Curtain hotel to reopen under Mondrian brand

The Curtain hotel in London’s Shoreditch is to reopen as a Mondrian, marking a return of the brand to London after Sea Containers on the South Bank became an independent hotel last year.

The 120-bedroom hotel is due to reopen in spring 2021 as the Mondrian Shoreditch London, following an agreement between owners the Reuben Brothers, Accor and SBE. The property will become a European flagship for the brand.

SBE will open several of its food and beverage brands at the site, including a new culinary experience by chef Dani García, while the rooftop Rumpus Room lounge will remain in place. The Curtain members’ club will also continue to operate alongside the rebranded hotel.

SBE chief operating officer Chadi Farhat said: “I am very proud to be working with the Reuben Brothers and Accor to take over such a prestigious property and to bring Mondrian back to London. The city has been and will continue to be such a thriving market for our lifestyle hospitality offerings, and I am very excited to re-establish Mondrian as one of London’s most innovative and glamorous destinations for hospitality, culinary and mixology experiences for locals and travellers alike.”

Gaurav Bhushan, chief executive of Accor’s new lifestyle division, said: “The partnership with the Reuben brothers to bring the Curtain into our Mondrian brand is a significant marker in the sand for us. Not only is it the return to London for one of our most ambitious lifestyle brands, it also demonstrates the strength of the Accor brand portfolio and our ability to give new hope to fantastic hotels following the tragic challenges of this year.

"We have great ambitions for the Mondrian brand with a view to growing a portfolio of 50 hotels to gateway destinations. Mondrian is a brand with momentum and we’re seeing good traction from the market in Asia and Europe with a pipeline which now includes London, Paris and Singapore."

The Reuben brothers said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Accor and SBE to open a flagship Mondrian hotel in London. It demonstrates a firm belief in London continuing to be one of the most vibrant capitals in the world highlighting Shoreditch in particular, and shows a commitment to the dynamic lifestyle hospitality sector in which the Mondrian brand is so prominent”.

Chef García added: “We look forward to establishing the property as the heart of the Shoreditch food scene in our first ever UK restaurant. I have always been drawn by the magic and energy of London and this opportunity along SBE, Accor and the Reuben Brothers is a dream come true for us. We are humbled and honoured and look very much forward to welcoming guests into our restaurant at the soon to become iconic Mondrian Shoreditch London.”

The company that operated the Curtain fell into liquidation earlier this year. Operated by New York hotel operator Michael Achenbaum, who founded the Gansevoort Hotel Group, the hotel opened on Curtain Road in May 2017. The venue featured the Red Rooster restaurant operated by US-based chef Marcus Samuelsson.

The freehold of the property was sold to the Reuben Brothers in 2018 and the hotel continued to be operated by Achenbaum and co-developer Jeffrey Levine, who held the long-term lease.

The 359-bedroom Sea Containers London ended its management agreement with SBE last year and the venue is now managed by Lore Group, the asset manager for the hotel's owner Archlane.