White City House opens within former BBC London HQ
Soho House has announced the opening of White City House, a 45-key hotel occupying the former BBC headquarters in West London. Comprising two floors of club space, a rooftop pool and bar, cinema, screening room and 24,000ft² gym, the hotel retains the building’s Grade-II listed central ring whilst instilling a new direction through reimagined interiors.
The 45 guestrooms range from sizes tiny to large, and span the 2nd and 3rd floor of the Helios building. Each space features George Nelson lamps, mid-century Terrazzo tables and reading lights, fluted timber wardrobes and modernist wooden minibars, as well as the original exposed concrete support beams. The bathrooms, meanwhile, feature circular patterned tiles inspired by historic BBC designs.
Elsewhere, a large open kitchen serves up East-meets-West cuisine including Asian inspired food alongside plant-based dishes and Soho House favourites. The space has a small stage accented by fluted-timber walls designed after the original panelling in the BBC reception. The main eating space looks out over White City, with mid-century style tables and chairs and a bar with fabrics by Tebor.
On the 10th floor is the aforementioned rooftop swimming pool and bar, whilst the 9th floor houses the Games Room and a specially made resin and brass inset Terazzo floor. Studio 8 – on the 8th floor – will host members’ events, with a green room backstage, an open kitchen and bar and an outdoor terrace. Lastly, House gym, the largest Soho House gym to date, sits in the basement of the Helios Building. The ground floor of White City House is open to the public, with The Allis restaurant serving food and drinks from morning to night, whilst the lounge and bar, which originated at Soho House Chicago, also offers an outdoor terrace and an open kitchen.
Finally, In the basement sits the two-screen Electric Cinema White City, each space fitted out with rows of velvet armchairs, footstalls and cashmere blankets. The venue has been designed with a dark blue patterned geometric carpets and velvet walls, as well as a kiosk bar serving food and drinks, with its signage drawn from classic BBC aesthetics.
