Around TownW1HPlatform to lobby: 1 min from Marble Arch
Marble Arch escorts after the shops shut, from the arch to Portman Square
Marble Arch was designed by John Nash as a grand gateway to Buckingham Palace and moved to this corner of Hyde Park in 1851. It now stands on its own island of lawn and traffic, with Oxford Street running east, Park Lane running south and Edgware Road heading north. Speakers' Corner is across the road, and a small stone set into the traffic island marks where the Tyburn gallows once stood.
It is also where W1 keeps a great many of its hotel rooms. Six large hotels stand within a short stroll of one another around the arch and Portman Square, which makes W1H one of the busiest parts of our map once evening comes. Below are those hotels, the platforms and the Marble Arch escorts nearest the park.
Stations and lit lobbies
Walking minutes from the nearest platforms, and the hotels around Marble Arch worth knowing by postcode. They are listed as landmarks, never as partners: any reputable hotel, serviced apartment or private address is welcome.
Nearest stations
- Marble ArchCentral1 min walk
- Edgware RoadBakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith and City6 min walk
- Bond StreetCentral, Jubilee, Elizabeth line8 min walk
Hotels as landmarks
- W1H 7DLMarble Arch
- W1H 7TWMarble Arch
- W1H 5DNMarble Arch
- W1H 7FDMarble Arch
- W1H 7BHMarylebone
- W1H 7BGMarylebone
Who comes to Marble Arch
Companions whose home districts sit nearest to Marble Arch, so the ride over is short. Everyone in The Selection travels here on request.
Rosa
Age 25Marylebone
Liana
Age 28Marylebone
Samanta
Age 27Mayfair
Angelika
Age 24Mayfair
Luna
Age 22Mayfair
Vanessa
Age 25Paddington
Laura
Age 25Paddington
Nora
Age 26Paddington
Six hotels, one short walk
Facing the arch from the Oxford Street corner is W1H 7DL, one of the largest hotels in the West End, its lifts busy at every hour of the night. Tucked behind it on Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7TW occupies a sweep of Georgian houses, and W1H 7FD offers minimalist rooms and a hushed dining room. George Street, a short walk north, is home to another large house at W1H 5DN. Around the gardens of Portman Square, five minutes east, W1H 7BH has looked after business travellers for decades, and W1H 7BG, the newest arrival of the six, keeps its restaurant and bar at street level.
Every one of these is simply an address we arrive at; no hotel has an arrangement with us. Any other hotel, serviced apartment or private house nearby is welcome on the same terms.
Who fills these lobbies
The hotels round the arch are big, and their guests change with the calendar. Weekdays bring business travellers to the big houses on Portman Square and George Street, along with long-stay visitors who pick the western end for its calmer evenings and its park. In early summer the big open-air concerts in Hyde Park fill every room within earshot, and from late November the lights of Winter Wonderland glow across the park until the new year. Shoppers who have spent the day on Oxford Street end up here too, bags sent up to the room and a table booked for eight. Whatever brings you, the booking runs the same way, and the arch is one of the easiest corners of W1 for us to cover.
Platforms at the western end
Marble Arch station, a minute from the arch, is on the Central line: two stops to Oxford Circus and three to Tottenham Court Road. The two Edgware Road stations, about six minutes north, bring the Bakerloo line and the Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines. Bond Street, eight minutes east, is where the Jubilee and Elizabeth lines arrive. From Paddington it is a short walk through Connaught Village, or a few minutes by car.
Arriving by the park
Evenings round the arch are busy in the lobbies and quiet on the pavements, so arriving is uncomplicated. One message to Clementine with the hotel, the hour and the length is all it takes; she answers with a companion and a price, and confirms your name and room number on a single pass. Expect her about an hour after that, or longer when Park Lane and the Edgware Road are at their slowest, and look for her exact time in the chat once she sets off. Hand her the fee yourself when she arrives. At the arch two hours come to £500 and three to £700, and the overnight, ten hours for £1,800, suits these big hotels well: breakfast, then a turn around the park before checkout. The rates page shows the rest.
Park first, dinner second
The best evenings here use the park. Meet at your hotel early, cross at the lights to Speakers' Corner and walk down through the trees towards the Serpentine as the light goes. Back through the arch for dinner, either in the small restaurants of Connaught Village or at the Japanese dining room on Portman Square, then a nightcap at Seymour's Parlour on Seymour Street, a few minutes behind the arch. The dinner date, four hours at £900, holds all of it.
Who lives closest to W1H
Laura, Nora and Vanessa all live in Paddington, a short walk through Connaught Village, so they are often the first names offered for a hotel here. Laura likes to start an afternoon down on Rotten Row, watching the riders. Molly crosses from Soho for late drinks at Seymour's Parlour, and Nancy, from Covent Garden, is happiest walking the park end of the street at golden hour. Rosa and Liana live to the north-east, in Marylebone.
Out from the arch
Oxford Street runs east from the arch. Marylebone begins across Portman Square to the north-east. Bond Street is one stop east on the Central line. Park Lane and Hyde Park lie directly south, and Edgware Road climbs north past the big houses behind the arch.
Marble Arch, asked
If you can see the arch or Speakers' Corner from your window, yes. Hotels at the top of Park Lane and along Bayswater Road are covered on the same terms.
Laura, Nora and Vanessa live in Paddington, a short walk away, and any of them can be asked for by name. The timing stays the usual one, about an hour after confirmation, with her exact time sent in the chat once she leaves.
Many guests think so. The rooms are large and the breakfasts good, and an overnight of ten hours (£1,800) means the evening can open with dinner and close with a morning walk in the park.
Yes. Give us the restaurant and the name on the reservation; she arrives and asks for the table. Dinner is on your bill.
Yes, both are a few minutes from the arch and covered on the same terms, with the same arrival times.
The pavements fill as the crowds leave, so on a concert night we plan her arrival before the music ends or allow a little extra time. Mention the concert when you write and the timing is set around it.
Read before you go
- 6 min readFrom the arrivals hall to Hanover Square: a first evening planned around one trainLand at Heathrow, ride the purple line under west London and climb out at Hanover Square or Davies Street. Picking the exit, timing one message and shaping a first night that suits a long flight.
- 5 min readBeyond the Foodhall: sitting down inside Selfridges between the shopsThe store's dining rooms are the civilised pause in a long shopping afternoon. Where to perch, where to linger, and how a day on Oxford Street is paced with a companion beside you.
Lights on in Marble Arch
Write the hotel or street in Marble Arch, the time and how long. Inside Zones 1 and 2 the ride over costs nothing.