The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London

Long-Term Bathroom Surface Restoration for One of London’s Busiest Hotels 

The Cumberland Hotel, located at Marble Arch in the heart of London’s Oxford Street area, is a high-volume hotel operating in one of the busiest hospitality environments in the capital. With constant guest movement, high room occupancy and significant operational pressure on the engineering and rooms teams, any bathroom maintenance solution needed to be technically robust, carefully phased and delivered with minimal disruption. 

Mendabath was first introduced to The Cumberland through the hotel’s Chief Engineer, who contracted us to survey the condition of the hotel’s baths. The initial survey identified that many of the baths had previously been resurfaced by another provider. A rough gravel-style slip-resistant material had also been applied to some baths, in places extending up the bath walls and back rests. Many of the surfaces had become yellowed, worn and damaged, with coating failure visible in multiple areas. 

The hotel needed a solution that would restore the appearance and usability of the baths without the cost, disruption and waste of replacement. 

The Challenge 

The existing bath surfaces presented several challenges: 

Previous coatings had failed or deteriorated. 

Some baths had rough slip-resistant aggregate applied unevenly across the surface. 

Several baths were yellowed, damaged or visually tired. 

The hotel needed a consistent, professional finish across a large number of rooms. 

Work had to be completed around guest occupancy, room availability and other contractors on site. 

Replacement would have caused significant disruption and would not have aligned with the hotel’s need to keep rooms operational wherever possible. 

The scale of the project also required careful coordination. The bath works were delivered alongside a major air-conditioning replacement programme, meaning Mendabath had to work in harmony with a main contractor and other trades operating within the hotel at the same time. 

The Sample Bath 

Before the wider project began, Mendabath arranged a free sample bath for the hotel. 

The existing failed coating was stripped back. Surface damage was repaired, the bath was prepared correctly, and a new Mendabath resurfacing system was applied. We then returned the following day to apply our proprietary R12-rated slip-resistant coating to the base of the bath. 

The slip-resistant finish was applied in a controlled pattern that allowed water to drain effectively, while also improving guest safety. Unlike aggressive aggregate-style finishes, Mendabath’s R12-rated slip system is designed to provide slip resistance without feeling coarse or uncomfortable against the skin when the bath is used for soaking as well as showering. 

This sample gave the hotel confidence in the quality, appearance and practicality of the Mendabath system before committing to the wider programme. 

The Bath Resurfacing Programme 

After almost a year of working through the supplier approval process, Mendabath was appointed to begin a phased bath resurfacing programme. 

The project involved approximately 300 baths, delivered in six week-long phases across 2023 and 2024. Each phase included around 50 rooms, with work planned around room availability and the wider air-conditioning replacement project. 

For each bath, Mendabath carried out a detailed process including: 

Stripping failed previous coatings where required. 

Repairing visible surface damage. 

Preparing the bath correctly for resurfacing. 

Masking the bath and surrounding bathroom areas. 

Using extraction during the resurfacing process. 

Applying Mendabath’s proprietary resurfacing coating. 

Returning the following day to apply the R12-rated slip-resistant finish where required. 

Throughout the project, the team worked from defined room lists provided by the hotel. However, as with any busy central London hotel, flexibility was essential. Early check-ins, late check-outs, overstays and room changes all had to be accommodated without affecting the wider delivery programme. 

Mendabath technicians are experienced in working in live hotel environments. At The Cumberland, this meant being mindful of the guest experience at every stage. Noisy parts of the work were not started before 9am. The team avoided sharing guest lifts where possible, moved discreetly through the building and remained aware that they were operating in a premium hospitality environment. 

The layout of The Cumberland can be complex for guests unfamiliar with the building. When technicians saw guests who appeared unsure where to go, they would politely offer help and direct them to rooms, lifts, the gym, breakfast areas or other hotel facilities. This approach reflected the team’s understanding that, when working inside a live hotel, contractors must support the guest experience rather than disrupt it. 

Additional Maintenance Feedback 

Mendabath’s role extended beyond simply completing the resurfacing works. While moving through rooms, the team also provided feedback to the hotel’s engineering department on other maintenance issues observed during the works. 

These included items such as: 

Damaged basins. 

Room access locks requiring battery replacement. 

Window lock issues. 

Other visible defects or maintenance concerns identified during room works. 

This additional feedback helped give the hotel’s engineering team better visibility of room condition and supported wider maintenance oversight. 

