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
The hotel minibar is possibly one of the most irksome things known to mankind. Part of that is the pricing regime; no matter how exclusive the hotel, how beautifully furnished the room, how good the service, something in us says that £2 for a Mars Bar is just too much – we’re being had, someone [...]
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With winter rapidly becoming a distant memory and spring well and truly in the air for London’s big Olympic year, now is a great time to enjoy a stay at one of the UK capital’s world-class boutique hotels. March saw a number of interesting developments in the boutique hotel scene and April is looking set fair to [...]
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One of the wonders of London is the plethora of hotel mascots. From Kaspar the Cat at The Savoy (who sits at the table whenever there would otherwise be thirteen guests) to the rubber ducks at Apex Hotels (waiting for guests’ in their bath tubs) and at The Stafford (in normal and super sizes, depending on [...]
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It’s lovely to see that Frank Laino - interviewed on this blog and a past winner of the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence Top Concierge Worldwide award - has just joined Twitter. Frank has been head concierge at The Stafford, currently celebrating 100 years in hospitality, for 11 years. He must have countless interesting, funny or downright outrageous stories to [...]
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The Stafford London has just embarked on a year-long celebration of its 100th Birthday. The luxury hotel has decided to use the whole of 2012 – already a year of momentous celebration thanks to the Olympiad and Diamond Jubilee – to commemorate 100 years, since the exact opening date of the hotel is debatable. A listing in [...]
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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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