Emily Goldfischer, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Hertelier meets property investor Naomi Heaton (pictured) as The Other House launches in South Kensington as a new 'lifestyle hospitality' brand for central London. 

Is it a hotel? An apartment? A private club? Visionary Naomi Heaton has combined all three, to create a sexy new mash-up, The Other House, a 200-unit Residents’ Club in London’s central South Kensington neighborhood, which had a partial soft-open last month. The place is jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Behind an impressive façade of 11 Victorian townhouses, the interiors have been completely (and sustainably) redone in a bold maximalist style–think big patterns, texture, and jewel tones––each space is the perfect Insta or TikTok backdrop, but the vibe is actually much more subtle and cool. Besides the 200 “Club Flats” (apartment-style rooms), The Other House offers private meeting and dining rooms, and a variety of event spaces.

Its Private Club for residents includes two bars, a screening room, and extensive wellness and wellbeing spaces, including a vitality pool, state-of-the-art gym, and a meditation hub. For guests and locals, there is an all-day street café, The Other Kitchen, and a signature cocktail bar, The Owl and Monkey.

When I visited shortly after the soft open, the place was already buzzing with some remote workers on laptops, a family checking in and a few stylish London ladies having coffee.  Seeing The Other House in operation, it is a wonder why nobody else had thought of combining apartment-style units with hotel and club services, seems so simple. Usually, the most ingenious ideas are, but they require an outsider…someone with a different and fresh perspective. And that’s where Naomi comes in, she wasn’t even in the hotel business, which is why she could see the opportunity.  

Before creating The Other House, Naomi spent the bulk of her career building London Central Portfolio, a leading property firm operating in prime central London, offering a wide range of services that include real-estate investment, acquisition, development, renovation and interior design, which she started in 1990.  We chat with Naomi about the evolution of The Other House and her impressive career in real estate.

Click here to read the full interview at hertelier.com

Emily Goldfischer will be joined by Alessandra Alonso, Managing Director and Founder of Women in Travel CIC and Chris King, Thunder & CEO of Lightning Travel Recruitment Ltd on the Hotel Vision Stage at 1.15pm on Tuesday 4 October for the session, 'Why allyship and hospitality go hand in hand'. To view the full seminar programme for the Independent Hotel Show, click here.