“What good is money if it can’t buy happiness”, questioned British author Agatha Christie, in the thriller The Man in the Brown Suit and rightly so. London’s most luxurious modern hotels swear by that very question, albeit discreetly. The olde order of luxury in London is being challenged by a new league of modern luxury hotels where it’s all about whetting your desires and going to unimaginable lengths, realizing bespoke experiences for you. While it’s not decorous to talk about money, it’s fashionably cool to spend it in London where your money can buy you total exuberance, not just happiness!
Rubina A Khan reviews the top five hotels in London that are redefining luxurious living, irresistibly:
Rosewood London – A historical 1914 Belle Époque building on 252 High Holborn that used to be the Pearl Assurance insurance company, has shifted shape in a manner most luxurious under the direction of Tony Chi to give way to the Rosewood London, that has even the most seasoned jetsetter enthralled with its relaxed elegance and vintage charm. The central carriageway entrance and dome open into a grand Edwardian courtyard, that lead you into the hotel. Through the contemporary rose-bronze doors, you take in live finches and budgerigars chirping contentedly, inanimate British bulldogs that don’t bark, the exquisite art on the walls that’s set off with seductive lighting and staff walking about in Savile Row suits, making for a theatrical first impression of the Rosewood. The value of the seven kinds of rare marble like Swedish Green and Statuary, used on the seven-storey Renaissance staircase is £40million! The interiors of this Grade II listed heritage hotel are fitted out with Cuban mahogany and the 262 rooms and 44 suites reflect High Holborn’s history, culture and sensibilities, in line with the Rosewood philosophy of “A Sense of Place”.
Rosewood London | Photo: Rubina A Khan
The shower rooms, yes rooms, are heavenly and designed to make every bathing ritual a sensual one, even more so after a Swedish massage by Yarmila at the Sense Spa. The champagne breakfast, with Baked Eggs, Asparagus and Truffle at the Mirror Room is the most delicious way to wake up and seize the day. Cabaret performances, held every alternate Sunday evening at the Scarfes Bar, lined with illustrations of artist Gerald Scarfe, including an adorable one of Prince George of Cambridge, over endless flutes of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut and Lobster Momos are an excellent way to enjoy some risqué British culture after a day at the British Museum close by. The most memorable feature at the Rosewood is sheer excellence with the staff and butlers exuding genuine warmth, bereft of the faux made-to-please smiles. Nightly rates for a Deluxe Room here are upwards of £360 (Rs 36,000) and a Grand Premier Suite costs about £1,800 (Rs 1,80,000). If money is no object, then the Grand Manor House Wing, with its six bedrooms, three living rooms, a private elevator and entry, and the only suite in the world to have its very own postcode, should be your choice at £25,000 (Rs 25,000,000) at the Rosewood London!
45, Park Lane – The grandeur and exceptional service of the legendary Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane is unrivalled in London. But seconds away from the old guard, stands the Dorchester Collection’s grand and imperious 45, Park Lane, an art deco hotel, designed as a private residence, on London’s Money Mile in Mayfair, with suites facing the verdure Hyde Park. The 46-room hotel beguiles guests into its luxurious and contemporary confines designed by New York based designer, Thierry Despont, with exemplary service and dazzling glamour. The Park Lane Suite has my heart! Minutes from Bond Street shopping, and a hop across Hyde Park, it is undeniably the most fashionable temporary address in London, with every little wish of yours being fulfilled by the Park Lane team. If you so desire a dress from Harrods, a hotel runner will speed off and get it back for you in time for your dinner date whilst you soak in the satin dreaminess of the Dorchester Spa.
45, Park Lane London | Photo: Rubina A Khan
“The most extraordinary demand we have ever had to date was to fit a washing machine in one of our suites!” says hotel manager Christophe Hilty. For a brisk ride in Hyde Park, you can borrow one of the hotel’s Brompton bicycles or bike around the streets of Mayfair. It’s on site restaurant, CUT, which is Austrian born-US based celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s first foray on European terrain, is world class. It’s the only place in London that serves Japanese Wagyu and it is worth every pound for that little medallion of a steak on your plate! CUT is also home to the Psalms, a collection of 16 Damian Hirst paintings in the hotel. Rooms start at £595 (Rs 59,500) and the extravagant Penthouse Suite on the ninth floor is yours for £8,995 (Rs 8,99,500) a night!
