St Clement: London's most exciting hotel opening in years

From the man who brought you Soho House comes an exquisite new hotel Bookings had been open mere days before St Clement went viral for its generous bathroom freebies. Lurking behind the mirrored cabinet is a wishlist of grooming swag. Harry Styles’ Pleasing nail polish, Hershesons Almost Everything Cream, DABA face moisturiser (and so much more) decorate the shelves. Ishmael, who whisks us up to our room — there is nothing as tedious as a check-in process here — tells us that guests thus far have been restrained. Not us. We tear into the hydrating sheet masks with relish. The famed beauty cabinet at St ClementSt ClementAnd there’s more! The minibar snacks (Torres crisps! Snickers! Haribo!) are yours to swipe, laundry and ironing is included in the room rate, staff will do your packing and unpacking, and concealed within a trunk at the bottom of the bed are yoga mats and Nohrd weights. There are no archaic bedside phones — all room service is done via WhatsApp. These small but significant touches have all the hallmarks of Nick Jones: the brains behind the Soho House empire and consummate host. He, along with property developer Mark Wadhwa, have transformed a nothingy pocket of London alongside the Thames by Temple and transformed it into the destination. Simply say “180” and the right people know exactly what you’re talking about. 180 Studios acts as the offices for the British Fashion Council, designer Harris Reed, Frieze and Charlotte Tilbury. Cafe and deli The Corner Shop, along with restaurants Toklas and the Michelin-starred Ikoyi, have already been creating a buzz, but St Clement is the jewel in the crown. As with all great hotels — and Jones’s ambition is for this to be one of the greats — the lobby is instantly recognisable. Most eyes will be drawn to Richard Horwood’s pastel-hued 1799 plan of the City of London, but the discerning will notice the Conoid Chairs by George Nakashima or Jean Royère’s cream sofa. I found myself drooling over the dual cube tables by Andrianna Shamaris. The lobby at St ClementSt ClementNext we trot up the avocado green-carpeted steps to Cafe Clement, which opened months before the hotel and already feels like a London institution. On any given day over the summer, you’d have seen Daniel Craig, Nigella Lawson, Stanley Tucci and Paul Mescal sampling the showstopper cheese soufflé. With a seasonal menu devised by Danny Bohan, formerly of The River Café, current favourites of mine include the honey-glazed figs with coco blanco beans and the plum and browned butter tart. Those wanting to carry the party on should slink over to the discreet door in the lobby and hope to be granted access to semi-private Bobbi’s Bar for a nightcap — it’s open until 3am. Breakfast is served in the café and anyone with any good sense will order the lobster omelette. Jams are courtesy of Fortnum’s, the sourdough is from Toklas and the pastries from Populations.Coming soon is the health club with a 25m pool overlooking the Thames, a gym, Reformer Pilates studio, contrast therapy by Rebase, hyperbaric chambers and banya saunas. Melding the holistic with the medical, Cleveland Clinic will provide health assessments. Also yet to open on the 11th floor is Lunette, the debut of chef Florence Knight (formerly of Sessions Art Club). A tasting menu restaurant serving four courses at lunch (£70) and six courses at dinner (£110), it will be, without a doubt, London’s hottest spot. One of the entry level rooms at St ClementSt ClementUpstairs, the rooms (there are 90, plus 15 river lofts) are calm, restrained and luscious — the bath mats are as thick as a coffee table book and the beds are vast. TVs are elegantly concealed behind a mirror. The palette as decreed by interior designer studio Eagle + Hodges is deliberately clean — the anti-Soho House aesthetic. They have painstakingly sourced vintage pieces, commissioned bespoke furniture (their Rutland sofas! Oh my!) and curated only the most interesting of art. You may have already seen the Penthouse on your feed, the views from which stretch from the Houses of Parliament to Canary Wharf. It would take a lot to draw the eye from that skyline (the world’s best?) but a dazzlingly stained glass folding screen by the late artist Sir Brian Clarke manages to do just that. Nick Jones has meticulously planned and flawlessly executed London’s most exciting hotel in years. I’ve fallen hard for St Clement.