L’oscar London, London’s Newest Boutique Hotel, Offers French Luxury in Holborn

London’s hotel market continues to be transformed post-COVID with the addition of L’oscar London, a new boutique hotel from Michel Reybier Hospitality.

The hotel, which is now open, sits on the site of the former headquarters of the Baptist Church, a space that goes over a decade in London’s Holborn neighborhood and has its baroque legacy still very much a part of the hotel today. 

Jacques Garcia, the famed French designer who has designed interiors of some iconic Paris hotels and restaurants including some Le Méridien hotels, the Hotel Costes, and the Tour Maine-Montparnasse, redesigned the building. L’oscar London is the first hotel for Garcia in the city and was designed to feel typically non-English in the heart of the British capital.

In total, the property offers 26 rooms and 13 suites ranging from a standard superior room at 183 sq. ft. to 270 sq. ft., to a dog-friendly Oscar Suite at 700 sq. ft. In between, there is also a duplex suite that includes access to balconies offering panoramic views over the City of London.

All rooms include complimentary WiFi, a desk with access to euro sockets, yoga mats, and connecting room options, along with interiors designed by Garcia.

For food and drink, the hotel offers L’oscar Restaurant on its ground floor, a space inspired by the world’s oldest café in Venice that it calls “the bustling heart of the hotel.” Finan told TMR that the restaurants serve “English brasserie” food, with a breakfast menu highlighted by English staples and a separate a la carte menu.

The hotel has also recently purchased the building next door to L’oscar. That space is currently being transformed to add additional amenities for guests, including a spa and fitness center.

TMR recently spoke to Raouf Finan, the CEO of Michel Reybier Hospitality, the company that owns and operates the hotel.

According to Finan, the hotel will appeal to guests who do not necessarily want to be in Mayfair, or pay the typical Mayfair prices but want a boutique, unique hotel experience close to London’s key attractions like the British Museum and Convent Garden.

“It’s a unique opportunity for guests who may be more used to Mayfair to experience a different side of London,” he said, adding that it’s priced “not only for the ultra-rich.”

Aside from its newest London property, Michel Reybier Hospitality boasts 14 properties across markets in the hotel industry, ranging from some boutique ultra-luxury offerings like La Reserve Paris to other hotels that appeal to a MICE market like the AlpenGold Hotel, the largest hotel in Davos that serves as a host hotel for the World Economic Forum. The company sells its rooms mainly through travel advisors, according to Finan.

The company is a relatively new player in the boutique hotel segment at just about 20 years of operation. It has continued investment through COVID and is now seeing North American guests “coming back in full force,” Finan said, even with American guests still traveling with a return, inbound test requirement in place.