Inside W1: four districts, one clock, one desk
W1 is the postcode people give when they do not want to choose a district, and it covers four that behave nothing like each other. Mayfair in the south west keeps the latest tables and the earliest reservations. Soho in the middle starts late and finishes later. Marylebone in the north closes early. Fitzrovia, east of it, is at its best at seven.
The whole postcode is about twenty five minutes across on foot, so the district matters more than the distance. The figures are identical everywhere in it and open at £250 on the rates page.
Buildings used as landmarks
By postcode, never a partner- W1K 4HRMayfair
- W1B 1JAMarylebone
- W1J 9BRPiccadilly
- W1T 1RJFitzrovia
- W1D 3DHSoho
Nearest stations
On foot- Oxford Circus2 min
- Bond Street5 min
- Tottenham Court Road7 min
The postcodes above are landmarks for finding a door, nothing more. No building on this page has any arrangement with this desk and none has been asked for one.
Nobody on the board calls W1 home, so these 8 are the nearest to it, ordered by how few streets lie between her door and yours. Any of the 28 on on the books can still be asked for by name, whichever district she sleeps in.
The four districts, and what each hour suits
Mayfair fills W1K and W1J, tables booked days ahead and hotel bars that take reservations. Soho holds W1D and W1F, where nothing needs booking except a counter seat and the second set starts at eleven. Marylebone covers W1U and W1G and takes its last orders sooner than the rest of the postcode. Fitzrovia is W1T, an hour ahead of everywhere else and quiet again by ten. The avenue of Piccadilly closes the southern edge at W1J.
Getting into the postcode
Oxford Circus is two minutes from the middle of W1 on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines. Bond Street is five minutes from the western side with the Central, Jubilee and Elizabeth lines, which makes it the quickest arrival from Heathrow or the City. Tottenham Court Road is seven minutes from the eastern edge on the Central, Northern and Elizabeth line.
Inside the postcode almost nobody drives. Bond Street to Soho Square is eleven minutes on foot and beats a cab between six and midnight. Most W1 doors are reached within thirty five minutes of the desk confirming.
Five addresses across the four districts
W1K 4HR in Mayfair, W1B 1JA on the Marylebone edge, W1J 9BR at the Piccadilly corner, W1T 1RJ in Fitzrovia and W1D 3DH up a dead end off Dean Street. One in each corner, and a fair map of the postcode. They are named because guests stay in them, and no hotel here has an arrangement with the desk.
Who is based inside W1
Bianka is twenty minutes from any door in the postcode and good at making an hour go missing. Milena is built for a long dinner and better across a longer one. Angelika, Luna and Samanta are Mayfair based, Jasmin lives in Soho and walks everywhere, Liana is in Marylebone, and Lucy comes from Fitzrovia. Everyone else on On The Books travels here on the same figures.
Booking anywhere in the postcode
Give Romilly the hour, the length, the building and a name. The desk answers at every hour in ten to fifteen minutes, and the reply carries an arrival time. One check follows, the name the booking is held in with the hotel and room number, matched once and kept for nothing. The fee passes to her in person when she arrives.
If you are unsure which district you are in, give the postcode letters and the desk will tell you plainly.
W1K and W1J are Mayfair and Piccadilly, W1D and W1F are Soho, W1U and W1G are Marylebone, and W1T is Fitzrovia. Give the desk the letters and it will know the district, the hotels and the walking times.
Yes. One hour is £250 anywhere in W1, and travel inside Zones 1 and 2 is already counted in the figure. Nothing is added for the district, the hour or the day.
About twenty five minutes end to end, and eleven from Bond Street to Soho Square. Between six and midnight that walk beats a cab, which is why arrivals here are timed on foot.
Soho, by a distance, and on a Friday it is the hardest slot on the site to fill at short notice. Mayfair and Marylebone are easier on the night, and Fitzrovia easiest of all before eight.
Soho
Tottenham Court Road is about 3 minutes on foot, and the whole district is inside the zone one arrival window.
companions near Fitzrovia
Goodge Street is about 3 minutes on foot, and the whole district is inside the zone one arrival window.
Mayfair hotel visits
Green Park is about 4 minutes on foot, and the whole district is inside the zone one arrival window.
Marylebone
Baker Street is about 4 minutes on foot, and the whole district is inside the zone one arrival window.
companions near Central London
Oxford Circus is about 5 minutes on foot, and the whole district is inside the zone one arrival window.
Tell us where.
We write the rest.
The desk is being read right now, by a person rather than a form. One line with the district and the hour is all it takes, and nothing is set until you say so.
- WhereYour hotel or flat
- WhenThe hour you name
- CompanionFrom the board
- Arrival20 to 35 minutes
- FigureQuoted in writing