The stealth London luxury hotel you might have missed

In a recent interview with former SNL star Bowen Yang and comedian Matt Rogers on their pop culture-skewering Las Culturistas podcast, Lena Dunham declared a war on quiet luxury. Enough with ‘oatmeal with bone with beige with tan’ as a signifier of elegance and a particularly understated, knowing kind of chic.

Dunham’s team should probably steer clear of booking her into Aethos, the newest addition to Shoreditch’s luxury hotel roster, then. Moving into the site formerly occupied by the Nobu Hotel, the rooms here use stone as a sculptural highlight and calming, tasteful neutrals as a base for everything. There is black, yes: cocooning the corridors into a permanent seductive nighttime, and maintaining the Japanese history of its predecessor on slatted feature walls. But if you’re looking for colourful whimsy, you’d be best turning elsewhere.

A Balcony Suite (Aethos London Shoreditch/Stevie Campbell)

If you like your hotel rooms to feel like a peaceful oasis away from the bustle of the east London streets below, however, then slide right on in. Much of the previous aesthetic has remained within the hotel’s 164 guest rooms, which range from the standard Deluxe to varying Balcony Suites and a largest Panorama Suite. The East End Balcony Suite that I stayed in managed to feel both private and peaceful but also bright, open and connected to the outside world thanks to a glass doored patio overlooking Great Eastern Street below, and a gloriously placed floor-to-ceiling window next to the bath.

I had never realised that my kink was climbing in a freestanding tub full of suds whilst having direct access to the nighttime London skyline (and it’s a new passion that I predict will be hard to indulge too often), but it’s a treat worth staying in for. In the morning, meanwhile, the light streams through, reflecting off the bathroom’s white walls and turning the place into a glorious sun trap.

In the bedroom, replete with enormous, king-sized bed, comfy grey sofa and desk area, there is more than enough space to spread out and keep working zones away from relaxation. If work is far from your mind, however, you could easily spend a couple of days moving from bed to balcony, indulging in the mini bar (well-stocked with an array of low ABV options as well as booze), and enjoying the fun and luxurious touches they’ve added that tick almost every box you might require.

The Panorama Suite (Aethos London Shoreditch/Stevie Campbell)

Feeling stressed out? You can book a masseuse to come to your room. After efficiently setting up a massage table, mine took the time to make sure I had selected the correct treatment to best blast away my tensions and ended up building a blissful combination service that was semi-off menu. If you want to party, there’s a top range Bluetooth speaker. If you’re looking for some zen, there are QR codes that lead to night time meditation tracks and morning stretch routines. There’s even a ‘pleasure’ kit available to purchase in the minibar area, containing saucy extras including a mini vibrator and some lube.

You’d be remiss, however, not to explore the rest of Aethos when it’s this that sets them apart from your traditional luxe establishment. Filling the shoes of Nobu’s famed eatery is a big ask, but Mitsu — the just-opened Japanese bar and restaurant — deserves to be a destination spot all of its own.

Mitsu, the hotel’s restaurant (Aethos London Shoreditch/Stevie Campbell)

Here, they balance classic tradition and playful modern twists expertly. We’re taught about the Japanese practice of overpouring the first glass of sake to symbolise generosity and abundance, yet there is also a supremely Instagrammable matcha tiramisu on the menu, served tableside. Order expertly crafted sushi, slivers of perfectly seared pink steak cooked on the robata grill and plump crab and prawn dumplings, but save room for the Chef’s Rice: a deceptively simple combination of sushi rice, mayonnaise and miso that is an unlikely star.

Aethos Shoreditch (one of a small global chain) is also a members’ club, and its co-working spaces are unsurprisingly excellent. There’s the light and airy Willow Room available only to members, but hotel guests can lounge in the downstairs bar and cafe, which also include a small lending library of creative-focused books.

Aethos might draw on the tasteful principles of quiet luxury but it also gets its personality across. After all, when it comes to memorable stays, you don’t always have to shout the loudest to get your point heard.

Doubles from £250, aethos.com