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.

Which London hotels are officially COOL?

January 3, 2012
The May Fair Hotel

The winners of the annual COOL Venues Awards, developed in 2007 by Wesley Mendy of Prestige Events magazine, were announced recently. Winners are chosen in a rather unique way looking at whether or not a venue is “COOL” enough to attract guests to RSVP to an invitation and actually turn up at the event, as well as how exciting [...]

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New trends in hotels set to roll on in 2012.

January 2, 2012
Town Hall Hotel Bathroom

With another year having flown by, I thought I’d have a go at trying to work out which new trends will stick and which will sink without trace… There are some indisputably major trends – I suppose the boutique hotel has been one of the bigger trends, as well as the expansion into hotels by luxury brands such as Bulgari.  [...]

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London boutique hotels round-up – Dec. 2011.

December 30, 2011
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It’s been a packed year of developments, openings and promotions for London boutique hotels in 2011 and December was no exception. With the New Year almost upon us, we take a look at some of the most newsworthy items to emerge in the past month, as well as some exciting prospects for 2012 and beyond. [...]

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The Lanesborough celebrates 20 years.

December 30, 2011
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On our recent visit to The Lanesborough for a free WiFi touchdown, we were informed that the hotel has published a book to commemorate its 20 years since opening, in which the ultra-deluxe property has “made itself worthy of its proud name and history.”  As London hotel reporters, we were excited to get our own copies of the book which elaborates engagingly on [...]

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Radisson Edwardian Heathrow’s stunning chandeliers: photo blog.

December 29, 2011
Radisson Edwardian Heathrow

On a recent visit to the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow for a free Wifi touchdown, we couldn’t help but notice its assortment of beautiful chandeliers.  The hotel, which prides itself on being the antithesis of typical Heathrow airport hotels, is decked out with opulent, glamorous furnishings - and its grand chandeliers are the icing on the cake. The bold [...]

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Interview with sous chef at London Bridge Hotel.

December 28, 2011
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LHI: Thank you for taking us behind the scenes at the Quarter Bar while preparing the lunch we’ve just ordered during our free WiFi  touchdown at the London Bridge Hotel today.  How long have you worked here? Adrian: I have worked here for three years.  Before working at London Bridge Hotel I was working as [...]

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London hotels go Sherlock Holmes crazy!

December 27, 2011
Sherlock Holmes London

With the new Guy Ritchie movie “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” recently having been released, it’s time to look at some related London hotel deals and murder mystery games that you can participate in. The Langham Hotel - commemorated in several Sherlock Holmes stories including “A Scandal in Bohemia” - offers guests the opportunity to retrace the [...]

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Recent reviews praise Mercer Street Hotel.

December 26, 2011
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The refurbished Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street (previously called Radisson Edwardian Mountbatten) has undergone a massive facelift and recent guests have been raving about it. A very satisfied guest of the hotel, Tripadvisor 42Sara said: “Excellent hotel, in a fantastic location with superb staff… We will definitely be returning to this hotel and I cannot recommend [...]

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Review of L’Albufera at Meliá White House.

December 23, 2011
Albufera Restaurant at Melia White House

Having heard great things about L’Albufera, the Spanish restaurant located in the Meliá White House Hotel I was keen to try it.  I recently did just that and am happy to say it lives up to its reputation. Check the best rate for the Melia White House from 30+ hotel booking sites The restaurant is [...]

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Jingle bells at London hotels.

December 22, 2011
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It’s Christmas time.  Time for singing carols, eating too many mince pies and drinking too much mulled wine.  And also time for London hotels to put up Christmas trees. London hotels traditionally vie with each other for the best trees.  Claridges has hired Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz to create a tree that really is ‘glitz to the [...]

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Free WiFi touchdown @ Apex City of London.

December 21, 2011
Free WiFi Apex City of London

We recently visited the Apex City of London to test the free WiFi and were soon joined by three Apex duckies to keep us entertained.  But when we looked away for a moment to enjoy the hotel’s contemporary and yet friendly vibe (we’ve previously blogged a proper review of Apex City), the ducks playfully hijacked our camera and took pictures of themselves around [...]

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Going for festive gold at Vista.

December 20, 2011
Vista at Trafalgar Hotel

One of our favourite rooftop bars, Vista at The Trafalgar Hotel has created a special festive menu running throughout December.  The ‘Five Gold Rings’ menu features three cocktails and two food dishes, all topped with 23 carat gold!  Every Winter the popular Summer venue is transformed into a Winter Wonderland complete with a dome cover [...]

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How to make a hotel, by Tune Liverpool Street.

December 19, 2011
Tune Liverpool Street

Tune Hotels has taken to Twitter to give followers an exclusive insight into the behind the scenes run-up to a hotel opening.  The budget hotel chain‘s new property in the City of London, located just 500m from Liverpool Street station, has been flying up as you can see from the snaps… The hotel’s rooms are nearly [...]

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Review of pudding party at The Athenaeum.

December 16, 2011
The Athenaeum

The Athenaeum is well-known as one of London’s most family-friendly hotels.  Last week however, they invited a group of bloggers including us to engage in some very adult pleasures as the photo above illustrates…and boy we certainly made the most of it (though only once an initial tortuous standoff in which nobody dared make the first move [...]

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Free WiFi touchdown @ Radisson Edwardian Guildford.

December 15, 2011
Radisson Edwardian Guildford

A few months ago, I witnessed the birth of a new luxury hotel when visiting the brand new Radisson Edwardian Guildford the day before it opened. Yesterday, a colleague and I revisited the same property – now established as one of the top luxury hotels in Guildford – as part of our ongoing free WiFi touchdown campaign. This [...]

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Top 6 London hotel Christmas trees.

December 15, 2011
Christmas trees London hotels

London’s hotels have upped their game this year when it comes to their Christmas tree offerings.  Whether you like traditional, gaudy, chic or simple, there’s something for every taste.  Here I run down my six favourites, in no particular order… 1. Claridge’s Lanvin tree Fashion powerhouse Lanvin’s Creative Director, Alber Elbaz, personally designed the Claridge’s [...]

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