Marylebone, London
Chiltern Firehouse
Hot Stuff
What it is
An 1889 fire station that’s more “lit” than ever, with a five-alarm restaurant scene and 26 Victorian-inspired rooms.
What it isn't
Cold. In-room fireplaces and a warm staff demeanor make this feel more like staying with a wealthy, stylish friend than in another bland hotel.
What we think
The restaurant is still blazingly hot and impossible to book—unless you’re Bono or Bill Clinton—but the Chiltern Firehouse is a hotel, too, with just 26 rooms in a restored Victorian fire station dating to 1889. The accommodations are surprisingly warm and cozy, with custom linens, mahogany beds, and windows that peep out onto the Mews. In the bathrooms, marble flooring, clawfoot tubs and polished mirrors evoke a timeless feeling—in fact, we can even imagine the Queen spending a night here as an escape from Buckingham Palace (if not from the paparazzi).
You're here because
André Balazs created Chiltern—so it has the ineffable cool factor that oozes from the gilded halls of his other properties (say, the Chateau Marmont).
The Moment
When you tuck into your Wiltshire black truffle champagne and chestnut risotto at the Chiltern Firehouse restaurant, your eyes close involuntarily. It feels like a dream, but it isn’t.
Restaurants & Bars
Chiltern Firehouse - contemporary, ingredient-focused cooking, with an underlying American accent.
Location
In London’s buzzy Marylebone neighborhood, two blocks from the Wallace Collection and five from Selfridges.