In a bid to reinvent the modern concept of a hotel and members club, Birch is a new city escape from the former managing director of the Ace Hotel London Chris Penn and Chris King. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, as the founders try and create a haven allowing guests to switch off and escape the pressures of daily life.
With a plan to open a number of locations in the coming years, the first is situated 30 minutes north of London in Cheshunt, and will open its doors in Spring this year.
Set within 55 acres of land, Birch will bring 140 bedrooms, a growing farm, two restaurants and an interactive bakery in partnership with Robin Gill, three bars and 20 events spaces under one roof. In addition, there will be a co-working space, fitness studios, open-air swimming pool, pottery workshop and creative rooms.
Robin Gill and Ben Rand from the Dairy Group will lead the interactive bakery and two on-site restaurants: The Zebra Riding Club and Valeries. The Zebra Riding Club will work with produce from the on-site farm, and farmer Tom Morphew will run garden walkabouts to teach members how to grow, compost and forage. Valeries is a casual all-day restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from the wood-fired oven.
Design is led by architecture and design collective Red Deer, and aims to challenge wastefulness by reusing and repairing the existing site’s material and stripping back on clutter and furniture. Offering a haven from the pressures of daily life, you won’t find desks or televisions in the bedrooms. “Birch has beds” say the team “That’s about where the similarities end.”
Memberships will start at £100 per month for an access all areas pass and a free night’s stay and discounted room rates, and anyone can become a member. Rooms start from £150 per night and guests will be able to enjoy 30 gym classes, including meditation and breath workshops.
“We are more conditioned today than ever before. Told to work harder and do more if we want to be happy. It’s led to an obsession with productivity, improvement and always being ‘on’. Believing we need to keep up to date with everything and everyone, then feeling guilty when we don’t”, says co-founder Chris Penn. Chris King adds “Birch is a space for those living in cities to escape to. Whether you’re with us for a day or night, work or weekend, we want to leave you in a better place than when you found us.”
The team at Birch are also looking for a Restaurant Manager and Bar Manager to join the team – you can read more and apply here
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