The Shepherd Mayfair has been welcoming its first guests since early October 2026 in the heart of Shepherd Market, Mayfair, London W1. La Revue des Hôtels reports that the hotel stands on the site of The Cottage, dated 1618 and described as the oldest house in Mayfair, which was destroyed in a bombing raid in the winter of 1940.
A new building with an old story
This is not a reopening or a historic residence. It is a new hotel of 82 rooms and suites, created by converting the former Park Lane Mews Hotel. A green plaque from Westminster City Council on the façade tells the story of the spot: The Cottage, from which a shepherd once drove his flock. The hotel takes the shepherd's name, but nothing of the original house survives.
Bain Capital Special Situations and Orka Investments acquired the building in 2021. According to Bain Capital, planning consent was granted in August 2023 for a major refurbishment combined with a rebuild. Buckley Gray Yeoman handled the architecture, CIT the construction, and Hamilton Pyramid the operation and design. The project is targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating and also includes 16 luxury residences in two Hertford Street townhouses.
Location
The entrance is on Stanhope Row, among the cobbled lanes of Shepherd Market. The hotel says Green Park is a 7-minute walk away and Hyde Park Corner 5 minutes.
Rooms and design
Interior designer Timothy Shepherd, founder of the Shepherd& studio, created the interiors. The walls carry photographs by George McLeod and Jack English and drawings by the illustrator John Broadley.
There are 70 rooms and 12 suites over six floors, in five categories, each with its own layout. According to the official booking engine, checked on 23 October 2026:
- Standard: about 15 m²
- Superior: 18 m²
- Deluxe King: 23 m²
- Shepherd's Suite: 30 m²
- Mayfair Suite: 35 m², with bathtub, sofa and chess table
Bathrooms are in marble, with walk-in showers, and bathtubs in some suites. The Floris toiletries were created for the hotel. The desk doubles as a dressing table. Check-in is at 3pm, check-out at noon, and the hotel is entirely non-smoking.
Fayre restaurant
On the ground floor, Fayre seats 62 and serves breakfast (7am to 11am), lunch and dinner. The menu is British: lobster and prawn brioche, a beef Wellington-style pithivier (a puff-pastry pie), Gloucester Old Spot pork chop and aged steaks. Desserts are listed as "puddings in a glass", including a strawberry and champagne trifle.
Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.
