The BoTree presents London Roots: Here’s a Spotlight on Soho | My Soho Times

The BoTree, one of London’s most exciting openings of autumn 2023, stands at the dynamic intersection of Marylebone, Mayfair, and Soho. Their latest campaign, London Roots, captures the essence of these three local districts, represented by three local personalities, including our founder Kai Lutterodt – aka The Soho Girl. Kai shares an account of her experience filming this exciting new social media series going live this season!

The BoTree Hotel

The BoTree is a luxury boutique hotel proudly epitomising the concept of Conscious Luxury, a philosophy that guides every decision to ensure the flourishing of people, the planet, and communities. With 199 rooms, including 30 luxurious suites, alongside an exceptional destination restaurant, bar, and event space, this hotel offers a vibrant experience for all who pass through its doors.

My introduction to The BoTree was at their Christmas launch last winter. The event included a captivating performance from Myleene Klass on a grand piano courtesy of nearby Steinway & Sons. Upon arrival at the hotel’s entrance, the statement tree-like sculpture framing the entrance façade seems like its steel roots run deep, as far down to the nearby Bond Street underground trains. There’s no check-in desk, so trying to be conventional is anything but. Art fills the communal walls and spaces. “This hotel is impressive,” I thought to myself almost immediately.

I got talking with one of the managers who offered me a tour of the rooms to spur on my pleasant first impression. However, I politely declined, knowing I had a press stay booked in the new year. I wanted to save an element to surprise. And well, fast-forward a month later, what a delightful surprise it was to enter the immaculate Soho Suite which was home to me for a night in January. My stay provided a snap shot of The BoTree’s dedication to conscious luxury, illustrating that it was not just a tagline, but a way of life for them.

Back to the Christmas event, I left the warmth of The BoTree into the chill of the winter’s night with a memorable impression. Little did I know, 2024 would also mark the beginning of an exciting collaboration for me to showcase Soho alongside this hotel that had captured my admiration.

An Opportunity with The BoTree

When an email arrived in my inbox with the subject line “… opportunity with The BoTree” earlier this year, despite being OOO for the holiday season, my curiosity peaked and I wasted no time in opening it. As the founder and editor of My Soho Times, I have been fortunate to encounter numerous amazing opportunities, ranging from exclusive press invitations to brand partnerships. However, none of these have been associated solely with my personal brand, ‘The Soho Girl‘. This collaboration would mark my first major partnership (outside of dabbling in modelling) unrelated to my role as press.

Following a few virtual and in-person meetings with The BoTree’s PR team, I was confirmed to represent Soho in the upcoming London Roots campaign. To be amongst well-known figures from London’s West End; BBC broadcaster & YouTuber Jo Good of Marylebone and founder of JD Malet Gallery Jean-David Malet of Mayfair, is nothing short of an honour. My admiration for The BoTree had already taken root, but being chosen based on my connection to the Soho community, not social media numbers, has blossomed into respect. Now here’s an example of a brand that walks the talk in embracing community.

A few weeks later in early February, the magical day arrived to shoot my segment of London Roots in Soho with a professional production team…

BTW filming London Roots in Soho | The BoTree / My Soho Times

London Roots

London Roots is the vibrant campaign from The BoTree to showcase the personality of three West End districts it intersected with. “Community, locals, friends, neighbours, independent boutiques – they all contribute something different and special that really makes each of these neighbourhoods come to life in a fascinatingly unique way.” shared Lou Wright, Head of Social media at MeMo, and London Roots lead.

The brief was to create a series of unique videos for social media to bring the neighbourhoods surrounding The BoTree to life, told through locals who have a unique and engaging story to tell about the places they call home. Offering a personal insight into the must-visit spots, this series offers tourists and London locals a new perspective on Central London. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, bloopers welcome!” Lou reassured.

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Filming London Roots with The Soho Girl

Despite openly and confidently sharing parts of my life while living, working, and playing in Soho through my social media, filming London Roots would take things to another level and reach a huge audience – no pressure then! If I say I wasn’t nervous, it’d be a lie. How do you share a guide to this iconic area with various businesses, people, and history in just one day of filming for a 60-second reel, without leaving out anyone or place? You can’t. So I reminded myself that my choices reflect the essence of Soho as I know it, which is personal to me and may differ from someone else’s experience.

From our call-time meeting at The BoTree that morning, we made the leisurely walk down Oxford Street to begin filming the fun part – the B-roll for my segment. Stepping into the bustling energy of Soho, my domain, fed me with a boost of confidence and sass that I hoped was transferable onto the camera. The creative buzz was infectious, and we couldn’t have captured the vibe of the neighbourhood without the help of some local personalities we either bumped into or who kindly offered their support knowing I was filming that day.

Soho George, Tommy Lucy, Gail Porter, Tony Phillips aka Tony the Soho Tailor, Mark Powell, Nico DiDonna, Jonas Oliver, Simon Lipman of Borovick Fabrics, amongst others make a feature in the campaign.

“When we were choosing who to work with, we wanted people who encompassed this sense of belonging that we’re striving to create as part of the overall experience at The BoTree. We want to foster a sense of community and really connect people with our ethos of Conscious Luxury. This isn’t another luxury London hotel – we want to make a positive impact and this campaign was no exception.” Lou shared.

The campaign has energy, style, and most importantly it gives each person a real opportunity to authentically show what these areas have to offer. Beautiful galleries in Mayfair, neon signs and eccentric locals in Soho, blooming flower stands and book-filled boutiques in Marylebone. The campaign that started as an idea in a team brainstorm really has developed into something more than just a series of videos on social media, it’s brought creatives and like-minded people together. “It’s fostered that sense of connection we’re proud to bring to everything we do as The BoTree.” Lou concluded.

Soho Spotlight

As well as mentioning the iconic Soho institutions, it was important for me to also include places and people I have a sentimental connection with as a Soho resident. Soho venues businesses featured include Ronnie Scott’s (47 Frith St, London W1D 4HT), Bar Italia (22 Frith St, London W1D 4RF), Sister Ray Records (75 Berwick St, London W1F 8TG), My Place Soho (21 Berwick St, London W1F 0PZ), The French House (49 Dean St, London W1D 5BG) and Borovicks Fabrics (16 Berwick St, London W1F 0HP) to name a few.

The experience of filming my segment of London Roots in Soho was nothing short of magical, and I am so excited to share the reel which will be joint-posted on @the_botree and @the.soho.girl Instagram feeds on Tuesday 23rd April. Please support by liking, commenting, sharing and saving the post when it goes live!

I hope the London Roots campaign spreads far and wide, serving as a model for other businesses to collaborate closely with locals who possess deep knowledge of their communities. There’s a lot of benefit in authentically showcasing the vibrancy and charm of this dynamic West End neighbourhood, and my unique gift is offering my perspective of a local who’s called Soho home for the past twenty years.

Special thanks to The BoTree for rooting for me *heart hands emoji*

To find out more about The BoTree or to book a stay visit www.thebotree.com |
📍 The BoTree 30 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2DR

Written by Kai Lutterodt | Photography by Benji Jackson, courtesy of The BoTree

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