From the West Hollywood glamour of a rooftop pool on Sunset Boulevard, to the Shikumen architecture of Andaz Shanghai, each of the dozen or so luxury boutique Andaz Hotels across the globe offer a a reflection of the individuality of its community and surroundings. In fact, the word ‘Andaz’ itself comes from the Urdu term for ‘personal style’.
Last weekend I stayed at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street, London. Originally built as ‘The Great Eastern Hotel’ (mentioned in Bram Stokers classic 1897 book, ‘Dracula’ – Van Helsings first port of call in the capital), these days it’s under the wing of the Hyatt group and the Hotel enjoys strong cultural ties to the creative community in East London. One of their recent projects has been to commission artists to interpret their individual vision of the East End in special ‘Art’ rooms, entitled ‘Room With A View’.
Starting in July last year with the fantastic ‘The Pearly Room’ (above) by Chris Price and his wife and collaborator Delisia Howard, the fourth and final room ‘The Day The Flower Rose’ by British artist Patrick Morgan has just been unveiled (see below). Taking inspiration from the greats, including Hockney and Henry Moore, Patrick has used vibrant colours to epitomise the essence of London.
According to Otto Steenbeek, the hotel’s General Manager the new piece “..enthusiastically strives to push the boundaries of art and broaden their perceptions of East London life… with a twist!
Its proximity to the city means that from Monday to Friday the Andaz is a bustling hive of activity, but the pace slows down at the weekend and the Hotel takes a deep breath. Two minutes from the tube and overground stations, you can be in Stansted Airport in 45 minutes, or via the tube to anywhere from Westminster to Whitechapel in less than ten.
I’m only here for the night, so the delights of the 1904 Restaurant or the award winning Japanese, Miyako will have to wait, however no weekend stay at the Andaz can be complete without sampling one of their famous weekend Brunches. Available in Eastway, between 10am and 4pm on Sat & Sunday you can make your own perfect Bloody Mary (or Virgin Mary for the faint-hearted or hung-over) and choose from a range of locally sourced and organic ingredients including Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast, Merquez trenchers, in-house baked pastries and artisan bread.
Bigger dishes including ‘The Big Jack’ a 12oz burger with all the trimmings could feed about three people (I ordered the ‘Smokey House’ only £10 and came with enough Smoked Salmon to catch a bear). The New York style Brasserie is very popular with non-residents too, a place to hang out, read the papers and watch the world go by.
Factbox
Andaz Liverpool Street’s ‘Room With A View’ Large King rooms is now available to book from £378 including VAT (£315 ex VAT) on weekdays (Sunday to Thursday night) and £252 including VAT (£210 ex VAT) on weekends (Friday & Saturday), subject to availability.
For more info about Andaz Liverpool Street visit
www.andazliverpoolstreet.com