When is a hotel not a hotel? When it’s 44 sprawling rooms and apartments alongside an award-winning bar set across 16 buildings in the heart of Soho. That’s when. You see, ‘hotel’ doesn’t really do it justice. How about Chateau…? Chateau Denmark, to be exact.
This independent bolthole has nothing to do with Copenhagen, and everything to do with one of Soho’s most famous roads.
As you’d expect from Denmark Street, this place rocks. A series of townhouses set in among some of the area’s coolest stores, it takes Soho’s penchant for excess and creative expression – and leans in.
The vibe
Imagine a time where punk rock and vintage gothic meets modern psychedelia and outre grandeur. Confused? Grab yourself a drink – whisky on the rocks, preferably – and all will start to make sense.
You see, Chateau Denmark’s history is entwined with the British music scene. The Stones recorded their first album in one of its buildings; Bowie hung out with Vince Taylor and Lou Reed; Chrissie Hynde and Vivienne Westwood passed through, too.
From the second you check in, you’ll begin to feel a little cooler. Especially as in order to check in you have to walk through insta-friendly public art installation ‘Tesellations’ by Rupert Newman. (Warning: this is very trippy – best keep your eyes on the ground if you’ve had too many of aforementioned whiskies.)
If you’re not familiar with Denmark Street, it is to musicians what Savile Row is to tailors. Everyone from Elton John to Jimmy Page wrote music here. The Melody Maker and the New Musical Express (NME) both started here. The Kinks demo'd ‘You Really Got Me’ here. You get the idea.
There are still eight (eight!) guitar shops on the road. There’s a vinyl record store; an independent book shop; a Flat Iron restaurant with a queue from dusk til dawn that used to be the home of musician hotspot La Giaconda. And, at the far end, is Thirteen – Chateau Denmark’s suitably stylish cocktail bar.
Black Sabbath once recorded an album on Denmark Street, and something tells me Ozzy would certainly approve of the aesthetic
Food & Drink
Thirteen is not just a cocktail bar. For starters, it’s also where you’ll enjoy your continental breakfast if you’re a hotel guest. But crucially, it’s a great place to enjoy elevated snacks – think Japanese-inspired small plates – as well as, yes, some award-winning cocktails.
It’s the kind of place where you ask for a margarita, and the response is: ‘Do you want classic, chilli or our in-house twist?’ They take their duties very seriously. And the service on the evening we attended was exceptional; I’ve never got so drunk so efficiently.
Beneath Thirteen, you’ll find Dial8 – an underground bar with its own entrance that’s perfect for private, more intimate events.
If you’re looking for something to absorb the tequila, head to the neighbouring Now Building and its independent restaurant Tattu. Inspired by traditional Chinese flavours and ingredients, Tattu offers guests a sensory experience through a fusion of cooking, culinary display and luxury interiors. It’s not part of the hotel, but it definitely got the memo.
The rooms
Chateau Denmark is technically a collection of Grade II-listed townhouses, a mews house, maisonette and mansion building all dotted along Denmark Street. Your key card doesn’t just get you into your room, it gets you into your whole house, so you genuinely feel like a Soho resident for the duration of your stay. Tourists look at you when you leave or arrive – it’s not quite the same as that blue door in Notting Hill, but you definitely get that vibe.
My room was like something out of a gothic fairytale – imagine if Stoker and Shelley hooked up and started an interior design company. Indeed, Black Sabbath once recorded an album on Denmark Street at Regent Sound Studios, and something tells me Ozzy would certainly approve of the aesthetic. The wardrobe is like a church confessional – complete with giant crucifix atop; the floor made from dark leather tiles; and most impressively, there was a fully stocked bar opposite your freestanding bath. Forget a mini fridge, there’s a full-sized undercounter wine cooler. Highlights included Dom Perginon, Moet Grand Vintage and a brace of Ruinart (Blanc de Blancs and Rosé, in case you wondered). A price list was conspicuously absent.
It’s all very glam: you get a professional stylist’s steamer in your room, rather than one of those rickety ironing boards. There are bath robes to impress a young Hugh Hefner. The light switches come with three presets: Day, Night, and Party.
And my room was far from the most decadent.
For one of those, you’ll want to book into a Signature Apartment. Set adjacent to Denmark Street, Flitcroft Street is home to the 93 sq/m Flitcroft Apartments. Finished in a similar vintage gothic aesthetic, they overlook the St Giles-in-the-Fields Church.
Or there’s the 51 sq/m ‘I Am Anarchy’ in a duplex mews house at No 6 Denmark Street. In true punk spirit, the apartment has been turned upside down with the living space upstairs and bedroom down. Gloss black furniture contrasts tartan blinds and statement graffitied chairs. The decor is finished off with Johnny Rotten’s storied caricatures of his fellow Sex Pistols bandmates – the mews house’s one-time residents.
But despite these punk thrownbacks, I’m glad to report there’s nothing rotten in the state of Chateau Denmark.
See more at chateaudenmark.com
