London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.
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Sofitel St James
It’s that time of year when the annual Tea Guild Awards come round again and we’ve done our usual added-value research from their findings to help you track down the best – and best-value – London hotel afternoon teas. Dubbed by some as the Oscars of the afternoon tea world, these awards have been rewarding [...]
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The 5-star Sofitel St James has announced that it will be hosting a gourmet festival on 21st March 2013 named “Stars, Food & Art”. This hotel with French roots in a former bank building has been beautifully restored – I recently visited its award-winning spa and was impressed with the hotel’s interiors, especially the St James Bar inspired by [...]
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Valentine’s Day is almost upon us once again and there’s so much choice on how to spend it with your loved one. But how can you be original and romantic without being too cheesy? Let London’s hotels take the strain! This year they’re offering a range of romantic experiences to help you create the perfect [...]
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Back at the start of 2010, we wrote reviews of the best of London’s spas, unearthing six which we rated as better than the rest: The Dorchester Spa, So SPA at Sofitel St James, Renaissance Chancery Court Spa, Mandarin Oriental London Spa, The Berkeley Spa, Spa Studio at the Lanesborough. Now, nearly two years on, it’s [...]
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Andrea’s already debated whether hotel gyms are a waste of space, and cited research which implied that three quarters of travellers are swayed on where to stay by a hotel’s gym facilities. If, like me, you count yourself among them, it’s handy to know not only that your hotel has a gym but also what that gym [...]
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Attention all Japan lovers! This weekend (22-24 July) sees the second running of Hyper Japan at London’s Olympia Two exhibition centre, with a share of the proceeds going to the region affected by the recent Tohoku Pacific Earthquake. The exhibition is a fun extravaganza of all things Japanese, celebrating all aspects of Nippon culture including [...]
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Note: the article below was published in 2011. We’ve since posted an up-to-date rundown of top 10 best-value London hotel afternoon teas in 2013 with lovely photos. This blog recently looked at London hotel afternoon teas to explore whether they are an overpriced indulgence or a value-for-money treat. We also listed the top 17 hotel [...]
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Afternoon tea is a quintessentially English tradition and it’s no surprise that London hotels do a roaring trade in it. As of late however, its popularity has soared and according to the London Evening Standard, some hotels are now putting on six sittings of afternoon tea every day to keep up! But what is the [...]
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I’m a runner. I like nothing better than hitting Hyde Park for a quick 5k (well – let me admit, a fairly sedate 5k to be honest!). But on a miserable day when it’s pelting with rain – or at night – that’s not really an option. Which leaves the hotel gym. For me, that’s [...]
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Checklist-based star rating systems were historically the natural way to rank and classify hotels. When the Savoy opened in London in 1889 it was seen as the ultimate luxury hotel: features like electric lifts and individual bathrooms were a genuine novelty and the epitome of indulgence. As competitors in the next century caught up or [...]
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If you want art in London, you might head to Tate Britain, the National Gallery or Sotheby’s for example. Or for something more cutting edge, you could be tempted to check out the Saatchi Gallery or Tate Modern. But you might also find your hotel to be an equally good place to find contemporary art [...]
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Purely in the name of research of course, London Hotels Insight has been secretly checking out some of the UK capital’s very best hotel bars. We reviewed all bars anonymously and paid our own way. Visits were recent so opinions are up-to-date though you may not always agree with them. Any list of this kind [...]
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When people think of Leicester Square they often think of crowds of tourists, overpriced and often poor-quality restaurants, noise, litter and cinemas promoting the latest silver screen blockbuster. We could easily have added it to our popular list of top London “Don’t Dos”! But on the other hand the area is next to colourful Chinatown [...]
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London has a wealth of well-stocked bookstores, both big and small. And there’s certainly nothing better than spending several hours browsing the latest offerings whether literature or non-fiction rocks your boat. Premier among them is Foyles. With a flagship store on Charing Cross Road (near Leicester Square tube), it is reputedly the largest bookshop in [...]
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London Hotels Insight recently attended the opening of a photo exhibition launched by Sofitel St James – alongside its sister hotels around the world – showcasing famous “fashion stills” from the Paris-based Polka Gallery. The idea is interesting and would add vibrancy to any hotel. The thinking behind it is not dissimilar to the philosophy [...]
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This is the latest in our “city showdown” series where we pit the advantages of London against a heavyweight European competitor. And having declared an honourable draw with Paris, let’s move further south to the capital of art, culture and superb food: Barcelona. Both London and Barcelona are cosmopolitan European capitals with more than enough [...]
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