WORDS
Jane Fulcher
Despite its relative youth, The Biltmore Mayfair is undoubtedly one of London’s most prestigious hotels. Few hotels become both an institution and a landmark so quickly (The Biltmore opened in 2019) but few hotels open on Grosvenor Square, work with Jason Atherton or so regularly raise the bar in hospitality.
The Biltmore Mayfair also makes for the ideal staycation. If you’re not ready to travel abroad yet, can’t face the rounds of testing, have been burnt by too many cancelled trips already or simply want to be a tourist in your own city, The Biltmore Mayfair is the perfect location.
New to the hotel is Café Biltmore, with an extended outside terrace to catch the last lingering rays of summer. The menu from Jason Atherton includes an irresistible selection of elevated brasserie classics such as grilled dover sole, buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, a sweetcorn and saffron risotto, king prawn curry, or selection of delicious pasta and pizza. It’s international comfort food at its best, prepared and served with care. The restaurant will also launch a new brunch menu from October for late weekend risers who can’t resist eggs benedict, croque monsieur or buttermilk pancakes.
The best way to enjoy the hotel is also to book a Biltmore Experience, one of the exclusive luxury experiences the hotel can arrange for its guests to truly get the most out of their stay. Perhaps the most exciting is the Biltmore Bentley Experience, the chance to reserve one of the finest cars to come out of Britain and tour it across London or further afield – with or without a chauffeur. Grosvenor Square was once the hangout of the petrolhead Bentley Boys so it’s only fitting that you’d honour their legacy from the comfort of a Bentley Bentayga.
For those who prefer to travel on foot, the Biltmore can arrange a walking tour of Regency London. Discover a side of Mayfair that even the proudest Londoner wouldn’t know before returning to the hotel to enjoy a Regency Delight, a cocktail the hotel has created from ingredients popular in the Regency era including bourbon, port and Frangelico. And then raise a glass to the fashion icons, poets, celebrities, aristocrats and artists who have given Mayfair its reputation as London’s centre of style.
Once you’ve worn yourself out eating, drinking, walking and exploring, retire to one of The Biltmore Mayfair’s eight signature suites. These are impressively large, especially for London, and are universally sumptuous and beautifully designed. Again, many also pay tribute to some of the area’s most significant residents, including The Duchess Suite, which references the Duchess of Kendal, longstanding mistress of George I. Or there’s the John Adams Suite, named after the second president of the US who once lived on Grosvenor Square and was the first US ambassador to Britain.
Even those who have lived in London their entire lives will leave a weekend spent at The Biltmore Mayfair feeling like they’ve discovered a different side of the city. And that they’ve had the pleasure of ensconcing themselves in all the best that London has to offer.
The Biltmore Mayfair, 44 Grosvenor Square, W1K 2HP