The Ned opens in Bank

The Ned, one of London’s most anticipated hotel, has opened in Bank in the imposing former headquarters of Midland Bank.

The hotel is a collaborative project of club-land king Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, and American luxury develop Sydell Group. The hotel, which is aimed at millennials and City types, is a gorgeous blend of vintage British design and grand New York living. It’s magnificent, but you wouldn’t expect anything less for the £200 million price tag it took to refurbish the building.

The hotel also hosts a private members’ club, and has already won a spread of awards, including Europe’s Hotel of Year at the AHEAD hospitality awards.

Guest Room in 1920s-inspired décor / The Ned

The Ned accommodation

The heart of The Ned is its massive lobby, which was previously the Midland Bank’s main checking and banking hall. Hosting 8 restaurants and bars alone in this space, it draws on the building’s heritage historic features whilst also feeling buzzy and American at the same time. It can almost feel like you have been thrown back to the late 18th Century in Grand Central station in New York.

The lobby is always busy, and at its centre is a round stage, which often play host to a live band, usually playing contemporary music, swing or blues.

The hotel has 252 rooms in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and the interiors all nod to 1920s glamour, usually blending marble, crisp white bed covers, with chic darker fabrics and velvet, rugs and mahogany. All the rooms provide a range of Cowshed products to use throughout your stay. The Ned also provides a range of concept rooms, called Crash Pads, which are cheaper intimate spaces for shorter more affordable stays.

All guests have temporary access to the members’ club, including the rooftop restaurant, underground bar, and health facilities. Downstairs, The Ned has a well appointed spa, which is built around a 20-metre indoor pool and includes a sauna, steamroom, traditional Moroccan hammam and eight Cowshed treatment rooms. Guests can get a quick haircut in the Barbershop, or head to the Parlour or nailbar.

Rooms start from around £250 per night while suites start at around £550. The Lutyens Suite costs in the region £2,000, encompasses two en suite bedrooms, a large lounge with a custom-made eight-seat corner sofa, and a bar and dining space. The hotel also has a whole floor dedicated to meeting, conference and wedding areas.

Roof Bar with a view of St Paul’s Cathedral / The Ned

The Ned food and drink

The hotel, which takes its name from the building’s architect Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Landseer Lutyens, provides over 10 restaurants and bars, if you include the members’ facilities, which hotel guests have access to.

They include Venetian brasserie (and Italian classic) Cecconi’s; Millie’s Lounge, which serves classic dishes alongside English sparkling wines; The Nickel Bar, which provides a casual menu of American staples and classic cocktails; New York-style deli Zobler’s; Californian health bar Malibu Kitchen, which serves superfood salads, raw vegetables, juices and smoothies; Asian-Pacific-inspired healthy restaurant Kaia; Parisian-style Cafe Sou; and steak restauraunt Lutyens Grill, which is housed in the former bank manager’s wood-panelled office and serves up rare breeds, including Dexter, Hereford and Wagyu.

But true luxury fanatics will find themselves spending more time in the members’-only areas, including Ned’s Club Downstairs, which includes a luxurious bar with velvet deep-seated sofas that is housed in the bank’s former vault, so you will find yourself surrounded with old safety deposit boxes.

Or you can head up to the ninth floor, where you’ll find Ned’s Club Upstairs with views of the City and St Paul’s Cathedral and an international menu prepared on the rotisserie grill and wood oven. The Roof Bar features a retractable roof and heaters, so you can make the most of the view all year round.

The Ned reviews

The Ned has been greeted with international awards and plaudits, including winning Europe’s Hotel of the Year. According to The Guardian, “the only possible reaction when first walking through the doors of The Ned is a gasp.” Remarking about the design and interiors, CN Traveller wrote that “it’s an absolute coup de théâtre.” But perhaps GQ summed it up best when it said “the Ned London is simply extraordinary”.

The Ned social buzz

Amazing views from the Dome @TheNedLondon #city #london #walkietalkie #lights pic.twitter.com/wolRU7O7k8

— 🤫 (@_becki_d) January 18, 2018

Tuna, avocado, black rice and oodles of other goodness at @TheNedLondon today 🐠💪#Foodiechats pic.twitter.com/mHXync2SDH

— Piers (Susa Comms) (@PiersZ) January 16, 2018