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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Stafford Hotel
For many of us a room in a luxury hotel is already an indulgence. But for some, even that’s not enough - they want a suite. Sometimes the reason is tangible – an entourage or a large family. A suite is required for entertaining; it’s difficult to hold a dinner in a bedroom, after all. A suite [...]
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I’m not a particularly good trend-spotter. I tend to remain faithful to a number of favourite restaurants or else I like to explore the far out territories of Gujarati, African, or Lebanese food or any other cuisine I haven’t tried yet. But I do occasionally notice what’s going on around me, so I was interested [...]
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What is it about a rubber duck in the bath that turns us all into tots? Who knows, but there’s nothing quite like a long soak with a plastic pal to keep you company in the bubbles. Luckily enough, two of London’s top hotels know what we like and have made ducks their official mascot. [...]
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Nothing gives you the flavour of a hotel so well as the breakfast. Some cheaper hotels just have toast and jam; others have strange contemporary mixtures; but The Stafford has a fine version of the traditional English breakfast – which brought back pleasant memories of a similar experience I blogged about at the Cavendish Hotel. [...]
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Whether you’re an American in London looking for a home-from-home, or a Brit who just likes an excuse to party, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK capital in 2011. This post lines up our top tips! Thanks to the growing US expat population, Thanksgiving is becoming an increasingly recognised event in London. So [...]
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I recently interviewed Frank Laino, who is the Concierge at The Stafford London. He’s been in the hotel business for 25 years, the last 20 as a concierge, though he looks far too young for his CV (I’ll get round to just how he manages this later in this post). He says of The Stafford, [...]
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Unlike hotels such as the Ritz or Savoy, which proudly proclaim their presence and quality to any passer-by, the Stafford Hotel hides discreetly in the back streets of St James’s, invisible from the main street. That should tip you off that the hotel’s style is relatively understated; it’s not a hotel that makes a splash [...]
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One of the great resources of any high class hotel is the concierge desk. Yet it’s consistently under-used by guests, perhaps because many people don’t know how to get the best out of the service. Concierges in London and elsewhere devote time and effort to knowing the city and particularly the area around any given [...]
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I have a theory about good bars in London. There is an inevitable lifecycle: they begin initially as slightly underground bars, drawing in those in the know with something quirky, technically good or unexpected. The word then spreads and they will usually maintain their excellent form for a while – the crowds increase but not to [...]
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Hotels usually host events for other people. But The Stafford is hosting a series of events of its own – Pub Talks, which introduce experts in luxury life including jewellers, chefs, portrait photographers and mixologists. Patrick Wyatt’s talk on bespoke jewellery gave an insight into the world of the Hatton Garden jeweller and the customers [...]
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The Athenaeum has already been featured on this blog as arguably London’s most child-friendly hotel. But this winter it is offering a treat that is designed very much with adults in mind. You are invited to discover the world of whisky at The Athenaeum’s hosted ‘Whisky Socials’ with leading whisky connoisseurs. Participants will enjoy a [...]
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“Pub Talks” at The Stafford returns this year following a successful timetable of events last year – including the magnificent winetasting in the 360 year old cellar featured on this blog. The 5 star hotel (with a skilled and charming 5 star housekeeper) belonging to the Kempinski Group will be hosting the free events through September [...]
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One of London’s most intriguing secrets is the number of animals you’ll find in top hotels. Some are real – like Whisky the cat who for a long time reigned over the American Bar in the Stafford – and others like Kaspar at The Savoy are not, but they all bring a bit of fun [...]
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You could stay in a hotel for years and never meet the housekeeper. You might not even know of her existence. And yet your comfort, enjoyment and all the little things that make such a difference to your stay often depend on the housekeeping team. I recently interviewed Elaine Walker who is Executive Housekeeper at [...]
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I fondly remember the FT’s ‘lunch for a fiver’ offer, which I sometimes made use of when I worked in the City. You cut out the coupon, you went to your preferred hostelry and you paid £5 for lunch. Except, of course, that usually you didn’t. You’d pay £15 after a glass of Perrier, a [...]
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“Clubland” isn’t just a place: it is also a time and a state of mind. The Club was where Bertie Wooster could disappear to, away from the demands of his family and ever-decreasing circles of PG Wodehouse’s plots. The Club was where Regency gentlemen once bet on which drop of rain would reach the bottom [...]
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