This makes the launch of One Hundred Shoreditch, where the Ace Hotel stood, an interesting gambit. Last year an article about “geriatric millennials” went viral; this hotel is pitching itself as a more mature offering to reflect what its designer Jacu Strauss has described as “the new, more grown-up Shoreditch”. Perhaps reflecting the economic squeeze on the urban middle classes, especially those in their first job, it is chasing a tighter, more exclusive clientele – the CEOs of tech companies rather than newly hired graduates.

A classy millennial atmosphere

Upon entering the hotel, I found an intriguing oasis, among the bars nearby that are still as raucous as ever. The lobby thronged with guests rocking to the beats of their headphones on driftwood chairs and sipping mezcal cocktails in cosy corners fringed with pot plants. The interiors are a departure from the warehouse-chic that became a staple of the millennial era – still rather affected and posy, but softer and more arty, with giant wall tapestries and timber sculptures. 

The bid for a classier millennial vibe continues in the signature seafood restaurant, Goddard and Gibbs. It’s a proper seafood brasserie inspired by English fishing villages, with a raw bar piled with lobsters and oysters. Service was slow and chaotic, perhaps down to teething problems during the opening week. There is a decent range of British oysters, from Maldon to Whitstable Bay, and zingy raw options include scallops with jalapeno and buttermilk, and sea bream ceviche with scotch bonnet.