The Idler at The July hotel can host Christmas parties in Victoria for up to 100 guests, combining characterful private spaces, seasonal menus and drinks packages in a central London setting. It suits teams who want a relaxed get-together rather than a standard hotel function room.
The design-led interiors give smaller celebrations plenty of personality. The meeting and event rooms have a warm, residential feel, with parquet flooring, timber-framed sliding doors, soft pinks and muted greens, retro-style lighting and comfortable lounge furniture. Rather than one cavernous events hall, the layout is a collection of interconnected rooms, handy for teams who want drinks in one area, food in another, or somewhere quieter for a conversation.
Loaf, Laze and Linger can each host eight guests around a central table, which suits wrapping up end-of-year business, team-building or a smaller dinner and drinks. Laze and Linger can be combined for up to 16 seated boardroom-style, 24 theatre-style or 45 for cocktails, and the wider breakout and meeting-room configuration increases cocktail capacity to 60, giving Christmas groups several ways to shape the evening.
Food can be as formal or free-flowing as the party demands. For groups of 15 to 60, the family-style dinner begins with sharing dishes such as sourdough with whipped cep butter, fresh anchovies with garlic and parsley, and leek and cheddar arancini. Guests then choose mains including pan-roasted guinea fowl, handmade linguine with Jerusalem artichoke and autumn truffle, or sea bream with roasted fennel and quince beurre blanc.
For a livelier reception, canapes such as bavette skewers, Jamon and Manchego croquetas, sea bream crudo or butternut squash mousse are available for groups of up to 100. The team can put together a drinks package of cava, house wines, draught beer, cocktails and Champagne, alongside an alcohol-free option with kombucha and alcohol-free cocktails.