In well-to-do Knightsbridge, The Emory delivers a modern take on high-end luxury, under the tagline of "a hotel like no other."
Its wellness concept focuses on longevity; its plant-heavy restaurant menus are unfussy, and its suite-only room concept provides some of the most spacious accommodations in the city.
Alongside neighbouring Mayfair, Knightsbridge is London’s undisputed ultra-high-net-worth territory, home to the city’s most prestigious retail, dining and hotel offerings. Of course, this means that The Emory fits right in. With a gorgeous, gregarious ground-floor space in glossy chocolates that contains a shaded terrace and lively restaurant that thrummed with a happy mishmash of well-to-do locals and guests, prosperous and chic travellers primarily from the US and Middle East.
Despite all that welcome activity, The Emory is also a magnet for clients who value both luxury and discretion - sprawling accommodations with sweeping views and additional recreational spaces are firmly off limits to the general public, meaning your time here can pass by in complete privacy.
The Background & The Ambiance
It’s fair to say Maybourne Hotel Group caught Londoners off guard when the hospitality company announced it would open The Emory in the English capital: this is the company’s fourth property in the city and some wondered if yet another address was necessary.
Mayfair siblings, Claridge’s and The Connaught, are genuine London icons with a distinctly British sense of wit and spirit. In Knightsbridge, The Berkeley is equally refined but more modern, playful and quirky: its Pret-a-Portea afternoon tea celebrates different fashion designers; alongside sunbathing guests, its rooftop pool has hosted synchronised swimmers.
Positioned immediately beside The Berkeley, what The Emory adds to this mix is an offering with an even greater sense of exclusivity, an all-suite concept and a pronounced sense of generosity. While you’ll pay a lot to stay here, rates include a range of benefits that would cost significant sums at other high-end London properties.
The Location
The Knightsbridge hotel sits in one of the most high-end postcodes in the country.
Perched on the edges of the iconic Hyde Park, The Emory sits in prime Knightsbridge territory - this is one of the most chic postcodes in the country. Guests are steps away from high-end shopping at the London institutions of Harvey Nichols and Harrods.
Whilst the ultra-high-end boutiques of Sloane Street are just around the corner ; a little further, the V&A Museum and Natural History Museum are just two of many exceptional cultural attractions in the locality. Host to a rolling calendar of concerts and fairs, Hyde Park, just across the road, beckons throughout the year.
The Rooms
The Emory’s all-suite concept means its guests reside in some of the roomiest accommodations in the city.
One-bed junior suites (where there isn’t a partition between the bedroom and the living area) start from 55sqm; at 300sqm, The Emory Penthouse sprawls over the entire top floor of the building. Though that space is a selling point, where potential guests choose to stay will likely be governed by their taste in aesthetics. Maybourne enlisted four interior designers to devise The Emory’s suites, with each having creative responsibility for just two floors of the building.
In an interesting design decision, each floor of The Emory boasts a unique design aesthetic, curated by different, renowned international interior designers.
Working from the lower floors up, Frenchman Pierre Yves Rochon’s traditionally styled abodes, with their hand-tufted rugs and brass pendants, felt a bit too traditional for me. But my third-floor Paricia Urquiola-designed suite, was so inviting and pretty, with its travertine-lined bathrooms and parquet flooring. Champalimaud Design’s serene fifth- and sixth-floor suites are intended to serve as leave-the-world-behind sanctuaries; up above, André Fu’s suites are finished in robust oaks and marbles and feel a touch more masculine.
Wherever they stay, guests can expect vast windows (the best views are from higher-floor suites, request one that faces Hyde Park rather than the courtyard) and Maybourne’s own brand of deliciously aromatic Surrenne toiletries, made with ginger, sage and magma. But the biggest luxury of all is that these sprawling suites feel distinctly homely: there’s plenty of space to settle in comfortably for the night with a movie, plundering the (complimentary) minibar for treats, or stretching out on the couch with a magazine.
The Restaurants
A long-standing Maybourne collaborator, French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has distilled the dining concepts at his three New York restaurants abc kitchen, abcV and abc cocina (farm-to-table fare, plant-based, and Latin-inspired, respectively) to create The Emory’s abc kitchens. Suffused with those influences, the restaurant’s veg-heavy, all-day menu is hyper-fresh, full of colour and as healthy (try the roast carrot and avocado salad with citrus dressing) or as indulgent (don’t miss the three-cheese black truffle pizza) as you want it to be.
And while The Emory is unabashedly fancy, don’t expect conventional fine dining.
There are no white tablecloths here and the vibe is casual, convivial and buzzy - the place was packed during my Sunday-night dinner. Exclusively for hotel residents and their guests, 10th-floor Bar 33’s drinks menu is supplemented by decadent dishes (think caviar doughnuts and Dover sole piccata).
The tightly controlled admittance policy means the setting, with its 270-degree panorama that extends from the London Eye to St Paul’s Cathedral to the lush greenery of Hyde Park, often operates at low capacity; visit at dusk and you should be able to snag a table with one of the best sunset views in the city. Next door and subject to the same entry rules, The Emory Cigar Merchants offers a top-tier cigar collection - expect to pay between £50 and £2,000 per stick.
Wellness
A next-level urban wellness facility at The Emory with a focus on biohacking and longevity, Surrenne’s core customer base is its local members (a cap of 100 people pay £10,000 a year for access). That’s because a degree of consistency is required to really make the most of its highly advanced programmes: dietary guidance comes via high-profile nutritionist Rose Ferguson; as part of Surrenne’s Scientific Advisory Board, better-ageing oracle Dr. David Sinclair has consulted on treatments and activities that can help practitioners live well for longer.
Hotel guests have complimentary access to this offering, alongside more customary spa treatments, an immaculate gym, the UK’s first fitness studio from celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, an elegant cabana-lined 22-metre pool, and sauna and steam facilities.
The Staff
Youthful and relaxed, staff embody The Emory’s approach to luxury: one that’s engaged and friendly, rather than rooted in pomp, ceremony and pretension.
While some team members during my stay still seemed to be settling into their roles and occasionally were unsure when faced with general enquiries, Maybourne’s other three London hotels deliver some of the most finessed customer service you’ll find in Britain, so, I’m confident any opening kinks will soon settle.
Every guest has access to an Emory Assistant - the hotel’s take on a butler, they help with the likes of unpacking and can provide concierge-like services.
Sustainability & Accessibility
Like Maybourne’s other London hotels, The Emory is powered entirely by renewable energy. The group's London quartet is currently working towards a recycling rate of 90% and has implemented rigorous procurement policies to ensure its suppliers are following similarly high sustainability practices. Three of the hotel's luxurious suites have been specially designed and adapted to cater to the needs of guests with limited accessibility, making The Emory a good choice when travelling with the entire family.
In Short: The Emory is a beautiful Knightsbridge property with sweeping suites, a gorgeous spa, and has some of the best hotel views in the city, and is most definitely worthy of a stay on your next visit to London.
The Emory, Old Barrack Yard, Belgravia, London SW1X 7NP, United Kingdom
Princes from £1,620 (SAR7,755) per night
All rates include car or helicopter transfers, in-suite drinks and butler-style services.
the-emory.co.uk
@theemorylondon
