Who's Going
Arab Dignitaries, Knobby Businessmen, Rich Texans
Reason to Stay
Hyde Park Location, Central Shopping, Business Hotel
Hotel Type
City Hotel
On paper it sounds like the best hotel in London, sandwiched on a fashionable boulevard directly between Harvey Nichols and Hyde Park. Originally built as a Gentleman's Club in 1889 before becoming a hotel in 1902, the location was acquired by Mandarin Oriental in 1996 and underwent a 4-year refurbishment. The result is a magnificent facade of Edwardian pile and tumbled stone offering Victorian cornices and bay windows. The six-story structure offers a dignified entryway busy with arriving businessmen and fumbling American tourists trying to find their way to nearby Harrod's. The area feels hectic and touristy, the type of hotel one selects for its staple luxury and convenience to local business.
The interior structure offers a gentlemanly decor of paneled-wood walls and regal marble staircase running the spine of the building. The lobby area is home to two well-touted restaurants including Bar Boulud by NYC's Daniel Boulud. Adding an element of youthful style, the in-house bar designed by Adam Tihany offers a glam destination for diamond-studded Mayfair residents and stylish guests. A basement spa is well conceived with translucent walls and sleek design, but the closet-size gym with three cardio machines and small weights area leaves much to be desired.
The Room
The hotel facade is stunning and so is the lobby, but as guests make their way down narrow 19th Century hallways something seems to happen. Upon opening the solid-wood Mahogany doors, a different type of hotel appears with sedate carpeting, floral drapery and in-room artwork straight out of a Agatha Christie novel that leaves the eyes in disappointment. Everything a luxury hotel needs is there, including double-pane windows with in-room butler service and modern Plasma-screen TVs. But items a modern traveler desires such as an inspiring color-scheme, modern-comfortable furnishings and uplifting architecture is all missing. Standard guest rooms face interior courtyards, decorated with dark-wood writing desks and two-person sofas with velvety throw pillows. The beds are divine, outfitted with hand-pressed Irish linens perfectly tucked at evening turndown service. Bathrooms border on the institutional with all-white porcelain fixtures and soaking tub absolutely free of frills. The in-house Aromatherapy Bath products are well selected including invigorating body oils that come in good use with such comatose interior design.
Preferred Room
Superior Hyde Park View
Special Features
Spa, Michelin-rated Restaurant, Jogging Park
Amenities
Views, Butler Service, Private Car, City Central
