George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg Design a Dramatic Hotel in Leicester Square

2021 Best of Year winner for Boutique Hotel

Plays staged in the West End have been entertaining theatergoers for over 350 years. As the scene rebounds from pandemic closures, visitors can enjoy that spectacle while staying at this equally dramatic 350-room hotel in Leicester Square masterminded by Interior Design Hall of Fame members and co-founding partners George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg in a 16-story building by Woods Bagot. “We designed it to converse with the senses and indulge in the energy of their surroundings,” Pushelberg explains. Myriad public spaces, including six restaurants and bars, and custom features invite unique experiences throughout. The lobby has a golden glow, thanks to oversize ceiling globes by artist Andrew Rae and its main staircase. The effect carries through to a private event space with sinuous sofas and patterned metal ceiling tiles. For the rooftop lounge, custom banquettes surround a firepit topped by a twisted rope installation. Also in abundance are Yabu Pushelberg furnishings, tables and chairs for Stellar Works, carpets for Tai Ping, and chairs for Avenue Road, among them. “The variety of offerings allows guests to choose their journey over and over,” Yabu adds. And if that journey calls for even more theater, they can head downstairs to the hotel’s 850-seat stage.

Yabu Pushelberg: Glenn Pushelberg; George Yabu