1 Hotel Mayfair chooses plant fronds over crystal chandeliers

"Isn't it amazing?" It's hard not to agree with Slava, nor to stare at artist Patrick Nadeau's compelling creation. "I find it quite lunar," says general manager Francois-Xavier Schoeffer of his fellow Frenchman's work. "The fronds need only light, air, water and a bit of love." They shiver a little with every opening of the door, and no doubt shiver again during a twice-weekly night-time ritual that sees the chandelier lowered, misted and allowed to drip dry.

The chandelier is dazzlingly on-brand.

1 Hotel Mayfair, which opened in July as the European debut for SH Hotels & Resorts (owned by Starwood Capital Group), identifies as "mission-driven".

"We are setting a new benchmark for sustainable luxury in London," says Robert Koren, senior vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at SH Hotels & Resorts. "We are solely focused on nature. It informs the way our guests arrive, depart, sleep, eat, relax and interact with one another, our team, and the surrounding locale." For Schoeffer it's a "contemporary, grown-up" approach to luxury. "I think we're writing history," he says.

1 Hotel Mayfair's refurbishment

The immediate history tracks back to 2020. Koren will not be drawn on details of the deal struck with the building's owner, Crosstree Real Estate Partners, nor on the exact amount spent on stripping back and reimagining the building, formerly the Holiday Inn Mayfair. That hotel closed in January 2020 and the three-year transformation progressed through the pandemic, resulting in the mid-July opening of the 181-key 1 Hotel Mayfair.

The refurbishment retained over 80% of the existing structure. Working to BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) Excellent standards, the team restored and repurposed rather than demolished, saving an estimated 4,200 tonnes of carbon in the process, the company claims. Eighth and ninth floors were added, home to some of the 44 lavish suites, while a former underground carpark became offices (there's a chauffeur-driven fleet of Audi e-tron vehicles for guest use), and its ground-level entrance became the terrace for Dovetale, Tom Sellers' restaurant.

London-based design firm the GA Group brought the ethos to life. Some 1,300 plants are looked after by a team of gardeners, some using cherry-pickers to tend the exterior walls where trellis planting creates a spectacular vertical landscape; it's most striking on the back elevation above Dover Yard, the new public passageway between Dover Street and Berkeley Street. There are moss walls in bedrooms, moss growing in the crevices of a rebuilt drystone wall, and lush rockeries with flowing water. "It brings a sense of calm to everyone, not just guests," says Schoeffer. "Plants make the workplace better."

There's purpose in more conventional art too. Flow, Steve McPherson's striking collage of beachcombed plastic finds, hangs in Neighbours, the hotel's café, while Kate MccGwire's ‘Torrent', made from 3,000 naturally moulted pigeon feathers, arranged in rippling waves and secured under glass, is embedded in the Dover Yard bar top. It's Schoeffer's favourite piece. Even the welcome desk is a work of art, made from a 200-year-old oak that fell during a Sussex storm. Keycards are made from wood, tumblers were once wine bottles, slate replaces the ubiquitous bedside notepad, and guests are encouraged to give ‘second life' to unwanted items, leaving them for the hotel to donate to charity. Eco details are wrapped in the tactile luxury of natural fabrics, ultra-comfortable beds, reclaimed oak and Welsh slate.

The environmental impact is already being measured. Energy consumption is just 5W per sq m, half the industry standard, says Schoeffer, thanks to smart engineering that channels the sun's energy and rain, and adapts heat and light usage to immediate needs.

How he will measure the impact of his people is another matter. Slava is just one of an almost 270-strong team from 42 nationalities. "I want as many guests as possible to be greeted in their own language. I was aiming for 50 [nationalities], but Brexit…" He rolls his eyes, but admits recruitment was less tricky than feared: "I think people were drawn by our purpose, and we selected great heads of department early, like chefs Tom Sellers and Tom Anglesea and Matteo Carretta [in charge of the Dover Yard cocktail bar]. They have attracted talent."

