Town Hall Hotel and Apartments

The Scene

Bethnal Green, quite honestly, is far away from the landmarks people come to see and most of the things they want to do. But with an efficient and reliable transport system like London (plus a stop just a few minutes’ walk away), are you going to let that get between you and a fantastic hotel? (We didn’t think so.) This is not an area most tourists ever see, so take advantage! You’ll find the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood as well as numerous religious outposts like the London Buddhist Centre.

The Concept

Town Hall Hotel fits Loh Lik Peng’s M.O. like a glove---a stunning building in an area tourists avoid that has beautiful bones for Peng to fill in with vintage details. To help the hotel integrate with its local neighborhood, Peng places restaurants and cafes that bring in foodies and locals just craving a well-executed meal together with something unique to the local area; in this case, art. Town Hall has partnered with ArtsAdmin to bring local art into the space, first focusing on the community and past of the Bethnal Green town hall and next looking ahead to the future and exploring hotels as centers of hyper-mobility. If the art wasn’t a big enough draw, countless movies and publications have utilized the refurbished Council Chamber and other hotel spaces as backdrops for shoots (so many, in fact, that we’re positive you seen this hotel before). Its new anchor restaurant Typing Room features chef Lee Westcott and a modern European cuisine that's as inventive as it is beautiful. Peg + Patriot, the new cocktail bar from Matt Whiley, brings super-creative cocktails and many spirits created in-house while Corner Room still remains as a fantastic casual eatery. Town Hall has been reborn to continue fulfilling its mission as a cultural center where people gather to exchange ideas.

The Look

Light and space are enormously central to the interior design; large windows bring in natural light to highlight original architectural details (which are favored over large pictures on the walls and bright patterns). If the atmosphere feels quite pied-a-terre, it’s not a mistake: Town Hall is deliberately designed to be a super-livable space with all the amenities of home (but likely more luxurious). In addition to expected posh toiletries and luxe coffee and tea, you’ll find full-service kitchens artfully hidden behind false closet doors in most rooms and suites. But don’t let that throw you off---if you don’t use it, perhaps a private chef arranged by the hotel can. (We must ask: does it get much better than having a professional chef craft a memorable meal in your in-room kitchen?) Keeping with the idea of home, nothing in the rooms is overwrought or forced. Furnishings are vintage and simple, their dark woods and muted colors evoking the late 50s and early 60s; the walls tend to be white and largely bare, but occasionally you’ll find delightful texture and a pop of color in window treatments. While this may come off as simplistic, we found it to be quite relaxing.

In Short

Town Hall Hotel is for the adventurers among us in search of that elusive off-the-beaten-path-yet-still-in-town experience. Its success has us torn; this is the type of place that will draw daring travelers out to the edges, but will it lure copycats that ruin the authentic atmosphere? While that remains to be seen, there isn’t another hotel in that draws together local arts, balancing building’s past and future simultaneously, and the community itself in London quite like the Town Hall.