One Hundred Shoreditch Is the Hotel Shoreditch Deserves

In East London, Shoreditch is a cultural hub exploding with street art, eateries and vintage shops. Buzzy and vibrant, it’s home to London’s famous Brick Lane, Columbia Road Flower Market (one of the oldest in the city), Jack the Ripper’s favorite watering hole, a thriving nightlife scene and, most recently, One Hundred Shoreditch — the latest hotel offering from Lore Group, the masterminds behind both Pulitzer Amsterdam and Lyle in D.C, among others.

Located in the heart of Shoreditch in the building that was previously the Ace hotel, One Hundred Shoreditch is a huge departure from its predecessor. Where the Ace was known for being a sort of hipster hotspot, One Hundred Shoreditch is a more sophisticated iteration catering to a more mature guest.

That said, much to the satisfaction of the Ace’s former patronage, to be sure, many facets of the old hotel remain. As one representative from Lore Group posits: if you buy a house and there’s nothing wrong with the kitchen, why tear up the kitchen?

“We chose to keep what we thought was beautiful in the building and add to it in order to elevate the overall experience to one that was more comfortable and peaceful in parts, yet maintain the degrees of buzz and energy in public areas,” Creative Director Jacu Strauss told Editor of Hotel Designs Hamish Kilburn. In doing so, Strauss has succeeded in creating a contemporary, design-forward place of refuge in One Hundred Shoreditch.

After officially beginning to welcome guests a little more than a month ago, One Hundred Shoreditch has been met with a near constant stream of bookings since — not least of all because England has officially dropped all of it’s Covid-related travel restrictions (e.g. tests, quarantines, vaccine and mask requirements), resulting in an almost instantaneous uptick in tourism.

We recently visited One Hundred Shoreditch to take stock of their offerings, and we left feeling many feelings. Regret was not one of them.

The neighborhood

For the uninitiated, Shoreditch emerged as a creative hub in the ‘70s and ‘80s, first as an alternative to Soho in the West End. Since then, it’s become famous for its spray painted murals, wealth of vintage markets and, of course, the curry mile — famous throughout the U.K. for its myriad Indian restaurants. It’s also renowned for its nightlife, boasting a whole slew of exclusive clubs, dive bars, gastropubs and proper British pubs, too.

In brief, Shoreditch is what Hotel Manager Mark Jonathan Heyburn has aptly deemed, “the playground of London.” By contrast, One Hundred Shoreditch is a haven — one that pays homage to the district it inhabits while simultaneously offering respite from the bustling neighborhood outside.

The stay

At One Hundred Shoreditch, comfort reigns supreme. All of the 258 well-appointed guestrooms and suites are designed to feel calming and tranquil, featuring what the team has coined “home quality bedding,” broad-themed book collections curated by local bookshop Libreria, custom D.S. & Durga scents, an abundance of natural light combined with soft hues and hand painted artworks by Strauss himself.

All of the oriels — or large windows with Juliette balconies, a Lore Group addition and major modification made to the exterior of the building during renovation — in the Studio Lofts feature an assortment of eclectic, vintage-inspired chairs, perfect for both working or lounging and taking in the view, the idea being that no two rooms would look the same to an outsider looking in. Similarly, the Studio Suites have large private terraces with sweeping views of East London.

And if you tire of working (or lounging) in your room? There are a number of public spaces from which to set up shop. The lobby, in particular, is almost always alive with laptop-wielding locals and hotel guests. In addition to the resident Jan Hendzel sculptural pieces, all made exclusively from local wood, the lobby is also home to a number of smaller, cozy enclaves with their own host of carefully curated furniture — a mix of bespoke and vintage — and one giant table that serves as a communal workspace.

The food

The opportunities for eating and imbibing at One Hundred Shoreditch are as diverse as they are numerous. In total, there are six restaurants and bars — the crown jewel, of course, being Chef Tom Moore’s Goddard & Gibbs. Featuring sand-inspired wall art and a giant yellow sculpture reminiscent of a tower of stones on a beach, Goddard & Gibbs is meant to channel the spirit of England’s fishing villages and coastal towns, both in fare and in aesthetic.

For its part, the menu is seafood-centric and what Moore has described as “simple, fresh and classic.” It features a number of staple dishes like fish and chips and Cornish fish stew, but a number of more indulgent dishes, too. (We found the prawn cocktail from the raw bar, the ember baked potatoes, the crisp hake kyiv and the fried donut all especially noteworthy.) All in all, it’s exactly the sort of hearty, wholesome menu that the ambience deserves.

For an after-dinner libation, Seed Library, run by “world’s best bartender” Ryan Chetiawardana (widely known as Mr Lyan), is not to be missed. Per a report from Creative Review, it was Chetiawardana’s hope that Seed Library, which is located in the basement of One Hundred Shoreditch, would feel “stripped back, clean and bold but slightly fucked up.” The end result is a vibey, “lo-fi” cocktail bar with a menu full of classic drinks and music played exclusively on vinyl.

And while all of One Hundred Shoreditch’s current offerings are certainly worthy of a trip on their own, there is still more to come, too — the rooftop, a Palm Springs-inspired design with panoramic views of the city and its own Americana menu to match, is set to open next month.