Canopy London is the latest venture from the Hilton group's new "lifestyle brand," Canopy by Hilton, that caters to a younger, more tech-savvy traveler with a strong emphasis on local design. Guests are gifted local goodies—like Garrett's Popcorn if you're spending the evening in Chicago, or some Rocky Mountain treats when in Denver. The swanky hotel bars host daily happy hours slinging out local craft beers and the guest rooms are decorated with a focus on regional design.

Expected to open later this year, Canopy London will tap into the story of the city's Aldgate neighborhood, where it will be located. The area dates back to Roman settlements and was followed by successive waves of immigrants, e.g. 18th century Huguenots, 19th century Jews and 20th century Bangladeshis. In the 1880s, Jack the Ripper roamed its streets. Today, the district is a mixture of centuries-old buildings as well as modern office towers. 

Headed by the firm ACME, the mixed-use development will also feature a new city square, a public garden, an office building and a new residential building alongside the Canopy by Hilton. Part new construction, part refurbishment, the design remains true to the late modernist origins of the existing concrete frame, which will be exposed where possible. "The original 1977 building with its complex facade and waffle slab has been a great stage to work within" noted ACME Director, Friedrich Ludewig.

The inside features contemporary interiors and furniture that draws on local history and the surrounding art scene—Whitechapel Art Gallery, which opened in 1901 as one of the first publicly funded galleries, is around the corner. Also in the area is Freedom Press, the Anarchist Publisher founded in 1886. Honoring these legacies, each room contains a specially curated letterpress tray holding new works by local artists and objects found in Petticoat Lane Market. ACME has also worked with Dais Contemporary to commission a series of artworks by selected artists—including Tom Gidley, Janne Malmros and Steven Quinn—that address aspects of its East London context. 

"Each of the new fixtures and fittings for the guest room have been developed using local discreet Aldgate and Whitechapel references, creating a guest experience rooted in the history of context of East London" Ludewig added. Carpets and wall fabrics are inspired by the woven legacy of the Huguenots, using an abstracted floral pattern of the mid-18th century textile designer, Anna Maria Garthwaite. The rugs take influence from the ikat dyeing technique and the wardrobe is designed in the spirit of French modernist metalworker/architect, Jean Prouvé. Certainly, no detail here comes without a story!