Aethos London Shoreditch opens in the former Nobu Hotel

Taking over an existing hotel is harder than opening a new one. You have to erase a brand without erasing a building, and convince a neighbourhood that already knew the address. This is the exercise Aethos has undertaken in Shoreditch, within the walls that once housed the Nobu Hotel.

A takeover, not a new build

The building is the former Nobu Hotel Shoreditch, delivered in 2017 by Ron Arad Associates. Its façade has remained unchanged: cantilevered balconies, glass, steel, and raw concrete, an industrial language that belongs as much to the architect as to the neighbourhood. Aethos has not masked it, which was the only sensible decision given such a signature envelope.

For the Swiss group, this is their first address in the United Kingdom. Entering London via a takeover rather than a new build shortens the timeline and immediately sets the positioning: you inherit a building already identified as high-end hospitality.

“East meets East”, the interior design concept

The interiors are the work of Astet Studio, a Barcelona-based practice led by Oscar Engroba. The formula they use, “East meets East”, says precisely what it does: making east London converse with Japanese craftsmanship, rather than repeating the expected industrial pastiche of Shoreditch.

Concretely, Japanese materials soften the concrete: light wood, paper, plain textiles, and low lighting. The contrast is the point, avoiding the most common trap of this neighbourhood, which consists of stacking exposed brick and black metal to the point of caricature.

One hundred and sixty-four rooms, and a club

The hotel features one hundred and sixty-four rooms, a spa, a workout studio, and a Japanese dining room. But the model does not stop at accommodation: Aethos London Shoreditch also functions as a private club, with a programme of experiences reserved for members.

This dual model has become the norm for recent London openings, responding to a simple constraint: a hotel of this size cannot fill up with travellers alone, especially in a neighbourhood where business clientele has declined. Members provide the quiet-day revenue.

Who it is for, and when to go

Shoreditch is best explored on foot and experienced at night. You are ten minutes from Liverpool Street, within easy reach of the City during the week, and surrounded by the galleries and restaurants of Redchurch Street at the weekend. This is a two-to-three-night address for anyone visiting London for the city itself, not for Mayfair.

Then there is the question every takeover poses: what the neighbourhood will remember. Nobu had established a strong identity at this address, and it will take more than a change of sign for people to stop saying “the former Nobu”. Aethos’s gamble on this point will be judged in a year.