Nick Jones takes on a new chapter with St.Clement

In his first venture since parting ways with Soho House, Nick Jones returns with St. Clement, and a new set of codes for what a London hotel can be

WORDS BY JESS MILES

On a blue skied afternoon, as gusts of waterfront air provide some respite from the summer heat, a debate in my mind is settled – this really is the most captivating view of London. Peering out across the Thames from the wraparound terrace of the penthouse at the city’s chicest new hotel, St. Clement, you’re dealt a royal flush of London landmarks perfectly framed by the leafy green streets and water below. Set on a bend of the river across from Southbank to the left you’ll catch both St Pauls and The Shard with a glimpse of Tower Bridge, whilst views on the right stretch out to Westminster, Big Ben, and The London Eye.

Captivating as the view is, the more time spent at St. Clement, the more you realise that it is really the least interesting thing about the hotel, which has been in soft launch through the summer and officially opens its doors any day now. Set within 180 The Thames, St. Clement completes the riverside residential and hospitality evolution of the wider 180 Quarter development, the other half made up by 180 The Strand – which has already established itself as a creative mecca drawing the capital’s coolest professionals, artistic community and innovative companies to its doors.

An ultra-curated mix of bars, restaurants, galleries, studios, health clubs, workspaces, libraries, retail, deli, and now, a hotel and residences make up 180 Quarter, transforming an area people would otherwise have passed through on their way to somewhere more happening. Together, 180 The Strand and 180 The Thames make everything and anything seem possible under one address, and guests of St. Clement need not look further than the hotel's own doorstep to be part of the new creative pulse of the city.

Behind St. Clement is none other than Soho House founder Nick Jones, in his first independent hospitality venture since parting ways with the company in 2022. Having spent the past three decades shaping the way the members’ club market has evolved, for St. Clement he has stripped back the formalities and formulas of traditional hospitality to start anew, creating an unexpected proposition that London never knew it needed. Working with London-based interior design studio Eagle + Hodges, Jones’s new codes of hospitality translate into laid-back luxe interiors that feel more home than hotel, albeit a very sophisticated someone’s home.

Walking into the lobby is like turning up to a dinner party, greeted by staff that feel more like friends, swapping suited uniforms for more relaxed tailoring paired with clean trainers and edgy accessories. Eclectic artwork on large scale gives the space a gallery-like feel, with Richard Horwood’s 1799 plan of the City of London across eight panels, the head turning piece. Check-in is refreshingly not obvious; instead, clusters of seating and vintage furniture, set like a series of living and drawing rooms dressed with books, scented candles and sculptural fresh flowers, give the residential edge without feeling timeworn or cluttered. Eagle + Hodges sourced pieces of different eras like a George Nakashima table or a Jean Royère sofa suite, creating visual contrast to step away from any definitive style.

Peeling away from the lobby are St. Clement’s drinking and dining destinations each with an identity distinct from the hotel and fast becoming new city hotspots. Non-staying visitors will need to form an orderly queue for Café Clement, the all-day restaurant and bar from former River Café head chef Danny Bohan, where reservations have already become scarce. A breezy terrace out front and a garden at the back sandwich the glossy interior – low-lit and intimate, exuding the sophisticated ease of a classic Parisian café, with minimalist touches of Art Deco glamour. Half-moon booths are dressed in soft butter-toned leather against crisp white tablecloths, styled out with vintage 1977 Mario Bellini CAB for Cassina chairs in statement red. Underfoot, bespoke tilework named ‘The River Floor’ – perhaps a play on its wavy formation and on where Bohan built his culinary reputation – is a collaboration between Thurstan and Jones himself.

Image on the left is Cafe Clement, and on the right is Bobbi’s Bar. Image credit: Kate Martin

Slip through an unassuming door across the lobby and you’ll stumble across Bobbi’s Bar, the lesser-known counterpart to Café Clement and every bit as discreet as Jones presumably intended. Smaller and more casual, the gloss burl wood bar anchors the room around a couple of nooks ideal for hushed conversation or solo a nightcap. A statement sound system by Devon Turnbull draws the eye to a wall of vinyl records, a guitar and a piano, positioned more for jamming between friends late into the night than for formal performance.

Up above, the 90 rooms and 15 River Lofts, starting at 45sqm are some of the largest, and best configured rooms in the city. Details that seem obvious, like a separate cupboard to hide away luggage by the door, or the ‘Stretch Box’ inside the bench at the end of the bed (complete with yoga mat, cork blocks, and hand weights), are small gestures that go a long way to give guests that ‘at home but better’ feeling. Taking it one, or maybe two, steps further, minibars stocked with Jones's favourite snacks are included in the room rate, as are all the grooming products in the pleasingly excessive vanity cabinet, stocked with the best of British up-and-coming brands including You're Looking Well, AKT and Laro London.

Aesthetically, the rooms are most visually connected with Eagle + Hodges lobby design, with a clean neutral base creating a blank canvas for unique furniture finds and art objets to bring their own pops of colour and rhythm. In the larger River Lofts, set up in one, two and three-bedroom configurations, and in the single 385sqm duplex river penthouse, there is more room to make a show of the open-plan kitchen, lounge and dining layouts, where, though minimal, every corner can’t help but spark some curiosity.

Amongst many magpie moments, standout details throughout include verdantly painted glass screens by Brian Clarke, design classic lighting such as Noguchi’s Akari rice paper lamps or Bauhaus counterweight and Daphine lamps, and bespoke Eagle + Hodges seating in a sumptuous mix of materials, from almond milk linen to caramel shearling. Andrianna Shamaris's cube side tables in teak and cracked resin, which first catch eyes in the lobby, make a joyful reappearance here too. The 150 private residences will follow the same design narrative as the hotel, making living here an extended experience of St. Clement's hospitality.

Though already being dubbed the buzziest new address of the city, there’s still more to be revealed. Set to open by the end of the year, the Health Club & Spa will include a comprehensive list of wellness facilities for staying guests and members – from a longevity practice to reformer Pilates, complete with a 25-metre pool looking out over the Thames. Cementing St. Clement as the place to be, a private dining and event space on floor 10, with room for 150 standing or 90 seated and panoramic views, will no doubt host many a talked-about party, while a private screening room seating only 50 provides a more intimate alternative. Last but not least, Lunette will open late September as the hotel’s crown jewel at the glittering heights of floor 11, as chef Florence Knight’s first solo restaurant after Sessions Arts Club.

As the time comes to leave, I know I'm not the only guest plotting my return, and with so much still to come there's all the more reason. Granted, Eagle + Hodges' design is refreshingly bright, beautifully minimal and particular in all the right ways, but there is something else so wonderfully alluring about St. Clement that is harder to put a finger on. Whatever it is, Jones has always known how to bottle it. And he has never done it better.