Last summer, I visited Birch Selsdon, a newly opened hotel and members’ club in a refurbished De Vere property on the edge of London, where Croydon runs into Surrey. In his restaurant, large families had breakfast under the sunlight filtering through the large windows.
Outside, some meadow flowers were blooming on the ruins of the old golf course, which is being rewilded as a home for cows and sheep. We wandered around the wooded area of the hotel until it rained, then my kids found a room where they could play arcade games and darts. We all agreed it was pretty special.
It was this day, along with the co-working space and gym (and finally a swimming pool and executive chef Lee Westcott in the kitchens), that convinced my husband to sign up. He loved working from the hotel, going for walks in the grounds and drinking coffee in his plant-filled conservatory. It certainly had its teething problems — spotty service and still shabby corners of the vast, castle-like building — but we were looking forward to staying the night and perhaps trying one of Birch’s classes, like pottery or forest bathing.
We never had a chance. A few months after the first visit the hotel unexpectedly closed, along with its sister property Birch Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. Administrators took over both hotels, with Selsdon citing “cash flow pressures” as the reason for the operator’s decision. The staff were released and even the sheep were reportedly returned. An Instagram post by Westcott showed a never-finished space, with paintings sitting on top of the building’s old wood paneling.
Birch Selsdon has only been open for seven months following two years of multimillion-pound refurbishment. The event of Birch Cheshunt, which welcomed its guests for the first time in 2020, lasted three years. It was a spectacular fall from grace for Birch, which was initially launched with great enthusiasm by Chris Penn, former managing director of Ace Hotel London, and entrepreneur Chris King. Although they abandoned the brand long before the Selsdon hotels opened (in 2022 and 2023, respectively), Penn’s original vision still resonated.
“We felt there was an opportunity to acquire assets located just outside of cities that were no longer beloved as conference centers and wedding venues but were inherently beautiful. They seemed quite out of touch with the needs of a modern consumer. They were in great places for people in cities to get away, but the offering inside those buildings didn’t reflect what these consumers could get on their doorstep,” Penn told me by phone just a few days after the shock announcement.
Hotels close, but they are often quickly reborn in new incarnations. When Ace Hotel London closed in 2020, its operators renovated it and reopened it as One Hundred Shoreditch in March 2022. But large, suburban sites can be harder to sell, and parent company Aprirose has separated the hotels from Travelodge by removing all traces of Birch from its website. , Premier Inn and Hilton are very much at odds with the brand’s original philosophy.
Birch billed itself as a hippie-esque, creative version of Soho House, intending to “look like a hotel but feel like a festival.” The idea appealed to many, but the Selsdon hotel may be too “hipster” for some locals (as a comment on the Inside Croydon website suggests). It wasn’t flashy enough for hipsters either, and since both hotels are home to more than 140 bedrooms and large common areas, adding the necessary glitz would require dedication and plenty of cash.
Rooms started at around £140 per night and reflected the price tag: more student digs than Soho Home. The official line on the lack of televisions and other amenities at the Birch was that guests were encouraged to explore the grounds and park up at on-site activities rather than wandering around in their pajamas, but this seemed like cutting corners to some. Others were not impressed with the service and environment.
Initially, Birch’s approach to reuse and recycling was born out of a strong desire for sustainability. “Every decision… was made with integrity around this idea, truly caring about the impact on the consumer, the building, the natural environment and the world. This meant that sometimes we felt it was better to repurpose something rather than buy something new. And I think in the early days, consumers really understood that because we were talking directly to them,” Penn said.
Birch Cheshunt, meanwhile, appeared to be on a downward spiral. Previous guests I spoke to had sworn they would never return. A friend’s disaster a few months before the closure included black stains on the carpets, strange paper signs telling everyone to be quiet, receptionists who refused to book her a table at the restaurant and told her they had booked her a taxi. and a half-eaten sandwich left by the pool all weekend.
A Google review of the Selsdon property two months ago said: “At one point I left the pool area to get something from my car, when I came back there was a queue to get back and I was told the area was full and I walked in despite all my belongings and my partner’s empty sun lounger still there.” I will not be allowed in. After a few minutes of arguing they finally let me back in but it is clear the staff are out of their depth and not properly trained.
Insiders muttered that the recent indefinite halt to plans to build a UK base for Hollywood’s Sunset Studios was the final nail in the coffin of the troubled Hertfordshire hotel.
Despite all this, Birch was right about many things. Securing Westcott, who had previously worked with Jason Atherton and Tom Aikens, was a coup and his restaurant Elodie became the only restaurant in Croydon to feature in the Michelin Guide. Meanwhile, the list of activities appealed to experience-seeking millennials and Gen Zers.
On Birch Selsdon’s final day, staff and members mourned the loss of a true sense of camaraderie, a fantastic restaurant and a unique building with some of the best in Greater London. “This was a transformative space for me and my family, and we are deeply saddened by the closure. I am devastated for all the friendly and dedicated staff we have met since May,” said one comment on LinkedIn.
It is not yet known what these transformative spaces will become next. Milan Vuceljic of Moorfields Advisory, joint manager of Birch Selsdon, told The Telegraph: “The assets will be marketed in due course as we continue to manage the closure of the hotel. “We believe the Selsdon hotel offers potential buyers a good opportunity.”
Penn hopes the land doesn’t turn into luxury apartments. “I think it would be the saddest thing to have a major housing development because I believe these old properties should be loved by a lot of people and enjoyed by a lot of people,” Penn said.
No matter what happens, there will never be a place like Birch again. Love them or hate them, suburban London won’t be the same without them.