Treehouse Hotel, London - A bird’s eye view of London in a boutique offering with crafty interiors for high flyers - Scotland on Sunday Travel

A bird’s eye view of London in a boutique offering with crafty interiors sees Emma Newlands flying high

One of the bedrooms in Treetops Hotel, with its views over London.

While it’s such a familiar site on TV, I had somehow never seen the BBC’s Broadcasting House in real life until I visit Treehouse Hotel London, which sits just opposite the iconic location in the heart of Marylebone.

The hotel occupies the upper floors of a 1960s building near Oxford Circus Tube station, bringing a splash of colour to the otherwise rather grey property. It’s well and truly capitalising on its vantage point with a rooftop bar The Nest boasting 360-degree skyline views, while it also houses Mexican restaurant Madera, and newly opened Pizzeria Mozza, the first UK restaurant from renowned chef Nancy Silverton.The expanding Treehouse group says it’s focused on “adventure, independence, cozy spaces and repurposing crafty things” - as I learn when I visit.

The hotel features repurposed wood throughout, while other green touches include a biophilic wall at The Nest, and water filling stations throughout the property to reduce the use of single-use water bottles.

Treehouse is also tapping into the pandemic-related rise in dog-ownership - as you can check in your four-legged buddy too with the excellently named Ulti-Mutt Staycation guest package.

Room serviceGuest rooms are described as being “cozy, welcoming and colourful, just like your childhood clubhouse” - and the hotel has 95 altogether, including 12 suites. My room indeed feels homely and welcoming, including a bird-patterned bedspread and patchwork cushions, plus quirkier touches such as a bright yellow cuckoo clock that add a little character without being overbearing.There’s a decent-sized wooden desk, while turning to the also-decent-sized bathroom, the shower is wonderfully one of those where the controls are at the opposite end to the shower head, so you don’t get sprayed with cold water when you switch it on.But the best bit of the room is the stunning views - I can see over to the top of Broadcasting House, as well as over the distinctive, tall spire of the historic John Nash-designed All Souls Church.

The vista can be admired from excellent, comfy, in-room window seats where I can visualise myself drinking a hot chocolate, on a winter evening after some Christmas shopping, reading a book.

Wining and diningI start my evening with drinks at The Nest, which has a menu that’s dotted with bird illustrations and nearly as thick as a phone book, and whose signature cocktails include a Deconstructed Mojito. This is followed by dinner at Madera - the little sister to Los Angeles-based Toca Madera - where I sample the likes of a trio of seabass, salmon and ahi tuna ceviche, which all arrive topped with flowers, followed by a Madera signature “rocks” dish served over hot lava stones - in this case succulent prawns - and ending, as the best meals do, with moreish churros.

The roof terrace bar with its bird's eye views.

Little extrasThe Ulti-Mutt Staycation involves an in-room dog bed and bowl, a “pooch-ified” mini-bar or room service menu, plus access to the “Treehouse canine concierge”. The package also includes natural treats from petfood firm Lily's Kitchen and the option of harnessing the services of “eco boutique dog-walking company” Marylebone Walkers. I just wish I could have borrowed a dog to take with me.The hotel also has an app helping guests to check in and out, order in-room picnics, control their TV, reserve a table, and secure recommendations from the hotel's “fun finders”, for example.

Worth getting out of bed forThis is a prime spot to hit the shops on Oxford Street in style, and/or enjoy the polar opposite of getting back to nature in the quieter surroundings of Regent’s Park or Hyde Park, both of which are within easy reach. Should you be seeking out some culture, you’re also not far from The Wallace Collection museum, the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Madame Tussauds at Baker Street.

Budget or boutiqueDefinitely boutique - the website has tips on “how to eco picnic" by sustainability advocate and eco events planner Yasmin Mills, for example.

Guestbook commentsFittingly for a hotel near a broadcasting hub, Treehouse Hotel London deserves a very warm reception.

Repurposed wood is used throughout the hotel.

PricesNightly rates at Treehouse Hotel London in a double room start from £249 inclusive of VAT and breakfast. Treehouse Hotel London, 14-15 Langham Place, London, W1B 2QS, tel: [phone], https://www.treehousehotels.com/london.

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