This new London hotel is a playground for grown-ups

Sixty seconds. That’s how long a luxury hotel has to win you over. If you don’t walk in and immediately feel excited to be there, the hotel has lost their best chance to impress.

At London’s brand-new Treehouse Hotel, they nail the 60 second rule, although they do it with a twist. The hotel is located across six floors of a high-rise in central London, so you have to take the lift to the lobby. Even before you reach the lobby, the intriguing design choices – a bold botanic-print wallpaper, at the entry, weathered wooden shingles inside the lift – let you know that you are in for an adventure.

Created by industry legend Barry Sternlicht, the man who launched the ground-breaking W Hotels, Treehouse Hotels are designed to put you back in touch with your younger self. There are all kinds of design touches that make you smile – I laughed out loud when I saw the three silver birch trunks in my bathroom – while the rooms are kitted out with retro toys including kaleidoscopes and Magic 8 Balls, and stuffed animals on the beds.

There is plenty to appeal to your more grown-up side too, including the buzzing Madera restaurant, which serves a Californian take on Mexican cuisine, and the hotel’s secret treasure, The Nest. This rooftop bar manages to be both cosy and cool, thanks to an unexpected mix of vintage sofas and masses of greenery, and the bar team have created some classy cocktails, including the Carmine Bee Eater which contains ingredients from a 30 mile radius – including East London Liquor Gin, Epping Good honey and Albourne Estate sparkling wine. While it’s open to all comers early in the day, in the evenings the bar is reserved for residents.

Also worth noting: the service is terrific, and the hotel also enjoys eye-catching views across the rooftops of London. Treehouse Hotels has promised to launch more properties next year, but they will be hard-pressed to outdo this fabulously feelgood hotel.

Rates from £279; see treehousehotels.com