There aren’t many hotels that employ their own specialist cigar sommelier – and, indeed, there aren’t many hotels that are quite like The Wellesley. Combining five-star service with boutique intimacy, the luxury London haven is housed within the confines of an Edwardian–era former tube station in the heart of Knightsbridge. The Wellesley is a unique establishment, one born of the passion of Khalid Affara, who has developed hotels and shopping centres across Europe. When it came to The Wellesley, however, he found himself engaged more intensely than ever before – and it shows. “We’re a small hotel, but we’ve got the biggest cigar collection, the best Cognac collection and the finest whisky collection in the world,” says Khalid, who was born in Yemen and educated in Scotland and England.


STRONG FOUNDATIONS Khalid opened The Wellesley in 2012, though the building it stands in boasts a long and varied history. The site, which looks onto Hyde Park, was first used as a ticket office for Hyde Park Corner station, and subsequent reincarnations have included a restaurant and a jazz lounge. This rich heritage served as valuable


inspiration for Khalid, who wanted to create the atmosphere of a 1920s townhouse. “I had a very detailed vision for the hotel,” he says. “It was to mix the intimacy of a boutique retreat with all of the services and grandeur you’d expect of a large and highly luxurious hotel.”


“ WE MIX INTIMACY WITH THE SERVICES AND GRANDEUR OF A LARGE HOTEL”


The Wellesley has 36 rooms (comprising


29 suites and seven bedrooms), a cocktail bar and a restaurant, which plays host to live jazz at the weekend. Every room has 24-hour butler service and guests have complimentary access to the hotel’s Rolls-Royce. It is the hotel’s cigar lounge, however, that is its standout feature. “The cigar lounge has what we believe is the


largest humidor in Europe, holding two million cigars,” says Khalid. The floor of the lounge is decorated with a laser-cut, marble-inlaid map of Cuba – the island that Khalid visits several times a year with The Wellesley’s cigar sommelier to acquire new additions to the impressive collection.


CHARTING NEW WATERS Khalid has embarked on a voyage of a different kind for the hotel’s newest venture – transporting its art deco elegance onto a yacht, MY The Wellesley, which launched in autumn 2015. This 56-metre luxury vessel features indoor and outdoor smoking lounges, and a bar stocked with rare cognacs, as well as six bedrooms, a Jacuzzi, disco, jet skis and a crew of 12. The yacht will be based in the Caribbean in the winter before moving to the Mediterranean in the summer. “The Wellesley has been a passion of mine


over the past few years, and MY The Wellesley meant the chance to do something entirely


RELAXATION 267


different,” says Khalid. “It’s exciting to be able to provide The Wellesley’s renowned qualities and world-class service at sea, and to be responsible for creating memorable travel experiences. What we are providing is groundbreaking.” His next plan is to add a country house hotel


to the portfolio, completing a trinity of luxury holiday opportunities united by a common style. “It will be The Wellesley’s country cousin,” says Khalid, who expects the hotel to open in May 2017. “It will have a fantastic bar, restaurant and cigar lounge in a beautiful Georgian building surrounded by parkland, just an hour and a half from London. “The Wellesley has ignited a passion, and


the yacht and hotel are a continuation of this – offering the same exquisite experience in different, but equally excellent, environments.” www.thewellesley.co.uk


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