The Mandrake Hotel rises like a jungle of vegetation in the heart of Fitzrovia, a London neighborhood between Marylebone and Bloomsbury (north of Soho) where there is no lack of creativity or hustle and bustle. Housed in a former Victorian office block that was kept raw during its architectural design by Manalo & White Architects, The Mandrake is almost an ecosystem in its own right, a maze of spaces with an eclectic mix of antique pieces and sensory infusions. Because what makes this hotel unique is precisely its smell.
The architect of all this is Rami Fustok. Looks like a rock star and was born in Lebanon into a creative family (his mother is the sculptor Bushra Fakhoury; Male, his brother, is a painter, and his other sister, Tala Fustok, is the interior designer who signed the decoration of the hotel ), Fustok is an art collector and has chosen the works that populate the house. The Mandrake is his first venture and it’s been a success, he says, despite breaking with all conventions of what a hotel should be.
Jungle Air: General view of the courtyard of the Mandrake Hotel.Mandrake Hotel 
The Yopo Restaurant in the Mandrake Hotel.Mandrake Hotel
“First I fled minimalism, Nordic style, soulless, corporate and impersonal places. I have spent my whole life in hotels and I think that something has been lost along the way, which is why I have tried to fill this gap and bet on the creation of a maximalist and multisensory space,” affirms the entrepreneur of a hotel that das tut seems like a luxurious gothic fantasy at times and a suggestive bachelor pad at others. The Mandrake opened in 2017 and “is an extension of my character,” according to Fustok. “If someone tells me they don’t remember being a guest, I immediately reply, ‘No, you didn’t.’
Outdoor patios and walkways leading to rooms are clustered around a central courtyard, a jungle core teeming with vegetation and vines cascading through the atrium from the upper levels, a mix of jasmine, flowers and two-hundred-year-old Tasmanian ferns that are in the exhibited on the ground floor. Interiors are cozy and opulent: pieces from the antique markets of London and Paris adorn the suites of velvet, gold and sensuous lines. There is colour, but also dark curtains and beds draped in Bedouin style with richly pleated fabrics. All truffled with surrealist sculptures by Bushra Fakhoury.
The Newman ‘Suite’ at the Mandrake Hotel.Mandrake Hotel 
A luxurious ruin? View of the “lobby” of the Mandrake Hotel with the reception in the background. Mandrake Hotel
The artworks from Fustok’s private collection, including works by Jonas Burget, alternate with ritual masks, fertility songs, or crystals that look like tears (or “drops of semen,” Fustok emphasizes). In the lobby, The Haunted Chandelier, a Gothic chandelier designed by jeweler and furniture designer Laura Bohinc, shares space with hairdresser Masciave’s sculpture Soul of a Man. This is one of the most unsettling pieces in the hotel: it’s made out of 200 yards of human hair.
The eyes are another constant in the art that the Lebanese exhibit at The Mandrake, from the logo to the paintings that fill the various rooms, staircases and restaurants. “They also guide us,” says Rami. The interior of the hotel also acquires a living quality thanks to soundscapes tailored by sound engineer Pierre-Arnaud Alunni.
How does it smell in here?
One of the strengths of a stay at Mandrake is the olfactory experience. Award-winning British perfumer Azzi Glasser is the creator of the sensual aroma that permeates every corner. Glasser has already created the scent of the United Kingdom (at the request of former Prime Minister David Cameron), that of Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey, and makes bespoke perfumes for Helena-Bonham Carter, Jude Law or Johnny Depp to better understand their characters while they are roll.
The bathroom of one of the “suites” of the Mandrake Hotel.Mandrake Hotel 
The surprising sculpture “Soul of a man” by Masciave, on display at the Mandrake Hotel, is made of human hair.
The controversial hotel fragrance has a number, namely the formula F3178143. “This formulation is made with some magical ingredients to engage the senses at first smell. The heart and core of the composition is the essence of the fig tree and its nocturnal seductive power. Jasmine, another star ingredient, is another of the most sensual aromas, it improves mood, increases alertness and together they can increase sexual desire,” explains the perfumer.
Ritual oils like black oud, frankincense, myrrh and black moss put the icing on the cake. “It’s like entering one of those secret parties shown to us in Eyes Wide Shut, a mix of eroticism, provocation and luxury capable of awakening the most primal impulses thanks to high aphrodisiac notes that remind us of it remember that we are animals and that the sense of smell is part of our DNA.
The perfumer Azzi Glasser who created the signature scent that is inhaled in the hotel. Mandrake Hotel
Glasser emphasizes the fame of the aphrodisiac aroma that precedes the hotel: “I never imagined that the reaction would be so noticeable as it is a subtle yet powerful aroma. It seems to have an unmistakable resonance that accompanies you from the moment you arrive until you leave. People want to buy this scent when they visit the hotel.” Mandrake means mandrake (human root that promotes fertility). So can you tell the hotel smells like sex? “To expensive sex,” says the perfumer with a smile.
not only sex
Mandrake’s gastronomic offering is another experience in itself. Babette and her bar-shaped gourmands, Waeska and Jurema, offer ethnobotanical cocktails, a first for the British capital. The Waeska bar is dominated by an impressive Antolini marble bar, on which hovers a hybrid being between a gazelle and a peacock whose leap has been frozen in time. The room has a layout that favors conversations with the adjacent tables. The Yopo Restaurant, helmed by Executive Chef George Scott-Toft, offers an elaborate, South American-inspired menu.
The bar of the Waeska Bar at the Mandrake Hotel is dominated by a sculpture worthy of a fantasy film. Mandrake Hotel
In general, all areas of The Mandrake are designed to facilitate interaction (and romance, given the olfactory context). The hotel is also a social experiment in its own way: there is a part dedicated to the light and another dedicated to the dark. Be warned that the courtyard bar stays open late and features live music and DJ sets (until 1am Thursday through Saturday) and that some rooms may be affected by noise, depending on the area. But nothing matters when you’re part of the party. This is about seeing and being seen without being recognized. And even smelled when we were allowed to play.
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