London has always rewarded those who linger, who wander down quiet squares, pause under the shade of plane trees, and notice the whispers of history woven into brick and iron. Come March 2026, a new chapter in that story begins as The Zetter Group opens the doors to The Zetter Bloomsbury, its most evocative project yet.
Occupying six interconnected Georgian townhouses near Russell Square, directly opposite the British Museum, this 68-bedroom property marks the next evolution of The Zetter’s distinctive, soulful approach to hospitality. For two decades, the brand has cultivated a reputation for personality and poise through its Clerkenwell and Marylebone hotels; Bloomsbury now joins the family with a promise to embody the same intimacy and creative warmth, rooted in one of London’s most cultured quarters.
A Celebration of Bloomsbury’s Creative Spirit
The new hotel draws deeply from the literary and artistic heritage of its surroundings. Long home to poets, philosophers, and pioneers, Bloomsbury has always radiated an intellectual energy: that rare combination of curiosity and calm. Award-winning designer James Thurstan Waterworth, formerly of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio and European Design Director for Soho House, channels that spirit with graceful precision. His interiors blend scholarly charm with lived-in comfort, more townhouse than hotel, more friend’s salon than formal lobby.
“We wanted guests to feel as though they were staying with a well-travelled friend,” Waterworth explains, “someone who has filled their home with treasures and stories from around the world, yet who still honours the Georgian bones of the building.”
Antique furniture, vintage lighting and richly textured fabrics are layered to create rooms that feel discovered rather than designed. The effect is at once global and distinctly London, cultivated but never contrived.
Residential Elegance, Reimagined
The Zetter Bloomsbury’s design language departs from traditional hotel formality in favour of a collected, domestic ease. Each of the 68 bedrooms celebrates the individuality of the six Georgian houses it occupies, with irregular lines, unique layouts, and a sense of quiet privacy.
The Cosy Rooms are warmly wood-panelled, intimate and cocoon-like: a nod to the libraries and studies of old Bloomsbury. The Terrace Suite meanwhile offers a touch of grandeur: a four-poster bed, claw-foot bath set beneath bay windows, and a private terrace overlooking the hotel’s landscaped garden. Across all rooms, details echo the sensibility of a Collector’s House, marble-finished bathrooms, walk-in rainfall showers, VERDEN amenities, and textiles chosen for their tactility as much as their tone.
No two rooms are quite alike, each reflecting the building’s domestic origins. The result feels less like a chain of hotel rooms and more like a series of private apartments within a very elegant friend’s home, somewhere that understands beauty lies in imperfection, and character in every creak of the floorboards.
Spaces for Conversation and Calm
The Parlour, just beyond the entrance, will act as the hotel’s living room: a tranquil retreat for morning coffee, light lunches, or an evening martini under the glow of vintage sconces. Its mood shifts effortlessly through the day, from the quiet hum of breakfast to the low chatter of cocktail hour.
At the heart of the hotel lies The Orangery, the main dining space and social centrepiece. Flooded with natural light and framed by Georgian windows, it opens directly onto a landscaped garden: a rarity in central London and the perfect counterpart to Bloomsbury’s leafy squares. Here, guests can enjoy breakfast, aperitifs, and small plates designed for sharing, or host private gatherings surrounded by greenery.
In summer, the Orangery extends outside to a dedicated barbecue and open-grill area, hosting seasonal menus and guest chef residencies that will bring new energy to the garden each week. The experience promises to be quintessentially Zetter: elegant but unstuffy, sophisticated yet welcoming: the kind of space that makes conversation the main course.
Design Rooted in Heritage
Throughout, Waterworth’s aesthetic finds harmony between restraint and richness. Georgian panelling and cornices are preserved, grounding the interiors in history, while deep hues, patterned textiles, and an array of antique curiosities lend texture and intrigue. The feeling is layered and human, built from stories as much as materials.
The 13,760-square-foot property, spanning six townhouses, also houses a fully equipped gym and outdoor yoga terrace, allowing guests to maintain their wellness routines amid Bloomsbury’s calm, leafy backdrop. Even these spaces bear the same careful design touch: comfortable yet quietly luxurious, where wellness feels integrated rather than imposed.
A Thoughtful Evolution for The Zetter
“This represents a natural evolution for us,” says Kevin Rockey, MD Operations Europe at The Zetter. “With The Zetter Bloomsbury, we’ve captured something essential about the neighbourhood’s creative and intellectual character, shaping a design that feels deeply rooted in history yet refreshingly contemporary.”
It’s a fitting description. Every Zetter property has carried its own narrative, from the whimsical, art-filled charm of Clerkenwell to the townhouse intimacy of Marylebone, but Bloomsbury feels different: more reflective, perhaps more mature. The design’s confidence lies in its understatement, its ability to make you exhale the moment you step inside.
Positioned between Russell Square and the British Museum, The Zetter Bloomsbury occupies one of London’s most evocative corners, a place where the hum of the city softens into thoughtfulness. From here, the independent boutiques and cafés of Lamb’s Conduit Street are just a short stroll away, while the theatres of the West End and the quiet courtyards of Lincoln’s Inn are within easy reach.
A New Kind of London Retreat
When The Zetter Bloomsbury opens in March 2026, it will offer something rare in the capital: a sense of home within the heart of the city. This isn’t a grand hotel shouting for attention, nor a minimalist concept chasing trends: it’s a place of depth, personality, and story.
Every space feels considered, every material chosen for its honesty. It’s the kind of hotel that invites you to curl up with a book, write a few pages of your own, or simply watch the afternoon light shift across the room.
Rooms will start from £301 per night, and while the address sits among London’s most historic, the feeling is anything but old-fashioned. Like Bloomsbury itself, eternally curious, beautifully understated, The Zetter’s newest chapter is a study in how to evolve without losing soul.
The Zetter Bloomsbury
Opening March 2026 | Rooms from £301
Russell Square, London WC1
www.thezetter.com