SH Hotels & Resorts has global ambitions for 1 Hotels, planning to take it beyond America where it operates seven properties (plus one each in Canada and China). The former Skt Petri hotel in Copenhagen will be the second European 1 Hotel, and there are discussions in Rome, Paris and Elounda Hills in Crete, with roll-outs planned in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Melbourne in Australia, Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and Austin in the US, all by 2027.

Early guests to 1 Hotel Mayfair

It's early days, but the busyness of the Neighbours café with its communal, co-working vibe, along with Dover Yard and Dovetale, suggests people are already discovering the newcomer. Room occupancy is "on a steady incline" with Schoeffer expecting guests to be around 40% American tourists, including families, with many already familiar with the brand – even "addicted", he says. They'll stay on average 2.5 days, lured by the location but often using London as a base to explore Europe. Pets can come too, despite the abundance of pale cream, but they mustn't jump on the furniture, says Schoeffer. "And we have faith in our housekeeping team."

All this obviously doesn't come cheap. The 137 rooms (in nine categories, from 19 sq m) cost from £500, room only, with 44 suites (in five categories plus four Signature Suites) culminating in the £15,000 tab for the three-bed Green Park Penthouse. It sprawls over 340 sq m with double-height ceilings, a vast marble bathtub, wrap-around terrace and spectacular rooftop views, not least of the Ritz London. Its opening, along with that of the Bamford Wellness Spa and Field House gym, is imminent. "It's all relative of course," says Schoeffer, "But I think we're reasonable. In Paris, some luxury hotels charge €2,000 [£1,740] for entry-level rooms."

Koren is naturally glad to see the capital's luxury scene "booming" – with the nearby Peninsula and Raffles joining the fray – despite global economic uncertainty and less rosy conditions outside London. The capital is, he says, "extremely resilient", but he predicts that sustainable hotel design and management will become ever more important as the ultra-wealthy seek to contain their carbon footprint without compromising on luxury.

"In many countries, the increasing focus and shifting policies on climate-related issues will almost certainly mean conservation and environmental causes will attract an increasing share of consciousness," he says.

The big picture is vital, but so too is the detail. In elegant, looping script, Schoeffer writes a personal welcome note for every guest on a card embedded with seeds. Guests can plant the card, water it, flowers will grow and a second life will happen. It is a supremely on-message gesture.

Tom Sellers on bringing Dovetale to life

Dovetale, Tom Sellers' 150-cover restaurant in 1 Hotel Mayfair, is already Sellers' second opening of 2023 following the April launch of Story Cellar, his Neal's Yard restaurant. Make that three when Restaurant Story, Sellers' acclaimed Bermondsey restaurant, reopens this autumn after a nine-month refurbishment.

How does he do it? For Schoeffer, the answer is simple: "He has 36 hours in his day."

Sellers doesn't claim to bend time, but the perfectionist chef clearly has energy and is good at gathering talent. His team includes Tom Anglesea, whose time at Thomas Keller's Per Se restaurant in New York City coincided with Sellers'. As executive head chef, Anglesea oversees the restaurant and the hotel's banqueting and 24/7 room service.

American chef Chase Lovecky (of Two Lights, Shoreditch, now closed) heads the Dovetale kitchen, and executive pastry chef is Andrew Blas (of the Capital Club in Dubai and London's Hotel Café Royal). Wine is in the hands of American Oliver Espersen, who joins from the Corinthia London and has written a list that champions his home country, hoping to shift the narrative around American wines. He works with Tara Ozols, holder of the Michelin Sommelier Award. Sellers describes the pair as "two of the best sommeliers in the business".

The senior team leads 45 chefs, and 90 front of house professionals. "Everyone has a hand in bringing this space to life," says Sellers.

But the Dovetale vision is his. "It's my brand, my name, I created it. The hotel obviously plays a huge role, and I had to be considerate of the brand, which I respect and admire. But it's my name above the door, so I've been totally immersed in all aspects," he says.

