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The latest in Ian Schrager’s boutique line matches London heritage with hipness.

The latest in Ian Schrager’s boutique line matches London heritage with hipness.

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The man credited with inventing the boutique hotel has reinvented it, this time in London’s Fitzrovia district. The much-anticipated London Edition is the third property in a hotel line created by former Studio 54 impresario Ian Schrager and Marriott Hotels, following the short-lived Edition in Honolulu, another in Istanbul in 2011, and paving the way for new Editions in New York and Miami next year.

On the site of the former Berners Hotel, Schrager has created a lobby to loiter in, adding a chrome egg chandelier, a vintage billiard table and Christian Liaigre furniture. The heritage-listed Georgian ceilings (restored from beneath a century of smoke stains) somehow make the space feel more contemporary. Upstairs the wood-panelled rooms are said to be inspired by the cabins on a luxury yacht. With designer armchairs and faux-fur throws, it’s a cross between a storied London club and a Nordic bachelor pad.

The ornate Berners Tavern, the third West End opening this year by restaurateur Jason Atherton, has an acreage of tables and 120 seats, yet weekend diners are already facing a month-long waiting list. Drinkers congregate in the Edition’s Lobby Bar and Punch Room, where bowl-based drinks make a long overdue return to London. Ordering a gin-infused punch with jasmine tea and oak moss feels like winning a trophy. Head downstairs for house-made bottled alcopops and cocktail slushies in paper cups at the Basement nightclub. London Edition, 10 Berners St, London, rooms from $497 per night.

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