Shower Tray Restoration Programme 

Following the successful bath resurfacing programme, Mendabath was later appointed to support The Cumberland with a large-scale shower tray restoration project. 

The shower trays at The Cumberland are a unique and technically challenging asset. They were designed specifically for the building and cannot simply be replaced with standard off-the-shelf alternatives. Without restoration, the alternative would have been to continue operating with worn, tired or damaged surfaces, or to face a highly disruptive and costly replacement challenge. 

The shower tray works involve more than 500 units, with completion expected by late 2026. Mendabath is delivering the programme in weekly phases of around 50 full resprays and slip-resistant applications per week. 

The works include: 

Grinding out damaged areas. 

Reinforcing trays where required. 

Repairing surface defects. 

Mixing a bespoke colour to match the hotel’s brand and finish standards. 

Carefully masking each shower area, despite the size, position and unique design of the trays. 

Applying Mendabath’s proprietary resurfacing system. 

Applying R12-rated slip-resistant coating to improve guest safety and usability. 

This project requires a high level of technical skill, planning and consistency. The combination of bespoke tray design, colour matching, surface repairs, reinforcement and slip-resistant coating makes it a specialist restoration project rather than a standard cosmetic repair programme. 

Why Restoration Was the Right Solution 

For both the bath and shower tray programmes, the alternative to Mendabath’s work would have been either full replacement or accepting tired, worn and discoloured bathroom surfaces. 

Replacement would have created significant disruption, cost, waste and room downtime. In comparison, Mendabath’s restoration approach allowed the hotel to extend the usable life of existing bathroom assets while improving appearance, functionality and guest safety. 

The project helped the hotel: 

Avoid unnecessary replacement. 

Reduce operational disruption. 

Improve bathroom presentation. 

Extend the life of existing assets. 

Maintain guest experience standards. 

Improve slip resistance. 

Support a more sustainable approach to hotel maintenance. 

Return rooms to service quickly after treatment. 

Sustainability and ESG 

Mendabath’s approach is strongly aligned with ESG-led asset management. By restoring rather than replacing baths and shower trays, hotels can reduce waste, lower disruption and avoid the environmental impact associated with manufacturing, transporting and disposing of replacement sanitaryware. 

Mendabath’s coatings are low-VOC, isocyanate-free, vegan-accredited and proprietary to Mend-A-Bath International. No other supplier has access to the same material system, which is manufactured specifically for Mendabath and forms a key part of the company’s technical advantage. 

Mendabath is also a carbon neutral, ESG-aligned supplier, helping hotels choose a maintenance solution that supports both operational and environmental priorities. 

Using Mendabath’s carbon and waste impact approach, restoration demonstrates significant avoided waste and carbon compared with replacement. Previous project calculations have shown the potential for substantial carbon savings, including equivalencies such as avoided emissions comparable to mature trees, household electricity usage and thousands of miles of car travel. For large-scale hotel programmes such as The Cumberland, this sustainability impact becomes increasingly meaningful. 

Long-Term Partnership 

Mendabath has worked with The Cumberland for around four years. Over that time, the relationship has grown from an initial technical survey and sample bath into a long-term partnership supporting the hotel’s bathroom asset management strategy. 

The team has built strong working relationships with the hotel’s porters, front-of-house staff, engineering department and operational teams. For Mendabath technicians, The Cumberland has become a familiar and valued site — a hotel where the team understands the building, the operational rhythm and the standards expected. 

That familiarity helps improve delivery. The team knows how to work around the hotel’s layout, guest movement, room availability and engineering requirements. This allows Mendabath to deliver complex restoration works while remaining discreet, flexible and aligned with the needs of a busy London hotel. 

Client Feedback 

“The quality of their respraying has consistently been of a very high standard. Their attention to detail and commitment to delivering excellent service have made them a valued and trusted partner.” 

Simon Fennell, former Director of Rooms, The Cumberland Hotel 

Results 

Mendabath’s work at The Cumberland has delivered a practical, sustainable and commercially effective alternative to replacement. 

The bath resurfacing programme restored approximately 300 baths across phased works in 2023 and 2024. The current shower tray restoration programme is restoring more than 500 bespoke shower trays, with completion expected by late 2026. 

Across both programmes, Mendabath has helped The Cumberland protect its bathroom assets, reduce unnecessary replacement, improve guest safety and maintain room standards while operating in one of London’s busiest hotel environments. 

