How long does it take a new hotel to be recognized? Vintry & Mercer was opened less than a year ago, but from the very first days, this hotel in the heart of London attracted a lot of attention. Soon it was found to be one of the most interesting places in the City. We talked to Anton Fedun, Managing Director of Vintry & Mercer about the concept of the hotel, the secrets of success in this business and the victory in the Luxury Lifestyle Awards.

Mr. Fedun, Vintry & Mercer is a very stylish and atmospheric place. What is the main idea of this hotel?

I believe that a proper boutique hotel should always be influenced by its location. Vintry & Mercer is inspired by the history of the city of London and is blending modern-day amenities with the future by using sustainable eco-friendly technologies throughout the property.

We worked with our interior designers, Dexter Moren Associates, to create a ‘bolthole’ for guests to escape the bustle of the city. Rooted in the history of the area, we have 92 luxurious rooms, 3 stylish spaces for meetings or private dinners, and 3 unique dining destinations from casual Asian-inspired tapas, a best-of-British rooftop restaurant with views of St. Pauls and underground speakeasy DND. There’s space for everything from client lunches to a nightcap with friends.

The hotel interior design has obvious historical influences. What were the sources of inspiration when designing the Vintry & Mercer hotel?

Like my first property (The Ampersand Hotel), Vintry & Mercer is immersed in and visually references the location to engage guests with the story of the hotel and its historic neighborhood. The design at Vintry & Mercer tells the story of Garlick Hill and its surrounding trade guilds, including Vintners (wine traders) and Mercers (fabric traders).

Bespoke carpets reflect the fabrics manufactured in the trading period and curated artwork connects to each of the guilds. Hand drawn graphic maps of the old and new City are digitally printed as wall coverings to reference the merchant history. Room types are varied in their materiality and palette to reflect colors of items historically traded by the guilds, including claret, saffron, and honey. Dressing areas are a modern play on a deconstructed travel trunk and we have carriage-style mirrors to evoke the golden age of train travel.

What services does your hotel provide?

I want to ensure that guests have an unforgettable and authentic experience at Vintry & Mercer, so I encourage my team to be unique and surpass guests’ expectations. We deliver outstanding service to all of our guests from the minute they arrive at the hotel.

We’ve thought of every possible need at Vintry & Mercer: 24-hour room service, LED TVs with movies-on-demand, laptop safes, Nespresso machines and Marshall speakers, all available to make the guest experience as comfortable as possible. Plug sockets catering for international travelers are built into desk spaces and headboards, and we have maps and local guides in the rooms, as well as free international calls. We have also installed communal Mac computers in the basement of the hotel for guests to use for business or pleasure.

The hotel’s gym has been kitted out with the latest equipment from Life Fitness, an integrated digital screen, free internet access and iPhone docks.

This year Luxury Lifestyle Awards proudly recognized you in the category of th­e Best Luxury Boutique Hotel London, United Kingdom. In your opinion, what were the key reasons for this victory?

I believe Vintry & Mercer is unlike any other hotel in London. Here is an ultra-modern eco-friendly building, we have brought to life old traditions of the City, and historical artifacts are blended with the latest gadgets and outstanding guest service.

A living roof, solar paneling, heat pump technology in the air-conditioning system, and a combined heating and power system helps to ensure minimal environmental output. We have built clever features into the building’s design to ensure it runs as efficiently as possible. We have exclusively used LED lighting, and have ensured that lighting in guest corridors dims when the spaces are not in use to conserve energy. These details mean that we can operate a hotel with a lower environmental impact without negatively affecting the guest experience.

The City of London has its own unique character as well as the people who come here on business or pleasure. What specific features do Vintry & Mercer have to propose to its sophisticated guests and visitors?

We are located in the heart of the City, a world-leading business district, but we’re also just a stone’s throw from some of London’s top tourist attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Borough Market, and the Tower of London, so we appeal to both leisure and business guests.

For business guests, we offer 3 unique meeting and event spaces, ideally located for meetings, but beautifully designed for private dinner parties.

We also have 3 dining destinations to suit any occasion, including our rooftop restaurant (Mercer Roof Terrace) with views expanding from the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral to the glass tip of The Shard. The menu here celebrates the best of modern cooking, showcasing sustainably sourced meat and fish from the British Isles. Vintry Izakaya is a relaxed Asian-inspired restaurant located on the ground floor offering everything from weekend brunch to set-lunch menus. Inspired by the clandestine bars of 1920s New York, DND is our underground speakeasy where guests can enjoy specialty barrel-aged cocktails and a menu of small plates, tacos, and sliders.

Amenities in all rooms include complimentary WIFI, tea-making facilities, and soft drinks, 24-hour room service, LED TVs with movies-on-demand, laptop safe, air conditioning, and a Nespresso machine and Marshall speakers in Superior rooms and above.

For those booked into suites for longer stays, views from the bedroom and bathrooms take in the best of London’s skyline.  Bathrooms in these suites benefit from built-in TVs for guest’s enjoyment and escape from the busy working City.

Guests wanting to maintain their fitness regimes during business travel can enjoy our gym.

You pay tribute to the history of London trading guilds and at the same time you keep up with the contemporary trends in the hotel business. Speaking about the future, what is the development strategy for Vintry & Mercer for the next couple of years?

We believe that luxury travel doesn’t have to compromise on sustainability and our attention to the environment will continue to be a priority.

Both my properties are members of Considerate Group and by being members, we are recognized as hotels that are working on introducing more sustainable and responsible business practices. At Vintry & Mercer, this is evident in our installment of a living roof, solar paneling and heat pump technology in the air-conditioning system. We will soon introduce our newly established and consolidated environmental policy, which will provide the opportunity to engage our guests and staff in their sustainability journey.