A separate entrance on Dover Yard ensures a standalone identity, reinforced by the use of a different design company from the hotel. The same ethos ripples through the large space, with open fires, mirrors, plants and subtle lighting, and curved banquette seating among conventional tables giving a convivial feel. A sheltered outside terrace, formerly the car park entrance, adds 45 seats to the 105 inside.

The classically rooted 6-6-6 menu attracts a typical spend of £80 for three courses (without sides or drinks), though it's easy to up that with sharing dishes such as turbot tranche meunière (£150), or grain-fed Black Angus T-bone (£150).

A raw bar offers Freedown Hills wagyu carpaccio with ‘Harry's Bar' dressing (£28), and Orkney scallops with Amalfi lemon and a generous pouring of Armando Manni's Oil of Life (£28). Elsewhere there's burrata made daily served with more of Manni's oil (£19); braised cuttlefish ‘alla romana' (£23); day-boat Dover sole ‘véronique' £55; and whole roasted Landes chicken to share (£85). Sellers describes the style as "reimagined modern European cooking, inflected with my own next-generation twist".

There's a glorious twist when it comes to desserts with two knickerbocker glory trolleys delivering all-American fun and nostalgia. Guests can design their own sundae or choose house versions including the Boozy Bocker (£18) with coconut and rum and vanilla ice-creams, roasted pineapple, whipped cream and coconut. Among more conventional desserts are an ethereal Grand Marnier soufflé (£16), and delicate strawberry and elderflower tartlet (£14).

The partnership works both ways: Sellers opens a classy restaurant, and the hotel associates with a stellar London chef who will "infuse the cuisine with local flair" says Koren. The collaboration had been under discussion for years, Sellers says, but neither reveals the arrangement they finally reached. And while the chef is alert to the challenges of hotel-chef partnerships, he insists that Dovetale is "freer", and that the youthfulness of the team sets a fresh tone and energy that marks it out from traditional luxury hotel restaurants.

Sellers insists that the scale of Dovetale means he's not "chasing awards", such ambition remaining the preserve of Restaurant Story, which he openly calls his "lifetime's work". He adds: "I will always give 100% of myself to all my restaurants and teams."

Hitting BREEAM Excellent standards

1 Hotel Mayfair has been built to BREEAM Excellent standards, in recognition of its approach to sustainability in construction.

The BREEAM scheme delivers five levels of accreditation, from Pass to Outstanding. Among measurements are the building's energy and water consumption, its carbon emissions, impact on the immediate environment and protection of biodiversity.

The BREEAM accreditation was devised by the Watford-based research and consultancy organisation Bre Group. Owned by the Bre Trust, the group uses science-based research to help improve the built environment for people and the planet, putting all profits from client projects back into the Trust's research work.

Francois-Xavier Schoeffer

Francois-Xavier Schoeffer had no hesitation in accepting the general manager position at 1 Hotel Mayfair.

"It's actually a funny story," says Savoie-born Schoeffer who brings 26 years of luxury hotel experience to the role. "When I joined Hotel Lutetia in Paris in 2008, it was owned by Barry Sternlicht [founder and chair of SH Hotels & Resorts, and creator of the 1 Hotel brand]. I was supposed to close the hotel after a year and reopen it as a 1 Hotel. It would have been the first in Europe."

When the Lutetia was instead sold to the Set Collection, Schoeffer joined that group, going on to relaunch the Hotel Café Royal in London in 2013 before returning to Paris in 2019 and steering the Lutetia through the pandemic.

In November 2021 he became general manager of the Doyle Collection's Kensington Hotel. "But when I saw 1 Hotel was coming to London, I thought ‘history is catching up'. It was meant to be."

About 1 Hotel Mayfair

1 Hotel Mayfair, 3 Berkeley Street, London W1J 8DJ

0203 988 0055

www.1hotels.com/mayfair

Management SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group

General manager Francois-Xavier Schoeffer

Bedrooms 181, including 44 suites

Rates From £500, room only

Food and beverage Dovetale restaurant; Neighbours café; Dover Yard cocktail bar

Leisure Bamford Wellness Spa; the Field House gym; yoga and wellbeing events open to non-residents