Case Study: The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London 

Large-Scale Bathroom Surface Restoration in a Live Central London Hotel 

The Cumberland Hotel, located at Marble Arch near Oxford Street, is one of London’s busiest hotel environments. With high occupancy, constant guest movement and significant pressure on engineering and rooms teams, any bathroom maintenance work needed to be carefully phased, technically reliable and delivered with minimal disruption. 

Mendabath was first contracted by the hotel’s Chief Engineer following a survey of the hotel’s bath stock. The survey identified that many baths had previously been resurfaced and that a rough gravel-style slip-resistant material had been applied to some surfaces, in places extending up the bath walls and back rests. Many baths were yellowed, worn and damaged, with coating failure visible in multiple areas. 

The Solution 

Before the main programme began, Mendabath completed a free sample bath. The existing failed coating was stripped back, surface damage was repaired, and the bath was resurfaced using Mendabath’s proprietary coating system. The following day, Mendabath applied its R12-rated slip-resistant coating to the base of the bath in a controlled pattern designed to allow water to drain effectively. 

Unlike aggressive aggregate finishes, Mendabath’s R12 slip-resistant system improves guest safety without feeling coarse or uncomfortable when the bath is used for soaking as well as showering. 

Following approval, Mendabath was appointed to complete a phased bath resurfacing programme across approximately 300 rooms. The work was delivered in six week-long phases across 2023 and 2024, with around 50 rooms completed per visit. 

Working Around Hotel Operations 

The bath programme was delivered alongside a major air-conditioning replacement project, requiring Mendabath to work in harmony with a main contractor and other trades on site. 

Each bath was stripped where required, repaired, prepared, masked, resurfaced and completed with extraction in place. The team worked from agreed room lists but remained flexible around early check-ins, late check-outs, overstays and room changes. 

As an experienced hotel contractor, Mendabath worked discreetly and with the guest experience in mind. Noisy work was avoided before 9am, technicians moved carefully through guest areas, and the team remained mindful that they were working inside a live hospitality environment. 

During the works, Mendabath also provided additional maintenance feedback to the engineering team, including observations on damaged basins, access lock battery issues, window lock defects and other room condition concerns identified while on site. 

Ongoing Shower Tray Restoration 

Following the success of the bath resurfacing programme, Mendabath was later appointed to support The Cumberland with a large-scale shower tray restoration programme. 

The shower trays are bespoke to the building and cannot simply be replaced with standard alternatives. Mendabath is restoring more than 500 units, with completion expected by late 2026. The programme includes grinding out damage, reinforcing trays where required, repairing defects, mixing a bespoke colour to match the hotel’s brand standards, resurfacing the trays and applying R12-rated slip-resistant coating. 

The project is being delivered in phased weekly programmes of around 50 full resprays and slip-resistant applications per week. 

Why Restoration Was Chosen 

For both the bath and shower tray programmes, the alternative would have been full replacement or continuing to operate with tired, worn and damaged bathroom surfaces. 

Mendabath’s restoration approach helped the hotel: 

Avoid unnecessary replacement. 

Reduce cost, waste and disruption. 

Extend the usable life of existing bathroom assets. 

Improve bathroom presentation. 

Improve slip resistance and guest safety. 

Return rooms to service quickly. 

Support ESG-led maintenance decisions. 

Mendabath’s proprietary coatings are low-VOC, isocyanate-free, vegan-accredited and manufactured exclusively by Mend-A-Bath International. Mendabath is also a carbon neutral supplier, helping hotels choose a more sustainable alternative to replacement. 

Client Feedback 

“The quality of their respraying has consistently been of a very high standard. Their attention to detail and commitment to delivering excellent service have made them a valued and trusted partner.” 

Simon Fennell, former Director of Rooms, The Cumberland Hotel 

Outcome 

Mendabath has worked with The Cumberland for around four years, building a trusted relationship with the engineering, front-of-house, porterage and operational teams. 

The completed bath resurfacing programme restored approximately 300 baths across phased works in 2023 and 2024. The current shower tray programme is restoring more than 500 bespoke trays, with completion expected by late 2026. 

Together, these projects demonstrate how Mendabath helps busy hotels protect bathroom assets, reduce replacement, improve guest safety and maintain high room standards without major refurbishment disruption.