A Victorian pink gum wood, with an elephant head -shaped aldaba, welcomes the Broadwick Soho hotel, in the most Canal, Bohemia and Funny area of London. It could be the entrance to the Charlie Wonka chocolate factory, the Wonderland of Alicia, the exquisite and decadent world of the pre -Rrafaelite brotherhood of artists from the mid -nineteenth century or to the hedonism and the explosion of freedom of the Swinging Sixties. Fun and crazy spirit of the Soho has managed to monopolize the attention of critics, artists and designers.The founders of the Broadwick Soho, from left to right: Jamie Poulton (standing), Jo Ringestad, Noel Hayden, Joshua Gardener and Andrea Gelardin.Manuel Vázquez the fabrics stamped with tropical birds, the sophisticated and eclectic furniture, the mixture of art deco, Italian inspiration and excess glam reveal the hand of Martin Brudnizki, the designer Swedish interiors responsible for temples of sophistication such as the London Club Annabel's or the Palm Beach Four Seasons. Without a budget limit, the partners allowed the creative to imagine a hotel in downtown London for attracting attention. “We discuss a lot of ideas and talk to many people. But when we contact Martin [Brudnizki]we understood that their creativity and their ability to design environments were perfect for such a vibrant area. And we were talking to the best designers of the moment, ”explains Hayden. The five partners, led by him, have joined the flute You have to go back to the tourist bum of Spain, when thousands of charter flights took the Peninsula to British anxious of sun and fun. On one of the walls of the bar there is a curious photo. two by a mountain range, to appear below and save. Ami, and every night there was a show of magic and hypnotism that attracted hundreds of tourists from all over the country. electronics. Bournemouth. And I loved Soho, so we all get together, we talked a lot about too many glasses of wine and we think it would be fun, ”he says.
One of the hotel's 'suites'. Manuel Vázquez «What had before was a boring office building, so we knocked it completely. And we began to build from the beginning, including the three underground levels that are now. It was the Christmas season, and in the Soho they do not allow the entry of more than one truck a day. It was a challenge,» recalls the owner. The founding team that surrounded Noel special. Jamie Paulton, the owner of the successful Randall & Aubin restaurant, in the Soho, took care of the restoration. Joingestad, who also had a vagabundo and creative childhood with his parents' hotel in the French Riviera, is now the general director of Broadwick Soho; Joshua Gardener, executive director, held positions of responsibility in the Four Seasons chain or in the Bulgari in London, and Andrea Gelardin, the creative director, half Italian and Spanish half, is responsible for the design of shows of artists such as Lady Gaga: “My passion resides in the creativity that surrounds the shows live. But a hotel is also, in some way, a live show, in some way, a live show, in some way. Very important smells, images, lights and vibration that transmits the full experience, ”he explains.
The Hotel Main Restaurant, the Italian Dear Jackie.Manuel Vázquezun total of 57 rooms and multiple spaces in which a luxurious, striking, overflowing but subtle elegance has been sought. For seven years, while an old office building was demolished to build the hotel, an industrial ship was used at the same time to test combinations, design environments and bring to the limit the originality of the proposals. Small and artisanal factories of Italy, France and Portugal were chosen, to produce the furniture, the tiles, the wood and glass coatings or the lamps, all of Murano. «All this is a subtle luxury. The lamps that exist throughout the hotel are made in Venice, and many of the details come from small artisanal factories in Italy, in France or in Portugal. Everything is made in Europe, and it is the best of the best. Contemporaries such as Francis Bacon or Andy Warhol, largely belonging to Hayden's personal collection. Transgressive and provocative paintings, similar to those that populate the legendary The Groucho Club, the nearby club of writers, painters, journalists and people of bad living. «The Soho was definitely an adult site, with a slightly gang tone, alive at dawn. It has always been a refuge for many people, because it allowed them to behave as they wanted, to be what they wanted to be, and everyone was accepted. It is a place without strict rules, so it is so bohemian and with so much charm,» summarizes Poulton. 
Detail of one of the Murano lamps that populate rooms and corridors of the Soho Broadwick. Manuel Vázquez
Every detail of the hotel comes from artisan workshops from Italy and France. Manuel Vázquez
Colored games at the Murano crystals that illuminate the hotel. Manuel Vázquez
The lamps constitute a fundamental factor in the tones of the Broadwick Soho.Manuel Vázquezen a corner of the Blte Dear Jackie, named in honor of the owner's mother, is the beginning of a promising night, with a dolce vita luxury style with dim light, red silk walls decorated with Italian ceramics and exquisite glass lamps. The chef is Harry Faddy, who has built his legend in institutions such as The River Cafe or the Aquavit. «We didn't want anything especially sophisticated. Harry immediately understood our aspiration, our belief that good Italian food is based on good ingredients, simple but well cooked,» says Gardener, whose experience in large hotel chains serves to understand why the Broadwick is something different. And he has succeeded. The symbol of the establishment is an elephant with the rising tube, fetish of good luck. The suites bar of the suites is a pachyderm of Indian brass made by artisans of Jaipur. It represents loyalty, intelligence, empathy and compassion. And, from now on, the scoundrel luxury point that has resurrected the Broadwick in the heart of the Soho.
