The stark, medieval Tower of London, a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands out as one of the sole departures from the brutalism that defines the bustling riverside Tower Hill neighborhood. Now joining the historical attraction in steep contrast to its neighbors is the citizenM Tower of London hotel, offering a streamlined, whimsical design as rakish as a beefeater uniform.
Amsterdam-based firm concrete co-created the concept for each of citizenM’s properties—which are now open in Amsterdam, Glasgow, Paris, Rotterdam, New York, and London. For this flagship location, with architecture by local firm Sheppard Robson, the designers balanced that universal hotel module with sensitivity to the historic setting.
“When we started in 2005 we said, ‘citizenM is not a hotel,’” explains concrete architect and partner Erikjan Vermeulen, “which gave us all the freedom to relook at every aspect a hotel has, and see what was needed and what we wanted to change.”
In order to mesh organically with the surrounding structures—especially the Tower of London itself—the new-build’s design incorporates a clearly defined base, a middle section of prefabricated modular guestrooms, and a rooftop bar housed in a steel structure—with the Tower Hill tube station exit integrated into the architecture.
The ground floor comprises five different spaces, collectively referred to as the living room. Self check-in kiosks surround small sapling trees at the heart of lobby, while just beyond lies a workspace equipped with communal tables branching to an outdoor terrace clad with red picnic tables that overlook the landmark’s ancient Roman wall. In addition to the granite flooring that appears randomly throughout, the living room features areas with bamboo inlays and bespoke carpeting, while pendant lights “create a second ceiling within the high space creating more intimacy where desired,” Vermeulen notes.
Oversized geometric cabinets and shelves on the ground floor overflow with books and whimsical décor—cricket bats, antique riding boots, and silver trophies—that capture British humor and history. A fixture of citizenM design, the shelves add a residential quality while also serving as a divider between different areas of the large, open floor plan.
The grand cabinets also showcase a unique array of local and international artwork from the signature collectionM, which aims to inspire guests and celebrate the brand’s inclusive and creative personality. Additionally featured in the pared-down guestrooms and on the walls of coffeeM, the pieces are available for purchase by guests through a collaboration with Amsterdam’s Public House of Art.
The new grab-and-go coffeeM concept is also found in the lobby, an alternative to the multifunctional F&B bar canteen, which caters to tube commuters as well as hotel guests. The bar is wrapped in oak wood to perpetuate the warm, at-home atmosphere, while black and white checkerboard flooring surrounds the open kitchen area. “The tiling gives the feeling of your grandma’s kitchen—a home away from home,” adds Vemeulen.
Crowning the building is the two-story societyM, the hotel’s 1950s-inspired business center with eight different meeting rooms dressed with vintage typewriters, telephones, and Bakelite radios, as well as whiteboards and blackboards. Also housed atop the hotel is cloudM rooftop bar, defined by a wraparound terrace to maximize cityscape views.
“The idea is to create a playground of citizenM for people to work, eat, meet, drink, and play,” Vermeulen says.