Nobu’s first European restaurant opened in Old Park Lane way back in 1997 so it is fitting that London should also be the setting for Nobu’s first European hotel. Due to open in trendy Shoreditch in the first quarter of 2016, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s move into hotels started in Las Vegas in 2013 (as part of Caesars Palace) and more hotels are planned for Riyadh, Manila, Miami, Chicago and Bahrain. The five-storey, 156-room London offering will be located on Willow Street in Hackney. A once the rundown area that has become beloved by student and creative types with a host of new tech industries and design studios scattered about the once drab area. The property will be jaggedly modern with angular, concrete balconies like the teeth of pinking shears and a highly reflective shiny façade made of printed, layered glass. Guests will also have access to a landscaped garden and a triple-height restaurant which will form the hotel’s hub. The hotel will operate under a long-term management agreement between Nobu Hospitality and Willow Corp Sarl, the owner of the building.