Ham Yard Hotel – The Ham Yard, a Firmdale property and their eighth in London, owes its name to an early 18th Century public house called The Ham. This boutique hotel, set on a three-quarter acre site, is a riot of colors designed by owner, Kit Kemp, in her fun and distinctively modern British style, that gives off a cultivated “urban village” vibe with its lush garden, bang in the midst of bustling Piccadilly Circus and Soho. With a 190-seater movie theatre on the property and its very own Dive Bar, you don’t need to battle frosty London on movie night; it’s just an elevator ride away. An original 1950s four-lane bowling alley, shipped in from Texas, replete with backlit bowling balls and vintage bowling shoes, a 13-store shopping enclave, a rooftop garden and a Soholistic Spa make the Ham Yard a unique hotel choice. The hotel has the best-stocked mini-bar and amenities kit, including Kinky Knickers, in case you packed really light and didn’t carry any! The Ham Yard breakfast-to-go service is an absolute delight in a brown bag when you’re catching an 8am flight from Heathrow! Prices for a Superior Room start at £372 (Rs 37,200) per night and the Terrace Suite is yours for £4,080 (Rs 4,08,000) a night.
Ham Yard London | Photo: Rubina A Khan
Great Northern Hotel – This boutique hotel right in the heart of King’s Cross St Pancras, first opened in 1854, as the world’s first great railway hotel, designed by Victorian master builder, Lewis Cubitt. The splendidly refurbished 91 rooms here, named Couchette, Wainscot and Cubitt, which is the largest room, echo the vintage glamour of the building’s iconic past. Awash with abundant natural light through ceiling to floor windows and cut-glass finishes, the Great Northern boasts of a luxury every traveler desires – location and quietude! It is central to the largest transport intersection in London and is a mere 25 metres from the Eurostar Terminus and a second away from King’s Cross that makes for seamless travel to and from all Londonairports. It is steps away from the beautiful British Library. It has one exceptional feature within its glamourous boutique designs – a very comfortable Hypnos bed that also makes for great romantic interludes! Sleep is the quintessential luxury that sometimes gets lost in translation in some of world’s most famous hotels, and it is absolutely uncompromised at the Great Northern. Plum & Spilt Milk, the hotels’ on site restaurant, under the culinary direction of Chef Mark Sargeant, is spectacular! The exquisite food, atmosphere and service here are enough to extend your stay at the GNH, if not the bed alone! Rooms start upwards of £160 (Rs 16,000) here.
Great Northern London
Ampersand Hotel – The design of the luxuriously appointed Ampersand Hotel on 10, Harrington Road, right by the South Kensington underground, is inspired by the Museum District it’s located around, through the five themes of botany, music, geometry, ornithology and astronomy. The Ampersand opened in the summer of 2012 as a modern incarnation of the Norfolk Hotel that was built in 1889. The Victorian values of discovery and wonder, alongside a modern sense of whimsy define all 111 rooms of the refitted Ampersand rooms and suites; from the V&A’s costume collection, to the Science Museum’s planets and phials, from the Natural History Museum’s ornithological drawings to the drama and ceremony of the Royal Albert Hall. And no, that doesn’t make it a dull and boring hotel. The atmosphere is exuberant and fun, with splashes of colour and sparkle to add to the relaxed vibe of the property. Knightsbridge and Chelsea shopping awaits you, yes, Harrods too, once you’ve had your fill of the museums and the astounding array of world cuisine being served up in the cafes and restaurants on every expensive retail space of South Kensington! Room prices vacillate anywhere between £170 (Rs 17,000) to approximately £550 (Rs 55,000) a night.
The Ampersand London | Photo: Rubina A Khan
Michael Bonsor, Hotel Manager, of the Rosewood London, sums up the avant-garde London luxury order rather succinctly, “No requests are too outlandish or difficult to accomplish. True luxury is not just about remarkable quality; it is about making someone feel special in an extraordinary environment.” Indeed!
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Rubina A Khan 