Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
BROADWICK SOHO
Designer: Martin Brudnizki
Location: London
On offer: Noel Hayden, a tech founder with a background in online gaming, may seem like an unlikely candidate to open a high-design boutique hotel in the center of London. But decades before Hayden was a tech big wig, he earned his hospitality stripes at Mon Ami, a southern coastal vacation property operated by his circus-performer-turned-hotelier parents in the UK. While Mon Ami shuttered in the mid-80s, its theatrical spirit—magicians, comedians, musical acts—lives on at the Broadwick Soho.
Hayden tapped hospitality design impresario Martin Brudnizki to bring the retro-glam vision to life, drawing inspiration from Jazz Age opulence, Italian escapades, and English eccentricity. Brudnizki deployed his signature pattern mashups, integrating rich materials, colors, and historical relics from Mon Ami. Of the 57 hotel rooms, nine are suites outfitted with white Calacatta Oro marble; handcrafted brass Elephant minibar; and opulent wallpaper depicting exotic animals, flora, and fauna.
Standout features: Named after Hayden’s mother, the property’s subterranean boîte Dear Jackie has a sultry allure thanks to lipstick-red silk walls, dim Murano light fixtures, and handcrafted plates by artist Michaela Gall. Arriving via servers donning polka-dot playsuits, chef Harry Faddy’s Italian crowdpleasers run the gamut from sea bass crudo to lemon risotto with prawns and baby squid to a deliciously airy tiramisu for dessert. (Don’t sleep on the accouterments like the whisper-thin crackers imported from Sicily.)
Exclusive to hotel guests is The Nook, an intimate lounge adorned with mustard-colored Italian chintz fabric, vintage treasures, and a showstopping 1970s glass chandelier. It doubles as a vinyl-listening room with an eclectic selection curated by a neighboring record store. But the hotel’s crown jewel is the rooftop bar Flute, where visitors can sip innovative cocktails inspired by films shot in Soho on leopard-print chairs or overlooking the cityscape from the wraparound terrace.
