The house scent gets me every time. It’s a warming, night-time perfume of polished cedar, dripping wax, and smoky incense. To me, it smells opulent, arcane, but, above all else, regal, which is very much the point. The signature scent is called Solis Rex, or sun king in Latin, a blend crafted by French heritage house Cire Trudon in tribute to Louis XIV. It’s meant to evoke the waxed parquet floors and oversized candelabras of Versailles’ gold-dripped Hall of Mirrors, but the royal scent is just as at home here, at The Connaught.
For over two centuries, the intimate and refined Connaught has stood as one of Mayfair’s most dignified addresses. An aristocratic haven with a gentlemanly air, it’s a place for buttoned-up British indulgences. Christened The Prince of Saxe-Coburg Hotel (the Coburg Hotel, for short) upon its opening in 1815, its name was changed to The Connaught during the First World War, paying tribute to Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. Eagle-eyed guests can still spy the eponymous duke in sepia-toned photographs lining the hotel’s wood-panelled corridors.
Today, the now-iconic landmark continues to evolve, weaving old-world pedigree with à la mode luxury. This is especially apparent in the reimagined Coburg Suites, named after the hotel’s original moniker and made over in 2024 by British interior designer Guy Oliver, whose portfolio also includes the State Rooms at the British Prime Minister’s office and residence at 10 Downing Street. The quartet of new suites (two in muted navy and two in pale emerald) nest within the hotel’s fourth and fifth floors just off the grand coffee-hued teak staircase, maximising the views over Carlos Place as well as guest privacy. (They’re deliciously quiet.)
The suites have a handsome residential air, with warm parlours decorated with corniced walls and chimney-pieces trimmed in glazed delft tiles. Colour palettes are restrained and tasteful – sage, lit-from-within ivories, and celestial blues – but the bathrooms are reassuringly modern (and massive), with snow-bright marble and cast-iron baths, designed for long soaks.
Above these Coburg Suites, The Connaught also unveiled a new signature suite last year. The pinnacle of exclusivity and arguably London’s most fantastical suite, the one-bedroom King’s Lodge is a collaboration between Guy Oliver and Turquoise Mountain, a charity established by His Majesty King Charles III to revive and restore historic and traditional areas and crafts in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and the Levant. A portion of the proceeds from the new suite goes directly to support the charity.
Entering this secluded sanctuary – concealed within the hotel’s historic fifth-floor eaves over Mount Street – feels like stepping into the private quarters of a 19th-century emir. A four-poster bed anchors the bedroom, while a garnet sitting room bathes in the glow of lamplight and stained glass windows. The details are mesmerising, with handwoven carpets and miniature paintings from Afghanistan, rich textiles from Myanmar, and hand-carved marble and mirrored-glass insets from India.
Throughout, the space is divided by decorative jali fretwork panels carved from walnut wood and stained dove grey. The ceiling slants with theatrical proportions, and the eye lifts to admire the Tudor-style wooden beams that cross the ceiling.
The bathroom is especially exquisite, framed with French wooden doors and Mughal-style arches. Here again, you’ll find a deep soaking tub and fragrant bath products by Surrenne, The Maybourne Group’s new wellness concept.
Upon nightfall, the suite is turned down. Curtains are pulled over the windows emblazoned with The Connaught’s mascot, an especially distinguished-looking Saluki hunting hound. Lamp lights are dimmed to liquid gold, and the silk-soft Italian bed linens (made specially for The Connaught by Rivolta Carmignani) are folded open. Placed upon the pillow is a scented wax cameo by Trudon, infusing the room with royal notes. It’s left as a gift for guests to take home, but even without this thoughtful keepsake, the scent is impossible to forget.
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