Dexter Moren Associates worked as architects and interior designers on this new build development near St Paul’s Cathedral. The hotel is the first under Marriott’s Westin brand in London.

Nine luxury residential apartments with river-facing views and 222 guestrooms are housed in a landmark building. The development also includes a fitness and leisure suite, conference facilities, plus a restaurant and bar with spectacular views over the River Thames.

DMA was first approached by developer 4C Hotel Group eleven years ago at site acquisition stage with an existing hotel planning permission. DMA revised and developed the scheme to client and 5-star Westin brand standards.

Spanning Upper Thames Street, the hotel boasts a prominent position over one of the primary arterial routes through the City. An existing bridge structure has been well utilised to accommodate public areas, four floors of guestrooms, and a plant deck, along with the necessary structure, and M&E. Above, the St Paul’s Cathedral height limitations, below ground, the building sits carefully atop two scheduled monuments, with the River Thames to the South. Westin London City replaces four tired and out-dated office buildings as a cohesive piece of architecture.

The building is anchored by solid stone bases mirrored by glass and metal cladding to relieve the upper storeys. Fantastic views of the city can be enjoyed through the angled bedroom windows. The building’s lower levels house the hotels public areas, with a double-height glazed lobby and double-height glazed bar above, providing remarkable panoramic views across the River Thames towards Shakespeare’s Globe and Bankside.

Reflecting DMA’s design philosophy, the interiors draw inspiration from the location of the Westin, and its proximity to both the City of London and the River Thames. The interior design is sophisticated, minimal, modern, and rooted in the individual neighbourhood story. The concept is also shaped by Westin’s biophilic design ethos and core brand pillars; sleep well, eat well, move well, feel well, play well and work well. In developing the scheme, DMA intended to approach the brand’s look and feel from a fresh perspective, creating a luxury hotel that would truly encompass modern elegance.