Eco Hotels London: 1 Hotel Mayfair - The Calendar Magazine

You wouldn’t ordinarily expect to find an eco-oasis bang in the middle of London’s Mayfair neighbourhood but 1 Hotel Mayfair, a stone’s throw from Bond Street, the Royal Academy, and the leafy acres of Green Park, offers exactly that, and a whole lot more besides. As you enter the expansive lobby it’s clear they are doing things very differently, from the four-metre wide Rainforest chandelier and light dome (crafted from 50,000 strands of Spanish moss), to the reception desk made from a fallen tree, and the verdant living walls. And with the warm, neutral palette of the décor, you can’t help but throw off your urban shell and immerse yourself in the calm of this magical space.

And that’s before you even get to the rooms. Despite its very impressive proportions and super-high-end specs, our suite, with its beautifully designed living area, elegant bedroom and wow-factor bathroom, felt like a warm hug – all natural shades, tactile fabrics and a sense of meditative luxury. Lunch at Dovetale, headed up by two-Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers, with an emphasis on re-worked seasonal classics and British ingredients (fried violet artichoke, Herdwick lamb cutlets, Cornish sea bream crudo with Yorkshire rhubarb), was a revelation. And before heading out on the town, you must squeeze in a couple of Rhubarb Mojitos and Garden Sours from the sustainable cocktail list at the lively Dover Yard lounge.

A recovery breakfast on the terrace, with its Mediterranean ambience, is the perfect start to the morning-after-the-night-before, bolstered by (even more) pampering at the Bamford Wellness Spa, with its expansive list of facials, ‘experiences’ and massages. You will practically float back out to real life, re-charged, feeling that you have just had a mini vacation right in the centre of London.

Eco credentials: In declaring itself ‘London’s very first mission-driven, sustainable luxury hotel’, 1 Hotel Mayfair set itself a high bar. Built to BREEAM Excellent Standards, it retained 80% of the existing building, with an estimated carbon saving of 4200 tonnes, and utilised reclaimed timber, and local stone. It has nearly 400 sqm of green walls, fed by rainwater from the roof, which produce oxygen, absorb greenhouse gases and create insulation. Throughout the hotel you will find energy-saving, intelligent lighting controls, a water filtration system to avoid the use of plastic water bottles, and more than 1300 plants.
Dovetale restaurant minimises food waste and has a menu built around mostly organic, seasonal produce, sourced from small British suppliers, and the bar has a sustainable drinks menu.

Doubles from £500, room only