- Location
- London, UK
- Services
- Interior Design, Brand Experience, Brand Co-Creation
- Sector
- Hospitality
- Area
- TBC
In a nod to the luxury cinemas of the 1960s and 70s, JO&JOE Rex London by PENSON is a hotel bringing back the hype of exciting experiences in hospitality interior design. The basement alone is home to a restaurant, club, lounge and 24/7 cinema while glittering selfie-ready VIP bathrooms steal the show.
JO&JOE Rex London is an Open House experience that bridges the gap between a hotel, hostel and apartment. It’s somewhere you’ll arrange to meet for a drink and end up staying the whole night.
From The Rex Building's washed stone façade on street level, you enter a vivid blue, pink and green luxe-inspired reception. This ground-level reception is dominated by an original central staircase which stretches the height of the lower building and disperses light down through all levels of the hotel.
PENSON utilised the existing staircase to encourage guests to explore and use the hotel as their home. Areas are interconnected, so bumping into people you don’t know is totally normal.
The ground floor leads down into a peach-coloured bar that oozes energy. Below this level is a gallery floor offering additional seating and velvet booths, creating a secluded and cosy atmosphere.
Journeying further down into the building's depths brings more hospitality spaces into view – including a pizza restaurant, bar, cocktail lounge, and cinema – are enveloped in pink and orange hues. The colour choices tie JO&JOE Rex to its loud and vibrant central London location.
Secret doors and passageways around the hotel lead into more social areas - notably a secret events space located next to the restaurant. This has an innovative retractable floor, so the space can be used during the day for engaging and immersive experiences like rentable pop-ups and exhibitions. Then it can quickly switch to events and DJ sets at night. The use of light and colour transforms the space into specific event modes.
JO&JOE Rex follows the JO&JOE core values of being open to everyone – especially the local community to use the facilities. Food is a central part of the hotel’s story and actively involves guests with a large immersive food offering, while packaging and cutlery are biodegradable.
Like other JO&JOEs there is a variety of dorm-style shared rooms and bathrooms as well as private rooms with en-suite. Once guests have finished partying the night away the bespoke double-size beds wait for a comfy night’s sleep. But can you find your room at the end of the night...?
Social areas ‘Happy House’ and indoor terrace and kitchen are reserved for booking guests and are located on the hotel's upper floors.
JO&JOE Rex takes inspiration from the heydays of cinema to create an immersive, luxurious and indulgent experience - all on a budget. The Rex building’s heritage look was perfect for such a youthful burst of colour on the interior.
THE JO&JOE BRAND
The JO&JOE brand was co-created by PENSON and Accor Group in 2016 to disrupt the economy hospitality model. PENSON developed a physical and branded experience for JO&JOE that embraces a liberated and rebellious approach to hospitality interiors while offering a fresh take on customer experience, F&B, service, and new emotions for guests. You can read more about the brand here.
