The BoTree Hotel
The BoTree on Marylebone Lane in London opened its doors to guests late last year.
It’s a vibrant and elegant hotel with interiors that are inspiring and deeply connected to the essence of Marylebone life.
As the first Place III Hotel, the vision for The BoTree was led by founder, Rishi Sachdev, who wanted to create a new, dynamic hotel anchored within its neighbourhood.
With Oxford Street and Bond Street tube station on its doorstep, The BoTree has been designed to attract passers-by up and beyond into the heart of Marylebone, offering differing social experiences depending on the time of day, from breakfasts to late night cocktails.
BoTree’s mission has been to establish Place III Hotels’ own form of luxury: Conscious Luxury, an ethos combining uncompromising standards with mindful choices.
This purpose-driven approach is at the root of everything that The BoTree does.
Throughout the design process thoughtful choices were made, with the hotel committed to reducing its resource and carbon footprints year on year, embracing digital options and modern technology wherever possible.
The layout and design of the hotel has been jointly crafted by EPR Architects and Amsterdam-based interior designers, Concrete with the aim of creating an architectural statement within the lively landscape of Marylebone.
The Exterior
The BoTree stands on an exceptionally prominent site upon the intersection of three thoroughfares, Wellbeck Street, Henrietta Place and Marylebone Lane, each with remarkably differing characteristics.
In response to each street’s unique character, each elevation of The BoTree’s exterior has been designed to blend in with its surrounds.
For example, The Marylebone Lane elevation embraces the smaller-scale architectural format and characteristics of the Lane by incorporating traditional material such as brick, complemented with bronze accents.
The ground floor design of the Marylebone Lane façade creates an open, welcoming frontage to the hotel that helps to activate the Lane with the large format glazing into the hotel’s reception lobby.
In contrast, the architectural language on Wellbeck Street is much larger in scale and consequently The BoTree’s design on this side of the building celebrates the robust solid materials of the street by using concrete and stone, enhanced with a fluted profile to increase shadows and texture.
Both the Marylebone Lane and Wellbeck Street designs incorporate The BoTree’s striking projecting glass bay windows in differing formats to evoke the rhythm of each streetscape and provide 180-degree views for guests and additional lounge space in each room.
Bronze lattice scales the full height of the hotel and surrounds The BoTree’s entrance, which is situated on the corner of Henrietta Place and Marylebone Lane.
This prominent corner is visible from Oxford Street, and has been designed as a landmark – an identifiable and memorable hotel entrance that marks the southern gateway to Marylebone Village.
The lattice work is adorned with delicate flowers and lush seasonal greenery that evokes the vibrant floral displays embellishing the buildings that line Marylebone Lane.
The lattice on the ground floor reveals the hotel lobby and arrival area, like a drawn-back curtain, creating a dynamic and dramatic entrance for guests.
The twisting fins continue up the façade, providing privacy to the south-facing balconies of the corner suites above.
The Lobby
The arrival experience is seamless and efficient, and separated from the hotel’s bustling neighbourhood restaurant and bar entrances, ensuring a relaxed check-in process.
The hotel determines to put arriving guests at ease in the lobby by providing a personal, individual approach to check-in: there is no desk, guests can instead sit comfortably on one of the many plush chairs or couches while a member of the team greets them.
Adorned with plants and seating options the lobby experience feels more like a contemporary conservatory with a colour scheme that incorporates warm greens, cognacs and reds which complement the natural materials and add a cosy touch to the space.
Features include amber-toned swivelling glass panels which bring further warmth whilst serving to naturally zone different spaces such as the check-in area and the lifts to establish a sense of intimacy and connection; these custom-made installations feature artwork on one side, mirror on another, and an open shelf on the third.
The installation can be changed seasonally or daily, providing a fresh and dynamic experience for guests each time they visit.
A dedicated section in the lobby serves as an art gallery, showcasing the works of local artists, creating a space to celebrate the local art community.
A dedicated section in the lobby serves as an art gallery, showcasing the works of local artists and creating a space to celebrate the local art community.
A central, 3D printed sculpture, titled The Bo Roots reflects the roots of The BoTree and is made from recycled coffee cups – a testament to the hotel’s Conscious Luxury philosophy.
The hotel derives its name from the Bodhi-Tree or Bogaha, which translates as the “Tree of Knowledge” and is located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.
Siddhartha Gautama, the spirited teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have gained enlightenment under the Bodhi-Tree.
The BoTree Bar
In addition to The BoTree’s corner hotel entrance, The BoTree Bar has its own separate external entrance on Henrietta Place.
The Bar’s colour scheme is a mix of vibrant emerald greens, deep royal blues and turquoise.
The ceiling displays gold-tinted shapes encapsulating lights in bright colours, which change to reflect the time of the day.
The Bar has a striking brass-inlaid terrazzo floor and mirrored walls that expand the spatial perception.
LAVO
The hotel’s signature restaurant, LAVO occupies a double-height, split-level space and is nestled under the hotel’s central lightwell.
Artist Dorian Van Braam has carefully integrated a symbolic gold and white Fleur de Lis throughout the restaurant’s ground level ceiling, which is a sculptural masterpiece for the space, ebbing and flowing in myriad changing formations.
At ground level, LAVO offers 104 covers and is beautifully lined with deep blue crescent shaped banquettes, as well as an eye-catching bespoke brick lattice wall design.
Descending to the restaurant’s subterranean level, a large and leafy olive tree takes centre stage and helps to create an inviting Mediterranean ambiance.
In addition, an al fresco dining terrace and guest bar on Marylebone Lane provides a relaxing social setting.
The BoTree has twenty accessible rooms and fifty-six interconnecting room and Suite types.
Rooms & Suites
The BoTree’s 199 guestrooms, including 30 Suites, are inspired by the fashion-forward, floral-infused lifestyle that defines Marylebone and have been meticulously designed to provide comfort, functionality, and a sense of luxury.
One of the most unique features of the guestrooms at The BoTree is the layout.
Upon entering you are greeted by a residential style foyer, double doors then open up to a luxurious and spacious dressing room, complete with marble finishes, mirrors and brass touches.
This unexpected entrance creates a buffer zone between the entrance and the bedroom, allowing guests to feel as though they are entering their own private sanctuary.
The dressing area offers the flexibility to either seamlessly blend into the room, contributing to a spacious loft-like ambiance, or to ensure enhanced privacy and intimacy through the use of translucent sliding doors.
These doors are framed with wooden accents and feature glass imbued with the texture reminiscent of handcrafted paper, embracing the essence of natural materials.
Each guestroom features a custom-designed headboard with a flower design, inspired by the flower displays that can be found outside of the many specialty shops in Marylebone.
The rooms are designed for comfort, with cosy sofas situated by the bay windows which are encased with a wooden frame with textured ribbed details and a slightly lowered ceiling form.
Each Suite category is named after a local street and bears a unique character while maintaining the hotel’s signature blend of sophistication and comfort.
Luxurious materials like oak wood, gold leaf, marble, ribbed marble tiles, fluted glass, and frosted glass are used.
Japanese-inspired paper graces the sliding doors, adding an elegant touch. This rich artisanry and attention for detail elevates the luxurious experience.
The Suites offer versatility, with interconnected areas that can be unified into one expansive loft-style room or discreetly sectioned off with sliding panels.
Living areas are strategically positioned at the corner of the building and incorporate guest balconies.
A Masterpiece
The BoTree is housed in a striking building, a masterpiece of architecture and design that successfully encapsulates the spirit of Marylebone.
And, in fairness, Marylebone is one of the few areas in central London that still retains much of its original, unique character and that should be preserved at all costs.