John Lewis, a stalwart of the British high street, loved by us Brits and admired by visitors to the country, has launched its own apartment and is inviting you to stay, for free.
Decked out at a cost of £2 million (and that’s just the London apartment), The Residence is a show apartment with a difference. Everything can be purchased. There’s a bedroom, fully-stocked kitchen and even an indoor plant-filled terrace. You also get your own office area and, of course, plush living room. A private concierge will be available from 6.30pm to 9am and you receive a complimentary breakfast courtesy of Waitrose (a John Lewis company).
Best of all, if you stay over, you are given exclusive access to the John Lewis store for 60 minutes, so you can browse, ask questions and purchase at your leisure. It’s unclear if this means you’re locked in the apartment after the initial 60 minutes or a security guard watches your door. Night of the Museum, anyone?
The Residence is located within three of the John Lewis stores, at London Oxford Street, Liverpool and Cambridge. There’s no real limit to what you can do on your one night stay, but in theory you could use the space as a swanky location to entertain guests. You can request the service of a chef and entertain up to 10 guests.
John Lewis demand would outstrip supply so are enabling you to stay through a lottery system. People who want to stay are being invited to apply for the dates of September 16, 17, 23, and 24 for stays through October 18.
If you don’t manage to secure your stay, don’t worry, as The Residence will also host workshops from September 16 through October 18 on how to pick the best duvet, mood lighting and much more.
To apply, you need to visit one of the three John Lewis stores (Oxford Street, Cambridge or Liverpool) over two consecutive weekends (September Saturday 16/Sunday 17 or Saturday 23/Sunday 24) and speak with The Residence concierge who will then pick winners at random
See the John Lewis website for more information.
