Across the road from Hyde Park, down a modest side mews and into a building that does very little to announce its presence by name, you will be greeted by two Damien Hirst sculptures in an open-air courtyard – one an insect/human hybrid, the second a man wielding a pair of scissors. An assistant will welcome you warmly and remain, for the duration of your stay, available to provide personalised services. You will be taken to one of 61 suites arranged over nine floors, none smaller than 55sqm, all with floor-to-ceiling windows, curved glass bar cabinets, bespoke furniture and materials that range from ivory travertine to hardwood. You will be in the heart of the city and yet, you will be enveloped in the ever-changing arboreal views of one of London’s biggest royal parks. You might take advantage of the unpacking and pressing service while checking out the in-suite bar stocked with tipples and nibbles. You might ask your personal assistant to book you a table at the hotel’s restaurant, abc kitchens, run by renowned French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, its walls bedecked with art from Hirst’s The Secret Gardens Paintings series.

You might take a moment to marvel at that view and wonder how Maybourne – the Qatari-owned luxury hotel operator behind Claridge’s, The Connaught, The Berkeley, The Maybourne Beverly Hills and The Maybourne Riviera – managed to outdo even itself with this, its sixth hotel. Because The Emory London sets a new, very high bar.

Of course, it looks incredible: it’s the first luxury hotel designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and one of the last projects Pompidou Centre architect Richard Rogers worked on before his death in 2021. The exterior is notable for the steel outriggers that give the property a nautical look, while the interior boasts a central steel staircase painted “Richard Rogers pink” as an homage to his love of colour. Ivan Harbour, who worked with Rogers on the project, has compared the steelwork design of The Emory to a Swiss watch with a skeletonised dial, in which everything is visible and everything is beautiful.

Four celebrated interior designers – Alexandra Champalimaud, André Fu, Pierre-Yves Rochon and Patricia Urquiola – were each allocated two floors to design, while Rigby & Rigby created the penthouse. Fu, who designed The Berkeley, Claridge’s and The Maybourne Beverly Hills, says that luxury, once tied to the ‘ornate and the opulent’, has changed since people have started wanting ‘a more relaxed and comfortable sensibility’ – a home from home where, ultimately, you can be yourself. The Emory prides itself on the kind of “discreet luxury” that Succession’s Logan Roy would appreciate.

The service more than matches the aesthetics. Alongside the personal assistant, the hotel offers a complimentary helicopter transfer with Flexjet for those who have landed at a private airfield or an international airport, as well as a private chauffeur in a silent electric BMW i7.

Guests frazzled by travelling or simply by life are offered around-the-clock access to Surrenne, a private members’ club that specialises not only in wellness but also longevity; partnerships with Dr David Sinclair, known for his research on ageing and epigenetics (in other words, the influence of the environment on genes) and Tracy Anderson, a world-famous fitness pioneer whose clientele has included Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, give it the kitemark of excellence. The underground oasis, which spans four floors, boasts a pool with underwater speakers and a steam room with 100 per cent humidity, while spa treatments include frozen shots of CO₂.

There are myriad reasons to marvel at The Emory – it sits on anti-vibration bearings, so guests will barely be aware that it’s built on top on the Piccadilly line; each bathroom has a hands-free Toto toilet; and, like all Maybourne’s London hotels, it is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. But the ultimate test will always be how reluctant guests are to check out. After all, who would want to leave a home from home with a personal assistant, 360-degree views of London, fantastic food, The Emory Cigar Merchants and Rooftop Bar, four floors of subterranean wellness and a bright pink staircase to remind everyone of the brilliance of the late Richard Rogers… The Emory London is a place where everything is quietly restrained yet charmingly elegant and modern.

the-emory.co.uk