Step Inside Sanderson London, Philippe Starck’s Whimsical Wonderland

Photo Credit: Sanderson London

In a city crowded with grand dames and discreetly polished five-stars, Sanderson London has always preferred to play by its own rules. Set inside a landmarked 1950s building at 50 Berners Street in Fitzrovia, the hotel transforms a restrained modernist façade into something altogether more surreal: a theatrical world of unexpected proportions, playful objects and interiors designed to make guests look twice.

Philippe Starck originally reimagined the building with a visual language influenced by Jean Cocteau’s surrealism. Rather than conventional hotel grandeur, he introduced sculptural furniture, oversized forms and elements that seem to hover somewhere between art installation and inside joke. An enormous red-lips sofa greets guests in the lobby, while the hotel’s famous 80-foot Long Bar glows in onyx, lined with distinctive eye-shaped stools.

Photo Credit: Niall Clutton

A Design Icon That Refuses To Settle Down

More than two decades after its April 2000 opening, Sanderson still feels wonderfully rebellious. Its design has evolved without losing the wit that made the property an icon of London’s early lifestyle-hotel movement. The 150 rooms and suites, designed by Tim Andreas of Banjo, retain elements of Starck’s original vision while incorporating contemporary furnishings and modern comforts. The result is a playful meeting of baroque fantasy and clean-lined minimalism, complete with whimsical sleigh beds, flowing curtains and freestanding bathtubs that appear almost sculptural within the room.

The accommodations range from intimate city retreats — Standard, Superior, Superior Double Double and Deluxe rooms, plus Loft Double Doubles, all with freestanding bathtubs in the Deluxe and Loft categories — to expansive loft-style suites. The Loft Suite comes with a walk-in shower (and a bathtub in select rooms), while the Loft Suite with Terrace adds floor-to-ceiling windows, a freestanding bathtub and a private furnished terrace. The two-bedroom Penthouse, the hotel’s largest accommodation, tops the range with a kitchen, generous living space and private elevator access.

Photo Credit: Sanderson London

Thoughtful details include Lavazza coffee machines, Argentum bath products, media hubs with international adaptors and high-speed Wi-Fi throughout, with suites offering additional touches such as in-room Dyson Multistyler and Airwrap tools, 300-thread-count cotton linens and complimentary nonalcoholic minibars. Sanderson is also dog-friendly, making it an appealing base for travelers unwilling to leave their four-legged companions behind, and guests have access to a 24-hour gym.

Photo Credit: Morgans Originals

Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea

The hotel’s playful spirit reaches its most delicious expression at the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea, a signature experience that sends one of Britain’s most traditional rituals tumbling down the rabbit hole.

Inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the tea unfolds as part meal, part performance and part exercise in nostalgia. Kings and queens decorate the teapots, while menus concealed inside books and curious presentation pieces make the table feel like a chapter lifted from Lewis Carroll’s imagination. Guests are encouraged to explore rather than simply eat, encountering a succession of imaginative savory bites and sweets with names such as Grow Me, Shrink Me and the Red Knight Army shortbread cookies.

Photo Credit: Sanderson London

Even the tea selection joins the fantasy, with bespoke blends available to sample on-site or take home in a £15 tin. Traditionalists are not forgotten: freshly baked plain and sultana scones arrive with strawberry preserves and clotted cream, grounding the experience in the reassuring pleasures of a classic British afternoon tea.

Served daily from 12:30 to 7 p.m., the experience begins at £75 per person, rising to £91 with Champagne. Younger guests can join the adventure through the Little Hatters Afternoon Tea, from £45 and created for children ages four through 11 with kid-friendly options like juice, milk and peanut butter sandwiches. When the weather cooperates, tea may be taken in the Courtyard Garden, a secluded, tree-lined space centered around a tranquil water feature — a surprisingly peaceful counterpoint to the energy of nearby Oxford Street and Soho.

Photo Credit: Niall Clutton

Beyond The Tea Party

The Courtyard is one of Sanderson’s most appealing discoveries. Hidden from the surrounding city, it lends the hotel a sense of escape rarely found in such a central location, and can host up to 180 guests across its 112 square meters for private events. Elsewhere, The Restaurant serves breakfast, brunch and an à la carte menu for lunch and dinner, while Long Bar remains one of the hotel’s enduring social anchors, shifting from daytime drinks and bar bites to cocktails, music and late-night energy — the Kiss By Sanderson is one house specialty worth ordering.

Photo Credit: Sanderson London

Additional spaces continue the design narrative. The Billiard Room, up to 40 guests across 75 square meters, has the feel of an eccentric private club, centered around an antique silver-leaf billiard table and furnished with antler-inspired pieces; original 1950s stained glass by British artist John Piper offers an unexpected connection to the building’s history. Purple Bar, meanwhile, embraces a moodier palette and can be transformed for private events — including the Twilight Soirée, a night-sky-inspired evening styled in partnership with Grey Goose — while the light-filled Terrace Room, seating up to 25, overlooks the garden through floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

At Sanderson, sustainability is also part of the story: the hotel is Green Key certified and operates with a dedicated Green Team overseeing its environmental, social and governance commitments, from reducing its footprint to supporting the local community.

Photo Credit: Sanderson London

Location

Positioned between Fitzrovia and Soho — and, more precisely, bordered by Oxford Street, Euston Road, Bloomsbury and Marylebone — Sanderson London places guests within walking distance of Theatreland, Selfridges (about 15 minutes on foot) and some of the capital’s best restaurants, bars and cultural attractions. Yet its greatest appeal lies inside. Sanderson does not merely provide a stylish place to sleep; it creates an alternate version of London — one filled with wit, fantasy and just enough madness to make the familiar feel new again.

Sanderson London is located at 50 Berners St, London W1T 3NG, United Kingdom

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