Checking-in To: The Broadwick Soho

CHECKING-IN TO | CABANA TRAVEL | CABANA MAGAZINE

A visual ode to the raucous, riotous and glamorous history of London’s Soho, Broadwick Soho is a playful, performative addition to the capital's hotel scene - the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Noel Hayden and a tactile masterpiece by interior designer Martin Brudnizki. Anastasia Miari checks-in and discovers a flamboyant space balanced by fine art, great flavors and flea market finds. 

BY ANASTASIA MIARI | CABANA TRAVEL | 3 OCTOBER 2024 

A Lavish performance: Broadwick Soho © James McDonald 

A visual ode to the raucous, riotous and glamorous history of London’s Soho, Broadwick Soho is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur Noel Hayden and a tactile masterpiece by interior designer Martin Brudnizki. Taking inspiration from Hayden’s childhood years spent as an unlikely magician’s assistant to his father at the family hotel in Bournemouth, this boutique bolthole is a rendition of the 1970s in dream form.

From the shiny tile work and pink patent front door on the building’s facade, to the blue animal print blazers and oversized dickie bows the concierge staff wear once you step indoors, staying at Broadwick feels like taking part in a lavish performance that transcends the too-often grey weather outside.

One of the first things to note about the Broadwick is its notable art collection that ranges from flea market finds to pieces from Bridget Riley, Francis Bacon and William Turnbull from Hayden’s personal collection. Other pieces were sourced at the auction of David Bowie’s estate. In the dining room overlooking London’s skyline, Andy Warhol’s entire collection of shoe prints line the walls.

The private dining room at Broadwick Soho © James McDonald 

Swirling Wherwell wall lights crafted of handblown, spiralled glass emit a soft halo of light along the gloss painted corridors that lead to the hotel’s 57 rooms. Once inside, each individual space is a show of art nouveau opulence and thoughtful design touches. Custom-made fringed wardrobes depicting 1920s garden scenes on the doors also cleverly double up as generously-stocked mini bars, full bottles of wine as opposed to mini versions available alongside smart cans of Perello olives and artisanal Torres crisps. Though the rooms of the hotel are as toned down as Brudnizki can manage, with relaxing pastel hues in blues and pinks, the interior architect’s eccentric style shines through in the details.

Let your eyes wander to the floor and you’ll see that comfortable King Size beds sit humorously atop a twist on the more traditional clawfoot, into the upturned palms of brass-cast human hands. Welcome snacks in the form of Jelly babies and soft, pillowy lemon-zested madeleines are served in carnival-striped paper bags, always nodding to the showbiz spirit of Hayden’s family.

Elsewhere, nods become outright odes to the hotelier’s roots. Bar Jackie on the hotel’s ground level and Dear Jackie, the hotel’s Italian restaurant, have been named after Hayden’s mother, who is reported as being every bit as glamorous as the hotel has become. The restaurant is a red-panelled, decadent banquette-lined bolt-hole that combines Italian influences with Soho loucheness.

Kent-based ceramicist Michaela Gall was commissioned to craft the 200 Sicilian-inspired plates that line the walls, depicting food scenes and re-imagined Hayden family photos to scenes from Soho and its history. A semi-open kitchen with an enormous marble bar is framed with an arch and rich red drapery akin to stage curtains, a reminder that even ‘back of house’ puts on a show here.

The menu at Dear Jackie brings together heritage British produce with Italian flavors, a simple yet indulgent combination of dishes that range from the fresh seabass crudo with fennel and zesty orange, to hand rolled orrechiette with smoked almonds and courgettes and pork collar with salsa verde. It follows a traditional antipasto, primo and secondo flow, allowing guests to double up on a pasta dish and a main, guilt-free.

Decadent Dear Jackie, featuring 200 Sicilian-inspired wall plates by British ceramicist, Michaela Gall © James McDonald 

Bar Jackie, its down-to-earth sister, is cozy, fully of fresh ingredients and comforting dishes - Italian antipasti and generous helpings of crispy focaccia - with a nostalgic, neighborhood-bistro-1950s-diner appeal. Sicilian ceramic heads line the bar while the notes of Lucio Battisti float out over a full breakfast room buzzing with brunch meetings. It is here, beneath dramatic murano glass chandeliers, that guests are likely to rub shoulders with Londoners, popping in for a coffee and a slice of the Broadwick’s fun grandiosity on a otherwise unremarkable day.

Come sundown, its the roof terrace bar, Flute, that welcomes hotel guests and locals for a nightly live performance and cocktails overlooking the London skyline. The Onyx bar, lit up from the inside, oozes 1970s glamour and juxtaposes kitsch cork-panelled walls, while the mosaic mirror ceiling reflects the lively scenes below it.

Watching on from one of the walls is a young Noel Hayden, pictured in a blown-up family photograph with his mother and father in a scene that likely inspired many elements of the hotel’s design; a magician, his bow-tie bedecked assistant and his wife in box, ready to be sawed in half and miraculously put back together again.

The Nook, Broadwick Soho © James McDonald