The Welbeck Hotel: a smarter kind of business stay in the heart of Marylebone 

There are some London locations where you step outside the front door and immediately think: yes, this is exactly where I want to be. 

The Welbeck Hotel is one of them. 

Situated on Welbeck Street in the heart of Marylebone, the hotel puts you within easy walking distance of some of the best bits of central London. Oxford Street is barely a stone’s throw away, Bond Street is just minutes away and the restaurants, cafés, independent shops and cultural attractions of Marylebone are right on the doorstep. 

I recently stayed at The Welbeck to experience its new Welbeck Business Stay offer, and came away hugely impressed. It is a hotel that manages to feel both distinctly London and surprisingly calm - a combination that works particularly well for the modern business traveller. 

Business, but not as usual 

Business travel has changed. The days of flying or taking the train into London, spending 10 hours in meetings and then heading straight home are increasingly being replaced by something more blended. People want to make better use of their time in a city, combining work with wellbeing, culture, food and a little bit of leisure. 

That makes The Welbeck a particularly good fit for the growing bleisure trend – and, dare I say it, citymaxxing. 

The hotel has built its business proposition around the idea that being productive isn't simply about sitting in a meeting room for as long as possible. The offer incorporates nutrition, wellbeing and flexibility alongside the more familiar requirements of a business stay. 

For groups of four to 12 delegates, the Welbeck's Business Stay offer includes nutrition-focused meeting menus and fresh juices developed with John Bell & Croyden, high-speed Wi-Fi and meeting essentials, while health hampers can also be arranged. 

There is 24-hour access to meeting spaces, which is useful for groups working around early starts, late finishes or international schedules. Personal training sessions can also be arranged, either in the hotel gym or outside in Regent’s Park, while in-room treatments and IV therapies are available through Effect Doctors. 

You can take or leave some of the more wellness-heavy elements, of course. But I like the principle behind it: rather than bolting wellbeing onto a conventional business package, The Welbeck is trying to rethink what a productive business stay actually looks like.-

A hotel with plenty of personality 

The hotel itself is every bit as interesting as its location. 

My favourite space was the foyer, which has a real sense of character and vibrancy. It doesn't feel like a generic hotel lobby designed by committee. There are plenty of details and touches that reference Welbeck Street's medical history, giving the space a genuine connection to its surroundings. 

And that history is fascinating. Welbeck Street has been associated with London's medical profession since the 1800s, with doctors, medical institutions and nursing homes once occupying buildings along the street. 

The hotel draws on that history without turning it into a museum piece. It gives the property a sense of place – something that can be surprisingly difficult to achieve in central London hotels. 

A very comfortable base 

My room was another highlight. 

It was extremely comfortable and finished to a high standard, with everything you would want from a contemporary London hotel. After a busy day in meetings or pounding the pavements of central London, it felt like somewhere I was genuinely happy to return to. 

And then there is the breakfast. 

I'm always slightly wary of making grand claims about hotel breakfasts, but The Welbeck's is genuinely excellent. It is the sort of breakfast that sets you up properly for the day rather than simply providing fuel between checkout and the first meeting. 

That matters when the hotel is pitching itself as a business base. If you're going to spend a couple of days in London, the quality of the start to your day makes a difference.

Ultimately, though, The Welbeck's biggest selling point may be the thing it cannot manufacture: its location. 

You are right in the middle of one of London's most appealing neighbourhoods, with Marylebone's restaurants, bars, shops and cultural attractions all within easy reach. Oxford Street is close enough to wander over to without having to plan your expedition, while the hotel is also well connected to the rest of London. 

It makes The Welbeck equally appealing whether you're in town for a meeting, an overnight business trip, a networking event or a few days combining work and leisure. 

And that, for me, is where the Business Stay concept makes most sense. 

The best business trips increasingly aren't just about business. They are about making the most of the time you have in a city, meeting people face-to-face, eating well, staying somewhere comfortable and perhaps squeezing in a little culture or downtime while you're there. 

The Welbeck understands that. 

It's a hotel with a strong sense of place, bags of character, excellent rooms and a genuinely brilliant location. Add in an approach to business travel that recognises that productivity and wellbeing don't have to be opposing forces, and you've got a very compelling proposition. 

I had a brilliant stay – and would happily return, whether the diary says business, pleasure or, increasingly, a bit of both.