In recent years, accommodation for travellers has firmly been divided into two camps: home rentals, like Airbnb, or traditional hotels. Both have their pros and cons, the former, most prone to last-minute cancellations, the latter, a much more convenient option, but not as economical or practical- especially when travelling in a group.
Lately, a new hybrid has started to emerge, with innovative design-led brands from Locke Hotels to The Assemblage in New York, offering the best of both worlds.
One such brand making waves is Native. With over 11 outposts in London already, it was the opening of its Bankside property a couple of years ago that marked a turning point for the brand and set the bar in terms of design. ‘The launch of Native Bankside is the first milestone in plans to expand our aparthotel business in all major cities across the UK and will set a benchmark for the category in terms of design,' says Guy Nixon, CEO of Native.
The exterior of Native Bankside, on a quiet cobbled street on London's Bear Gardens
Occupying a 19th-century former tea warehouse on a quiet cobbled street adjacent to the Tate Modern, the property's transformation is the work of SPPARC Architecture, the London-based firm retaining the building's original façade and smartly creating an impressive double-height lobby that leads to a series of 75 one or two bedrooms suites - each with a bespoke layout featuring kitchenettes and living areas – a small fitness suite and a pantry and co-working area. This all makes way for a deeply set comfy sofas, geometric rugs, marble coffee tables and leather arm chairs in a bold deep blue and burnt orange colour palette.
The light-filled upper floor rooms at Native Bankside
Faultlessly set back from the River Thames, just a few steps from highlights like The Tate Modern, Borough Market and St Paul's Cathedral, Native Bankside was followed closely by the openings of Native Glasgow and Native Manchester, a 166-studio property housed in a vast Grade II-listed former Victorian warehouse with a cinema, outdoor terrace and fitness classes. Raising the bar even further will be openings in Leeds, York, Bristol, Oxford and London's Soho.
Native Manchester
Native Manchester
Native Manchester
INFORMATION
-
'I'm trying to examine what it's like to be a person': Author Curtis Sittenfeld on her new book, 'Show Don't Tell'As Curtis Sittenfeld publishes her new book, 'Show Don't Tell', she tells Wallpaper* why she is drawn to her ambiguous characters
-
Waiting for Ideas have recast the turntable as a minimal aluminium altar for vinyl worshipThe PP-1 turntable is an ultra-minimal, all-aluminium record player designed to enhance the vinyl experience
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with an all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
London's coolest design-led coffee shops for your Fashion Week fixCoffee shops are the heart of London’s neighbourhoods, discover those fusing speciality beans and stylish interiors for the perfect brew
-
Shakara is a stylish new addition to London's West African dining sceneShakara, a new Marylebone bar and dining room, adds to the city's ever-more impressive high-end West African dining scene
-
First a fishmonger then a restaurant, how Applebee’s became a Borough Market stapleIn line with the London seafood restaurant’s 25th anniversary, Applebee’s is reopening with a new menu and a new look courtesy of design studio A-nrd
-
Mayfair restaurant Silva is a dainty ode to the MediterraneanEnvisioned by Studio Wren, Silva is a dynamic, textural restaurant that reflects nature’s rhythms through its cuisine and design
-
Peek inside Heathrow’s new VIP terminal: exclusive travel from door to departureThe Windsor is Heathrow’s newly refurbished private terminal boasting a private gallery, cuisine from a Michelin-starred chef, and butler and chauffeur services
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
London’s Piraña restaurant combines Japanese-Peruvian fusion with lavishly moody surroundsPiraña restaurant wraps a delicious Japanese-Peruvian fusion menu in an alluringly moody atmosphere in central London’s Mayfair
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Park Hyatt London River Thames: ‘Luxury meets the skyline’Tour the long-awaited debut of the Park Hyatt brand in the UK, soaring within a KPF-designed sleek glass tower in Nine Elms
