First Restaurant Group (FRG), a growing collection of landmark British pubs with boutique rooms and restaurants, is adding 11 bedrooms to its recently acquired pub, The Grafton Arms in Fitzrovia.
The Grafton Arms is the third property, and the first in the West End, under FRG’s Pub & Rooms Portfolio. The property is spread across four floors with a 40-cover ground floor pub, a first floor 20-cover outdoor terrace and 11 new boutique bedrooms, designed by LA-based Meredith Winston.
Bedrooms come in a calming colour palette of greys, creams with exposed brick walls, feature wallpapers, distinctive mirrors and vintage chandeliers.
Amenities include Nespresso coffee machines, smart TVs with Netflix, luxury toiletries, hairdryers, bathrobes, air-con, free wifi as well as king size Posturepedic beds. Rates start from £165 for a double or £185 for a large double (inclusive of VAT).
At the heart of The Grafton Arms is the pub; serving a pan-Asian menu from Executive Chef Jun Wang. Signature dishes include crispy softshell crab, pan-fried seabass with baby choy sum and steamed pork bao buns.
Premium beers and ciders on draught include By The Horns, Beyond the Pale, Tailgate Peanut Butter Milk Stout and The Grafton Grappler Craft lager, as well as a number of guest ales. Wines – most of which are available by the glass – are equally spread between the old world and new world. Cocktails also feature, as do summer sharing jugs of Pimm's, sangria and alcoholic iced teas.
Managing Director and co-founder, Mitch Tillman, commented, “We are proud to unveil our new bedrooms and confident that The Grafton Arms will enjoy the same high occupancy rates as our sister properties. The Pub & Rooms ethos is to deliver the quality of service and contemporary décor you’d expect from a top hotel, with the laid-back style and affordability of a pub.”
The opening of The Grafton Arms and installation of 11 bedrooms is part of the Group’s expansion strategy which will see it double its estate of pubs with rooms by 2020.
First Restaurant Group owns five successful venues including canal-side restaurants The Waterway and The Summerhouse in Maida Vale and three Pub & Rooms - The One Tun in Farringdon and The Clerk & Well in Clerkenwell as well as The Grafton Arms.