The Prince Akatoki London, part of the Asia Pacific hotel management group StayWell, launched its first property in London in September 2019.
Our brief was to refurbish the 82-room former Arch Hotel in the heart of the West End, with a focus on bringing Japanese design and hospitality ideals to the West.
We designed the interiors and branding for the hotel’s rooms, public areas (reception, sanctuary, communal workspace, corridors, lift lobby), and its F&B offers - TOKii, and The Malt Lounge & Bar.
We followed principles of a strong design, attention to detail, craftsmanship, natural and sensory elements, and wellbeing, to bring the spaces to life.
Guest Rooms
Each guest room has been created with care to ensure that every detail is well-crafted and graceful in its simplicity. The rooms have minimal, low-level bed frames, backed by a serene fusuma inspired headboard. The lighting and FF&E introduce elegance to the guest rooms, through the use of blonde timbers, simple geometries and neutral tones.
To complete the experience, we designed lighting to mimic the rising and setting of the sun.
Nature is a continual reference in the rooms within the wall art and ikebana. We handpicked Scandinavian furniture for their natural, light, minimal feel, to complement the interiors of the bedroom.
Common Areas
B3 Designers also designed the Reception, the Sanctuary (lobby), the Study (communal workspace), and lift landing areas throughout the hotel.
Watch: the beautiful hotel comes alive! Video courtesy of The Prince Akatoki London.
'When we rebranded from a British hotel to a Japanese hotel, the task we put to the team at B3 was monumental. The brief we gave them was to encapsulate the attention to detail as found in Japanese culture and bring that into the hotel. From day one our expectations were quite significantly exceeded. Each team member at B3, led by Mark, are not only fantastic designers but artists in the field of creating an ambience that fits the ideas we had on paper. Thank you, Mark and team!'
Ray Goertz - General Manager, The Prince Akatoki Hotel