Anna Smith reviews the Devonshire Club, the stylish hotel and private members club.
A quiet, spacious luxury hotel in a good London location is a rare find – and one that’s reasonably priced is especially unusual.
A short walk from Liverpool Street and with stylish rooms starting at £150, Devonshire Club is a no brainer. The hotel and private members’ club is a relatively new addition to the capital, having transformed a 60,000 sq ft warehouse space into a designer club with mid-century decor and a modern edge.
The reception is friendly and welcoming without being intrusive. We are given a key card to our suite on the fourth floor, which has terrific views of Devonshire Square. The bathroom is almost as big as the bedroom/living room area, with a large stand-alone bath, separate shower and plentiful toiletries as well as unusual touches like a loofah mitt.
If you’re not a light traveller, you’re in luck: there’s plentiful deep wardrobe space and drawers around the room, which has an attractive, comfortable contemporary design. We tuck into some complimentary macaroons as well as a mini-bar full of free soft drinks – nice touch. There’s a coffee machine, and room service should you want something stronger.
Speaking of which, the Champagne bar downstairs beckons for our welcome glass of bubbly. It’s a glamorous lobby/bar that’s subtly lit according to the time of day. It’s Thursday night, and a female DJ is playing funky Motown tunes. Members and hotel guests are smartly dressed – many are city workers, but there’s also some spill-over from the hip media world of nearby Shoreditch.
We hit the brasserie for a splendid dinner: the steak is declared excellent while my halibut with hollandaise goes down a treat, as does the fresh bread and the chocolate dessert that’s brought specially for a birthday boy in our party. The staff are polite and friendly and know a thing or two about wines: we splash out on a bottle of Château Montviel, Pomerol 2011 and it does not disappoint.
The bed is the perfect place to sink into a tipsy sleep, and I’m amazed how peaceful it is, both inside the hotel and out. The next thing we hear is a knock on the door with our breakfast: we’ve ordered eggs Benedict (more amazing hollandaise!), which comes with delicious fresh berries, juice and more champagne that we didn’t even ask for. I could get used to this.
The next day, staff are happy to look after my stuff while I shop at the cool Spitalfields market, then I do a spot of work from the bar on my laptop – the wifi connection and plugs make this easy. There’s also a small but very high-end gym upstairs, and a cosy library bar.
Devonshire Club, can I move in please? Cheers.
Tell me more about Devonshire Club
Devonshire Club, 5 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4YD
Rates per room per night begin from £150 for members and £219 for non-members
