NoMad London Hotel, Covent Garden Renovation, Building Restoration, Architecture Images

NoMad London Hotel in Covent Garden, UK

Accommodation Building Redevelopment Project in London design by Roman and Williams, UK

17 Apr 2019

Design: Roman and Williams

Location: Covent Garden, London, UK

Sydell Group Announces Plans For A Nomad Hotel In London’s Coveted Covent Garden Neighbourhood

photo © Emsie Jonker

NoMad London Hotel

New York-based Sydell Group, in partnership with investment firm BTC, has announced plans to open a London outpost of Sydell Group’s award-winning NoMad hotel in Covent Garden. The property, a historical 19th century courthouse and police station, known as Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station, will be thoughtfully transformed into a ninety- one-room hotel incorporating into its design many of the building’s architectural features.

This will be the first NoMad outside of the United States — where NoMad hotels in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas have received numerous awards and accolades — and will continue NoMad’s tradition of offering gracious hospitality combined with understated elegance and comfort.

“We are thrilled to bring the NoMad to London, and we feel there could not be a better building for it,” said Andrew Zobler, Founder and CEO of Sydell Group, who is known for creating unique hotels that are deeply rooted in their location. “The NoMad has always been about combining tradition and architecture with a modern and urbane sensibility, so it is well suited for London, a city that has always captivated us.”

photo © NoMad London Hotel in Covent Garden

“We acquired Bow Street Magistrates Court in 2016 with a clear vision of creating a world class hotel that celebrates the rich heritage of this truly unique building. It has always been our intention to work with a leader in the lifestyle hotel space with whom we can transform Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, so we are delighted to be partnering with Sydell Group to bring the NoMad brand to London.

Andrew Zobler shares our values, and his reputation for re- imaging historic buildings and creating iconic hotels makes him the perfect partner. With Daniel Humm and Will Guidara driving the food and beverage offering we have a stellar team who will deliver the very best in hospitality” says Mehdi Ghalaie, Managing Director of BTC UK.

Inspired by the original materials, color palette and elaborate architecture of Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station, NoMad London will pay homage to the decorative traditions of England’s heritage while exploring the relationship between the New York and London art scenes.

Distinctive design features will be incorporated into the hotel’s reimagined spaces, such as former jail cells transformed into a selection of guest rooms and the creation of a museum with rotating exhibitions honoring the history of the Metropolitan Police Force.

The interior transformation of the grade-II listed building will be done in collaboration with Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of New York-based interior design firm Roman and Williams, whose accolades include the prestigious 2014 National Design Award for excellence in their field. In addition to their award-winning hospitality work, the firm was recently selected to collaborate on the re-design of the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The NoMad London will mark their first international hotel project.

photo © Benoit Linero

“We’ve visited England frequently, drawing inspiration from emblematic, historical spaces. Having NoMad, which will be housed in a remarkable historic building, initiate our expansion to London feels fitting. It’s a natural progression of our narrative as we’ve already begun referencing the city’s history, culture and people,” said Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors.

Sydell Group has collaborated with Roman and Williams on numerous projects including Ace New York and the Freehand Hotels in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago. The NoMad London marks their first foray together into luxury hotels.

“Together with Roman and Williams, we believe that we will bring something new and exciting to the luxury hotel world that plays off of our history of collaboration, but expands on it through the use of finer materials and resources, while staying grounded in the concept for which the team is so well known,” said Andrew Zobler, Founder and CEO of the Sydell Group.

As with the original NoMad New York, which opened in 2012, and the NoMad Los Angeles and NoMad Las Vegas, which both opened in 2018, the London location will feature expansive food & beverage offerings under the direction of acclaimed chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara of 3 Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York, which ranked #1 in the 2017 list of ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’.

“To be able to take the NoMad experience to London is something we’re very excited about. It’s a city we’ve loved for so long, and it has such a rich history of hotels and dining that we’re eager to contribute to,” said Will Guidara, restaurateur & co-owner at Make It Nice.

“We’re really looking forward to working with our partners to transform the historic space and make it our own, bringing our food, cocktails, and service to such a storied neighborhood,” said Daniel Humm, chef & co-owner at Make It Nice.

NoMad London will also feature an art program conceived in collaboration with design studio be- poles, which will celebrate the influence of postwar American art and European avant- garde, exploring the exchange of creative ideas between London and New York. The hotel will also present the first NoMad lounge, an alluring space for guests to linger in well after dinner.

