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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The Savoy
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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The problem with London hotels in the past wasn’t always that the food was unexciting; quite a few hotels had extremely good chefs working for them. No, the problem was that the ambience was unexciting – ancient waiters in dinner jackets, rooms that hadn’t been redecorated since the Duke of Wellington’s day and a rather starchy [...]
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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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For two weeks in summer 2012, London’s hotels will become the most desirable real estate in the world. Thousands will flock to enjoy the world-renowned spectacle that is these quadrennial games, happening in the UK capital for the first time since 1948. You can’t be sluggish in booking a hotel for the London Olympics, as [...]
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Wimbledon fever has begun and London hotels are getting involved whether it’s afternoon tea, 3D TV or good old strawberries and cream. Those who weren’t lucky enough to score tickets for the court should visit the Park Plaza Victoria London for the next best thing. The hotel’s bar will be screening the Wimbledon singles finals [...]
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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 afternoon teas in the capital based on the in-depth anonymous inspections carried out by the UK Tea Guild. Today we delve deeper and compare this top 17 [...]
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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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There is no doubt that new luxury hotels have a fascinating allure…and as the countdown to the London 2012 Olympics continues, it seems the UK capital may be heading into a golden era of ultra-deluxe hospitality. According to accountancy firm PwC, 18 luxury London hotels are currently being developed, creating an estimated 2,400 additional rooms [...]
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A hotel is usually a product of its location. At Rafayel on the Left Bank however, they’ve turned this idea around; they have built the hotel and are now creating the location around it. In fact, it’s one of a breed of quality London hotels in slightly edgy areas. The name is clever, evoking a [...]
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London has some of the world’s finest luxury hotels – with “luxury” defined as much by great service as by architecture, location or comfort. And as any successful hotel manager will tell you – the key to a thriving hotel is the quality of its staff. But what specifically do top London hotels look for [...]
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The Langham is one of an elite group of London hotels with a deep sense of history as our old black and white photos of the hotel illustrate. And it’s also famous for serving a historic afternoon tea – which is still winning awards for best London afternoon tea even today. Here we recap “20 [...]
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Not content with outshining rival luxury London hotels with its £220m renovation and some of the city’s most expensive suites, the Savoy also appears to have taken its pick of some of London’s best hospitality talent. Avid watchers of the new fly-on-the-wall Savoy documentary which has just been shown on UK television will already be [...]
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I’ve often heard that if you want to pick a good Chinese restaurant, pick one with plenty of Chinese customers. On that basis, I reckon, if you want to know a good cocktail bar, you should ask a bartender. Since I was already being taught how to make a decent cocktail by Warryn at the [...]
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Since launching at the end of July 2010, the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme (more commonly referred to as “Boris Bikes” after the charismatic London Mayor) has proved extremely popular amongst Londoners, with over 500,000 trips made in the first six weeks alone. Visitors to the capital can now also make use of the scheme’s 5,000+ [...]
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London Hotels Insight has already featured a good selection of the most eco-friendly London hotels and it’s now time to do a recap of the very best. We’ve only listed hotels that have won rigorous external awards for their environmentally-friendly approach (such as from the Visit Britain Green Tourism Business Scheme) or have supplied us [...]
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London’s ultra-deluxe hotels currently fall into two camps: those which provide free WiFi and those that don’t. In my view, WiFi charges in luxury hotels are especially unforgivable when your room already costs hundreds of pounds a night. It’s all explained in my open letter to the hotel industry. A recent survey showed that WiFi [...]
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