Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill has launched a series of new events spaces as it prepares to welcome back weddings, social and corporate events of all sizes. The Marylebone property has used the lockdown to carry out a planned renovation of six existing venues, as well as the complete build of one brand-new area.
Each of the spaces has its own personality, with nods to Sir Winston Churchill; the man to whom the hotel pays homage. As such, the Hyatt team worked with designers Bowler James Brindley to rethink the interiors, while Catherine and Randolph Churchill – Churchill’s great grandson – from Churchill Heritage curated all of the artworks. Through art, photographs and books, the venues look to tell the story of the former Prime Minister’s leisure and work life, including his travels, passions and achievements as an iconic statesman.
The Library
The pre-existing Library has been completely redesigned to serve as a space for intimate weddings and social events. It now holds 50 people in a banquet format and up to 75 as a reception, leading through to the hotel’s largest venue, the Chartwell Ballroom. The design celebrates Churchill’s love of travel and invites guests to admire and delve into the historic literature lining the walls, which was donated by the son of Major Alan Taylor Smith RA – a collector to whom the library is dedicated. As a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, Churchill’s personal connection to the written word make the Library an apt dedication to his legacy.
A deep green palette evokes a luxurious and sophisticated atmosphere, with a handmade, spherical chandelier lighting up from the centre of the room. The walls meanwhile are adorned with photographs from Churchill’s personal albums, The Broadwater Collection, which showcase his fun, creative side, including playing polo, boarding a cruise with his wife Clementine, and donning a captain’s hat for a day as a yachtsman.
The Gallery
Adding another 145m2 of space to the hotel’s events offering, The Gallery is a light-filled venue that can accommodate up to 132 in a reception capacity, and 120 theatre-style. As the name suggests, it is adorned with inspiring artwork, while a neutral and calming colour scheme has been based on the natural landscape and Churchill’s own gardens at Chartwell House. The pale green walls are illuminated by a Preciosa chandelier, which has been designed with treetops in mind. Handmade with Bohemian hand-blown glass, the golden branches are each lit up to give the impression of sunlight dappling onto the floor below. The Gallery can also be opened up onto the studios, bringing the total capacity of the space to 252 in reception format.
The Studios
The Studios have been redesigned with flexibility and interconnectivity in mind, and a feature fresh colour palette that matches and compliments the natural light flooding in from The Gallery when the rooms are opened up and used as one space. Each accommodates up to 40 as a reception, or 18-20 in the boardroom formation, and can be interconnected into the next to create a larger area. Their designs are based on Churchill’s own studio at Chartwell House, where he would often escape from working life by painting. The artworks themselves reflect his adventures and span a number of years, including The Coast Near Cap D’Ail (1949), A Distant View of Eze (1930), and Fishing Boats Cap D’Antibes (1949). Churchill wrote vividly of painting abroad: “The painter wanders and loiters contentedly from place to place, always on the lookout for some brilliant butterfly of a picture which can be caught and set up and carried safely home.”
Boardrooms
Finally, two boardrooms can hold eight people each and are kitted out with the latest technology for presentations and to accommodate Hyatt’s HY-Brid Meetings, with some people Zooming in, and others in the room. The spaces reflect Churchill’s days as a statesman, and delegates can look to the walls to find him greeting Princess Elizabeth, standing with King George VI, or walking through Paris on Armistice Day. Touches of red bring the rooms to life and take cues from the shades in Churchill’s own study at Chartwell.
For all events, Executive Chef Roger Olsson has been designing exclusive banquets that evoke the modern British cuisine of the hotel’s signature restaurant, The Montagu Kitchen. With menus based around ‘Farmed’, ‘Caught’ and ‘Harvested’ concepts, dishes cater to all dietary requirements and are flexible upon request.
“Not only are our new and redesigned spaces fitted with all the necessary mod-cons and tools, but we have worked hard to give them the character and flair that guests of our hotel have come to expect,” says Hotel Manager Frederic Le Gallois on unveiling the venues. “Sir Winston Churchill was a powerful, political man, but he also had many passions and interests outside of work. We want our spaces to reflect this and double up as both business and leisure rooms – places where people can relax and celebrate, or meet and work.”
