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Spread out across six light-flooded Georgian townhouses, Inhabit Hotel conjures the atmosphere of a cozy yet grand home. Throughout the series of Grade II listed properties creativity abounds, materializing by way of design by Caitlin Henderson who has imbued each space with the vibe of an urban sanctuary with furnishings by Hans Wegner, EOOS for Carl Hansen & Son, and GamFratesi for Gubi, alongside nature-inspired artwork selected by the Amsterdam-based curators Culture A. On the ground floor, a library envisioned by the hotel’s architects, Holland Harvey, is defined by oak flooring and joinery that frame a collection of art and design hardbacks in a noise-free space that encapsulates the hotel’s dedication to relaxation and rebalance. But where Inhabit Hotel really comes into its own is with its commitment to both sustainability and community engagement.

With its recent certification, Inhabit Hotel is paying more than lip service to its environmental responsibility and has chosen to proactively take charge of its impact. Intentional actions, such as the hotel’s partnership with Globechain, a marketplace focused on the redistribution of goods to social causes, has allowed Inhabit to divert hundreds of items from landfill by donating these articles for reuse to eliminate wastage. The installation of mostly showers over baths in guestrooms, and the placement of Belu water taps on each floor reduce the use of water and remove the need for unnecessary plastic. Synthetics and chemicals are also avoided throughout the property and the use of either recycled or recyclable materials throughout is priority, right down to the presence of Who Gives a Crap?—a 100% recycled toilet paper brand that donates 50% of profits to building toilets in the developing world. 

Together with Inhabit Hotel’s sustainability efforts is an overarching theme of community engagement, and all areas of the property offer a nod to the various initiatives embarked on with organizations in and around the neighborhood. These include Studio 306, a London-based group that works with people living with mental health illnesses to create a range of screen-printed textiles, which are featured throughout the hotel. In a similar vein, Goldfinger is a social enterprise that hosts an academy teaching carpentry to the disadvantaged and produces items made with reclaimed and sustainable material—their furniture can also be found in the hotel. On a more personal level, an ongoing collaboration with Women in Travel and its Women Returners program also sees the hotel support the economic empowerment of marginalized women, who are matched with job opportunities at Inhabit Hotel following a process of guided training and education. 

It all adds up to a genuine retreat in the heart of the capital where an investment in eco-consciousness and local engagement is just as seamlessly integrated as modern amenities and stylish design. These benchmarks are all bound by a well-considered program of wellness and mindfulness; two other key markers of the hotel, which is led by a team of staff who have all completed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) courses. This ethos is most visible in the daily yoga and meditation sessions held in the hotel’s atrium as a respite from the din of the city, while a meditation pod (with accompanying soundtracks) further punctuates Inhabit’s pledge to relax, rebalance and restore. Elsewhere, a gym and a Clearlight infrared sauna further compound the hotel’s standing as an urban sanctuary, while a series of guided walks and running routes around the locale—which can also be explored on the hotel’s two bicycles—underline Inhabit’s intentionality towards local engagement. 

Together these elements combine to create a fitting backdrop to Yeotown, Inhabit’s plant-based kitchen that serves up a menu of healthy meals intended to maximize both physical and mental health. Here, amidst light and airy interiors that blend Scandinavian aesthetics with wall art selected by Culture A, diners are offered California-inspired dishes created with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. The resulting ambiance is one where Inhabit’s prevailing mood of calm and simplicity comes to the fore, and where social connectedness isn’t just facilitated; it’s encouraged.
 

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