EE Smith completes fit-out for The Londoner
Bespoke joinery and fit-out company EE Smith has completed its fit-out for The Londoner, set to open in September.
The fit-out of the world’s first “Super Boutique Hotel” is the culmination of a 35-year relationship with Edwardian Hotels which was crucial to both understanding and delivering the specific requirements of the unique project.
At a contract value in excess of £40m, the project represents the largest in the firm’s history and demonstrates the expansion of the business in recent years.
The hotel – at 350 keys and 14 floors of public facilities including a 1,000-capacity ballroom and subterranean spa – is matched in scale by the attention to detail shown in the design, manufacture and installation of the fit out works.
With bespoke joinery and architectural metalwork produced in-house, alongside a fully committed and established supply chain, EE Smith took full control of the project to ensure quality was uncompromised throughout. In fact, the firm opened its Leicester-based HQ factories 24 hours a day, six days a week in order to provide the detailed, mass-scale joinery required.
For the guestrooms, EE Smith provided sinks formed from solid Italian lava stone taken from pre-erupted Sicilian volcanoes and carved out of singular blocks to provide a seamless finish. Meanwhile, the spa features stunning oak cabanas, a stylish juice bar, numerous treatment rooms and a state-of-the-art gym.
The firm has crafted numerous front of house areas that feature fabric wrapped ‘wobbly walls’, which were accurately CNC’d & carefully wrapped in the luxurious velvet finishes.
Elsewhere, there is also an exclusive underground corporate space, available for private parties and events, complete with high level acoustic ratings, mirrored ceilings and specialist stone, which features half sandblasted, half polished slabs.
Often referred to as the ‘iceberg hotel’, The Londoner features 10 floors above ground and six within the basement – the biggest habitable basement in Europe. The firm also found ways of providing outdoor joinery too, by using new, water and weather repellent timbers and fabrics for the rooftop bar terrace.
“We are extremely proud to have been the lead fit-out contractor at this project,” says Neil Bottrill, Managing Director of EESmith Contracts Ltd. “Sixteen floors of high-quality five-star hotel fit-out in an iconic location for our trusted and long-standing client, Edwardian Hotels, has been a landmark project for us. The finished product is a testament to the fantastic skill set and dedication of our staff, both in our Leicester based factories and on-site.”