A prominent feature among Sydell Group’s portfolio of properties is the restoration and re-imagination of historic buildings into unique hospitality experiences, alongside award-winning food & beverage. Sydell Group’s first hotel in London was The Ned, a partnership with London-based Soho House & Co, which opened to numerous accolades in 2017.

Since opening in 2012, NoMad’s New York flagship has been celebrated around the world for its thoughtful restoration of a turn-of-the-century Beaux-Arts building into a beautiful hotel that fuses the traditions of Europe’s grand hotels with a modern approach to service.

About Sydell Group
Sydell Group is the creator and manager of unique hotels deeply rooted in their location and architecture. Sydell’s core expertise is an ability to collaborate with original talent within the world of design, food & beverage, and retail, and bring them together in the creation of compelling new hotels that engage the communities around them. Sydell Group’s diverse portfolio of award-winning properties include The NoMad, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas; The LINE LA, DC and Austin; Freehand Miami, Chicago, LA & New York; Park MGM Las Vegas; and The Ned, London.
Sydell Group

About BTC
Business Trading Company, also known as BTC was established in 1997 to fill the void which existed in Qatar for a retail environment offering the perfect mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. Today BTC is famous both in Qatar and the entire GCC region for its proven expertise in the development and management of premium shopping malls, entertainment, real estate, and high-end retail brands. Ever since its inception, BTC has set exemplary high standards of excellence in all its areas of expertise. With the advent of every new project, the BTC has successfully raised and exceeded the standard it set.
Business Trading Company

About Roman And Williams
In 2002, Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch partnered to found the New York-based design studio Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors. The firm has since garnered international attention for their work on hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, homes, and product design.

Distinguishable by their ingenious blending of historical elements with a modern reference, Roman and Williams strives to create projects, which consistently find the tension between spontaneity and rigor, refinement and rebellion, and past, and future. The studio places an emphasis on sturdy, well-made objects, custom designing many of the furniture and fixtures found in their work. Each project is instilled with a heightened sense of narrative and familiarity.

Credited with disrupting the hospitality industry by creating an alternative to the ‘boutique’ hotel Roman and Williams is known for their work on such projects as Ace Hotel New York, The Boom Boom Room at the Standard High Line, and the historic Chicago Athletic Association Hotel.

Their restaurants have received extensive praise, including Le Coucou, with Stephen Starr and Chef Daniel Rose, which was named New York City’s top restaurant of 2016 by the New York Times. In another project of cultural and civic significance, the firm is collaborating on the re-design of the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Roman and Williams has received numerous accolades for their approach, including the prestigious 2014 National Design Award for excellence in Interior Design and a recurring presence in Architectural Digest’s Top 100 Designers. Robin and Stephen were cited by Fast Company in 2016 as two of the most Creative People in Business.
Roman And Williams

About Daniel Humm
Chef Daniel, a native of Switzerland, began his culinary training at the age of 14. He went on to cook at a number of the finest Swiss hotels and restaurants before earning his first Michelin star at the age of 24 as the executive chef at Gasthaus zum Gupf in the Swiss Alps. It was there that Chef Daniel was named “Discovery of the Year” by Gault Millau, the most well-respected restaurant guide in Switzerland.

In 2003, Daniel moved to the United States and became the executive chef at Campton Place in San Francisco, receiving four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle. Three years later, Chef Daniel moved to New York to become the executive chef at Eleven Madison Park, where, in 2008 he was named Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux.

Over the course of Chef Daniel’s tenure, he and the restaurant have received numerous accolades including four stars from the New York Times, five James Beard Foundation Awards (including Best Chef: New York City, Outstanding Service, and Outstanding Restaurant in America), as well as three Michelin Stars and a spot on the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best restaurants.

About Will Guidara
A native of Sleepy Hollow, NY, Will has been immersed in the restaurant industry since the age of 13. A graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Will began his dining room training at Spago Beverly Hills and attended culinary school in the North of Spain.

He then went on to various roles throughout Union Square Hospitality Group, including Dining Room Manager (Tabla), General Manager (Café 2 and Terrace 5 at MoMa), and Operations Director (The Modern, Café 2, and Terrace 5). In 2006, Will became the General Manager of Eleven Madison Park, where he spearheaded the transformation of the restaurant from French brasserie to fine dining.

Under Will’s leadership, the restaurant has garnered four stars from the New York Times, five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide, three Michelin Stars, and number 24 on the San Pellegrino’s list of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Will is a frequent guest lecturer throughout the country, and a 2011 Zagat Service All-Star.

photo © Alex Sarginson

NoMad London Hotel in Covent Garden images / information received 170419

Location: Covent Garden Market, central London, England, UK

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