedroom MGallery hotel, which occupies a French Renaissance-style building on the north side of the square.
The Sofitel’s venture into hotels with ‘character’, Victory House is a celebration of Leicester Square’s glamorous heritage as home to the most prestigious cinemas in the country.
Inside, the imposing terracotta-coloured facade gives way to soft colours and hard furnishings; teals, greys, brass and wood, are offset by black-and-white film shots and the occasional Deco flourish. The work of interior design and architectural practice, Michaelis Boyd, which has performed similar magic over the Groucho Club and assorted Soho Houses, the thoughtful transformation has turned a series of dim, dated and sometimes awkward spaces, into a light-filled, modern and inviting retreat in the heart of London.
ADDRESS
14 Leicester Square
-
Sculptor Woody De Othello paints a Miami museum red for a show that ‘almost hugs you’The Miami-born, California-based artist opens his first museum exhibition in his hometown as an experiential journey through life and lifeless objects
-
Alpine A390 GT: French, fast and fun. A sporting EV with a real sense of occasionAlpine doubles down on its fast electric credentials with the A390 GT, the French performance brand’s largest car to date
-
Forget smart homes, Doma's 'intelligent' doors open at the sight of a familiar faceYves Béhar and Jason Johnson have founded Doma, a tech start-up dedicated to seamlessly integrating tech into your daily life
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
Sir Devonshire Square is a new kind of hotel for the City of LondonA Dutch hospitality group makes its London debut with a design-forward hotel offering a lighter, more playful take on the City’s usual formality
-
This sculptural London seafood restaurant was shaped by ‘the emotions of the sea’In Hanover Square, Mazarine pairs a bold, pearlescent interior with modern coastal cuisine led by ‘bistronomy’ pioneer chef Thierry Laborde
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
-
Follow the white rabbit to London’s first Korean matcha houseTokkia, which translates to ‘Hey bunny’ in Korean, was designed by Stephenson-Edwards studio to feel like a modern burrow. Take a look inside
-
Poon’s returns in majestic form at Somerset HouseHome-style Chinese cooking refined through generations of the Poon family craft
-
One of London’s favourite coffee shops just opened in Harvey NicholsKuro Coffee’s latest outpost brings its Japanese-inspired design to the London department store
-
Enjoy a Kyoto-inspired menu with London attitude at this new restaurantAki London offers a serene counterpoint to Oxford Circus, where stately interiors and elevated Japanese cooking cross paths
