In November 2023, Soho gained a decadent new addition to its hotel scene: Broadwick Soho. More than just a place to stay, it’s a theatrical, high-energy love letter to the creative spirit of the neighbourhood and owner web entrepreneur Noel Hayden’s family (he’s the son of a magician and circus performer, no less). From the moment you step inside, you’re emersed in bold design and unrestrained glamour – think pink walls, mirrored bars and leopard-print scatter cushions draped over plush velvet seating. Chandeliers cast a warm glow through the hotel’s grand windows, framing views of central London’s bustling streets, creating an atmosphere that’s as captivating as it is luxurious.
This indulgent aesthetic perfectly captures the hotel’s essence: a heady mix of elegance and edge, where art, design and unfiltered creativity meet; just like the characters who fill its barstools. Leading the hotel’s creative direction is Andrea Gelardin. Though new to the hotel world, she’s an expert in crafting unforgettable live experiences. Her career began in the world of high fashion, collaborating with luxury houses such as Louis Vuitton, before she made her mark in music, providing creative direction for the likes of Riz Ahmed and Lady Gaga. For Gaga, she was co-creative director for the Joanne World Tour and worked with the Prince Estate on the music video for Prince’s previously unheard cover of Nothing Compares 2 U.
“I was drawn to the idea because a hotel felt like the perfect culmination of everything, I’m passionate about,” she says. With Broadwick Soho, Andrea has channelled her love for storytelling, mood-setting and performance into a space that feels as immersive as watching one of her artists on stage. Now, she balances her work at the hotel with a range of other creative projects. Service95 sat down with her to discover how she keeps it all in motion – while also making it look effortless...
I’VE NEVER REALLY HAD A CLASSIC 9 TO 5... I could go from a photoshoot to a food tasting to a rehearsal all in one day. I have had nine-to-five jobs, including at Louis Vuitton – for a long time, my work was more structured like that. But over time, I realised I’m not a 9 to 5 person; I love the variety and unpredictability of my days. That said, even if I were working those hours, I’d still be bouncing between different creative projects.
TRAIN JOURNEYS FUEL MY CREATIVITY... There’s something about trains that sparks new ideas. Maybe it’s the movement, or the fact that you’re kind of suspended between places, but I always find my thoughts settle and new ideas start forming. I try to do things like that to keep my creativity flowing and to stop myself from spiralling off into too many tangents. I also need to unwind to find creative inspiration – it’s about supporting myself through the madness of juggling lots of things at once. Even something as simple as going for a walk on Hampstead Heath and just looking at the horizon gives me a sense of space, which in turn creates more space internally. It helps me reset and keeps me grounded, so I don’t waste time or lose focus. It makes my thinking sharper and more concise.
I’M NOT A CALENDAR PERSON... Or someone with a strict organising system. For me, it’s more about giving myself the space to focus on one thing properly, before moving on to the next. That way, I’m not constantly jumping between ideas in a chaotic way. Instead, I let each project have its moment, and then I shift my focus when it’s time.
PEOPLE-WATCHING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO GET IDEAS... I find this inspiration in so many places, including the Barbican, because I’m so inspired by music and dance. I also have this specific park bench in Clissold Park [in North London] that I always go to. Just taking the time to sit on a park bench and quietly observe people – families interacting, kids playing, couples embracing – there’s something really moving about those small, everyday acts of love and kindness. Letting those things percolate always sparks something.
It’s interesting, because in the arts, we’re used to seeing stories centred around fragmented relationships, pain and conflict. So much of what we consume leans towards the darker side of human connection, but I find myself drawn to the opposite. I love capturing those moments of warmth and joy, whether that’s in the work I do or through the artists I collaborate with.
I LOOK UP TO OTHER CREATIVES... The choreographers Mr. Gaga (not to be confused with Lady Gaga, though I love her too!) and Pina Bausch are my go-to references because I love celebrating dance whenever I can. I also adore French film director Claude Chabrol’s work. His portrayal of women feels so real and honest – it peels back the layers of the everyday life in a way that’s really touching. And then there’s Marina Abramović. Her dedication to creativity, her discipline and just the way she approaches art in general is something I really admire. Her documentary The Artist Is Present was hugely inspiring for me.
EACH TOUR I WORK ON DEPENDS ON THE ARTIST... Right now, I’m in the middle of working on Eve’s upcoming tour with Nelly, and she’s incredibly involved in the process. Some artists take a more hands-off approach, but she’s in constant conversation with me. Her body of work is legendary, deeply woven into the history of hip-hop – especially in shaping the evolution of female artists in the genre.
What makes this project even more exciting is her journey. From growing up in Philadelphia with a challenging family life to navigating the intense rivalries female rappers face, she’s overcome so much. Now, she’s in a new chapter – motherhood, living in London, immersed in wellness and even taking on a position as Scholar-In-Residence at NYU. So, my starting point for this tour is: how do we visually capture that entire arc? Her resilience, story of hope, gender and race, while staying true to the energy of her music. Tracks like Tambourine are pure, joyful anthems, so I’m mood-boarding around that contrast, focusing on shapes, colours, lighting and content that reflect both sides of her journey.
MY MUSIC TASTE COMPLETELY REFLECTS MY PERSONALITY... It’s so varied: I love UK garage. I’m half Spanish, so I listen to a lot of Spanish music, and I could listen to my favourite Flamenco artist Estrella Morente all day. I also adore Sudan Archives, she has an incredible voice, and I’m obsessed with Dr. Dre – my nickname, Dre, partly comes from that! Well, also from Andrea, but the Dr. Dre connection is real. I also love SAULT, and Q-Tip is probably one of my favourite artists of all time.
ONE PROJECT I’M REALLY PROUD OF IS... Riz Ahmed’s lockdown show, The Long Goodbye. It went against everything I was used to, which made it such a challenge. Working on the creative direction for a live show remotely meant doing it all without being in the space, without seeing the lighting in the room, without feeling Riz’s energy in person – that was so unnatural to me. We ended up live-streaming Riz’s performance from an empty space in San Francisco. There’s something unique about performing with no audience. It felt like we weren’t reaching anyone in the room, yet we connected with so many people online, and that was incredibly rewarding. I’m proud of that project, not just because of the circumstances, but because of what we created together as a team.
IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS JOB, I WOULD GROW OLIVE TREES AND MAKE OLIVE OIL... It’s really clear in my mind: we have beautiful olive trees at our family home in Mallorca, and I’ve always had my eye on the idea of doing it properly one day. I also have a genuine, deep passion for olives. I research their medicinal properties, even the stones and the leaves, so another part of my olive mission would be making potions from different parts of the tree. That’s the dream.
My family will kill me for saying this (because it’s not a Spanish recommendation), but there’s this hardware store in Clerkenwell, London called Embassy Electrical Supples, which is nothing fancy to look at, but in the back, the Cypriot owner sells his own olive oil from his family’s grove in Cyprus – and it is insane. More people are catching on, so he gets a lot of requests, but if you can get your hands on a bottle, you absolutely must.
