New Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch says there’s nothing fishy about Brexit, is hungry for global tourists
The team behind the upcoming Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch hope to capitalise on Britain’s tumbling pound by luring wealthy foreign visitors.
The five-storey, 150-room hotel on Willow Street in Hackney – originally slated to launch in 2014 but delayed by “construction issues” – will finally open its doors in spring 2017, just in time for Theresa May to trigger Article 50.
But a group of Nobu executives downplayed any economic fears in an interview with City A.M., saying turbulence in the domestic market will be matched by greater interest from international customers.
A Nobu spokesman said: “It’s swings and roundabouts – the domestic market might deplete but a lot of Americans will be shopping here, so I think it will all balance out… I think it will be packed.
“With the two restaurants in London and the Nobu restaurants around the world, international visitors make up a good portion of our clientele.”
Laughing matter: Nobu-san and co-owner Robert De Niro
Andrew Milne, general manager at Nobu London, added: “From a London perspective there is of course a lot of concern from businesses over what’s going on, but we will just continue to do what we do.”
The Nobu Hotel Shoreditch will be the first stand-alone hotel operated by the company, and will be centred around a triple-height Nobu restaurant, the third in London. It follows two “hotel within a hotel” concepts – in Las Vegas and Manilla, with a third coming in Miami – and a string of successful dining venues across the world.
The Nobu empire, founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro, was valued at $500m after an investment by Australian entertainment group Crown Resorts last year.
When asked by City A.M.’s luxury magazine Bespoke whether he was losing sleep over Brexit, Nobu-san was upbeat: “England is a very good country… I sleep so well.”
• Read our interview with Nobu-san in November’s issue of Bespoke magazine