The Admiral’s Mess: Inception Group opens a 60-seat bar at Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch

The landmark linking Trafalgar Square to The Mall is getting its own officers’ bar. Inception Group, the London collective behind Mr Fogg’s, Cahoots and Bunga Bunga, has been chosen to create The Admiral’s Mess within the Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch. The venue will span 220 square metres with just 60 seats, featuring a bespoke identity independent of the group’s existing brands. It joins an already packed line-up: Clare Smyth’s Coreus and Whiskey & Seaweed, and Daniel Boulud’s rooftop Café Boulud. The hotel has announced its opening for autumn 2026 and is taking bookings for stays from 1 March 2027.

An officers’ bar, 2026 style

The name sets the scene. A “mess” is the dining room where Royal Navy officers used to eat, and Admiralty Arch housed Admiralty offices and the residence of the First Sea Lord, the head of the Navy, for a century. Inception Group, known for immersive settings and story-driven cocktails, promises an intimate lounge echoing these officers’ gatherings, with the comfort of a contemporary private club. With 60 seats, The Admiral’s Mess positions itself as one of London’s most exclusive hotel bars, a far cry from Mayfair’s grand lobby bars.

Charlie Gilkes, co-founder of Inception Group, expressed his honour at installing a brand-new creation in such an iconic landmark, designed to dialogue with the site’s naval and political history. Guillaume Marly, general manager of the hotel, sees it as a natural partner to offer “something distinctive and unexpected” in the establishment’s evening offering. The precise cocktail menu and opening date for the bar have not yet been unveiled.

Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud, the two other signatures

The Admiral’s Mess completes a previously announced gastronomic line-up. Clare Smyth, the UK’s only female three-Michelin-starred chef with Core in Notting Hill, is opening Coreus in the former residence of the First Sea Lord: British coastal cuisine featuring sustainably fished seafood, meats from family farms, oysters and seasonal vegetables. She is also behind the Whiskey & Seaweed bar, named after her signature Potato and Roe dish, offering a selection of whiskies from all of the country’s active distilleries. On the rooftop, Daniel Boulud returns to London after a ten-year absence with Café Boulud open from breakfast to dinner, featuring a south-facing terrace overlooking The Mall and Buckingham Palace.

The hotel: 114 keys in a listed landmark

Designed by Sir Aston Webb, the architect of Buckingham Palace’s facade, and commissioned by Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, Admiralty Arch had never previously been a hotel. Owners Reuben Brothers and Hilton are turning it into a Waldorf Astoria featuring 114 rooms, suites and residences across 18,600 square metres, where signature and residential suites occupy over half of the accommodation space, with names such as the Nelson Suite or the Victory Residence. A private spa with a hydrotherapy pool, sauna and hammam, and a 329-square-metre ballroom beneath a restored nine-metre Murano glass chandelier complete the property. Discover UK hotel news on La Revue des Hôtels.

Our take

London’s luxury hotels have a well-known weak spot: magnificent bars devoid of Londoners. By entrusting 60 seats to Inception Group rather than an in-house concept, the Waldorf Astoria is seeking the exact opposite: a place that the city claims as its own. This is the most intriguing gamble of this opening, even more so than the big-name chefs, because it will determine whether Admiralty Arch becomes a hub of London life or simply a very fine monument for visitors. We will be booking a table as soon as the date is announced.

Practical information

• Address · The Mall, London SW1A 2WH, United Kingdom
• Tube · Charing Cross (Northern, Bakerloo), a few minutes’ walk away
• Official website · hilton.com
• Inception Group · inceptiongroup.co.uk