The Fumoir

The Fumoir has poured a late drink for those in the know at Claridge's since 1929. It is a small red-lacquered room, set discreetly apart from the hotel's main floor, with the feel of a jewellery box: etched glass, Lalique crystal panels, a curved horseshoe bar and moody black-and-white portraits by the photographer William Klein. The Art Deco interior is the work of the architect and designer Thierry Despont, who detailed every surface of it.

Scale is the whole appeal. Around forty people fill the room, so it reads as a private hideaway rather than a hotel bar, and its seclusion makes it one of the most discreet spaces in Mayfair for a cocktail party or a late celebration. The list runs to rare brandies, aged whiskies and Champagne cuvées alongside the bartenders' own cocktails.

The Fumoir sits within Claridge's and can be taken for exclusive hire through the house. The whole room goes to a single party for a private reception or an intimate seated gathering, staffed by Claridge's own team. Enquire for private-hire arrangements.