8 minute read
Reality Check: We check out a glamorous new London hotel, a spacious apartment, Emirates Business Class and a
Reality check
THE HOTEL This 350-room 'super boutique' hotel, by Edwardian Hotels, opened with much fanfare in September 2021. It's 16 storeys high but only half are above ground level (due to height restrictions developers instead dug down). Developed to the tune of £500m, it's fast achieving its goal of reviving London's Leicester Square.
THE CHECK-IN The lobby-cum-bar, where live musicians play nightly, was buzzing with well-groomed millennials. The bold art, glamorous lighting and lofty ceilings are are an instagrammer's dream. It smells gorgeous too, thanks to Diptyque diffusers. The reception staff treated me like a celebrity. A great start.
THE ROOM Highlights include the orb-like doorknobs, Japanese Toto washlet toilets with heated seats, Dyson hairdryers, Steamery steamers, dressing-room lightbulbs around the bathroom mirror, a genius bedside digital concierge panel to control the lights, theatre binoculars, hand-picked art and the fabulous rooftop views.
THE BUSINESS The Londoner is quickly making its mark on the capital's meetings and conference scene thanks to its 6,000sq ft, pillar-less ballroom (for up to 850 guests), Green Room (up to 150), and seven other meeting rooms set over three floors and connected by a magnificent staircase. There are also two private screening rooms.
THE FACILITIES Hotel guests can hunker down at The Residence, split into three spaces: The Y Bar for cocktails, The Drawing Room for all-day complimentary antipasti, soft drinks, tea and coffee, and the intimate Whisky Room. The 'Retreat' spa has a classy pool and hydropool surrounded by super-sized cabanas, sauna and steam room, hair and nail salon and treatment rooms, the Refuel Bar for smoothies and juices and a sizeable gym. On the F&B side there's the fine dining Meditterean-inspired Whitcomb's (also for breakfast), the rooftop izakaya bar with a stunning terrace, the cosy Joshua’s Tavern, and The Stage, in the
HOTEL: THE LONDONER
THE HOTEL SMELLS GORGEOUS TOO, THANKS TO DIPTYQUE DIFFUSERS
lobby, for live music, champagne, oysters and afternoon tea. There's quirky, contemporary art everywhere, even in tiny peepholes in the lifts.
THE VERDICT A veritable tardis, The Londoner lives up to its billing as an 'urban resort' and you will leave wanting to go back for more. Excellent service too.
THE DETAILS 38 Leicester Square, London, thelondoner.com, rooms from £400 a night. Bev Fearis
THE BACKGROUND Blacklane offers intercity rides – one way, return or by the hour – and airport transfers. At the start of 2021 it introduced chauffeur hailing in 21 key cities, including London, New York, Paris and Berlin. Thanks to an investment in Havn, if you hail a Blacklane chauffeur-drive in London it will always be in an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE or Tesla. In other cities, Blacklane offsets all journeys.
THE BOOKING The online booking was fairly simple. I entered my pick-up details (Gatwick Airport) and my dropoff (my home). My exact home address wasn't recognised so I selected a nearby petrol station. I entered my preferred time and, reassuringly, the system told me that for an airport pick-up my chauffeur would wait 60 minutes free of charge (15 minutes for other journeys). Various options were offered, the cheapest being an S-Class Mercedes, BMW or similar or an electric car (Jaguar I-PACE or Tesla). I was then asked for my flight number, what I wanted on my pick-up sign, and any other notes for the driver. I was then directed to create an account (requiring all the usual details) and to enter card details for payment. Confirmation came by email.
PRE-JOURNEY On the evening of my flight, I received a text message confirming the time of pick-up and the name of my driver (Ali Zulfiqar). On touching down at Gatwick Airport, I received another message telling me Ali had arrived, alleviating any worries I might have had about being stranded.
THE PICK-UP Ali, smartly dressed, was waiting for me as I came through arrivals with a digital sign with the name I had requested (being a female travelling alone I had deliberatly not used my full name.) He greeted me politely and kindly wheeled my trolley bag through the airport, asking me if I'd had an enjoyable flight.
THE JOURNEY It was late and there was little traffic but Ali drove carefully and well within the speed limit. The S-Class Mercedes was the perfect
CHAUFFEUR DRIVE: BLACKLANE
A SMOOTH EXPERIENCE FROM THE BOOKING TO THE PRE-ARRIVAL ALERTS TO THE DRIVE ITSELF
temperature. We both wore face masks, as that was still required at the time, and had a really fascinating chat about his children (one is a maths genuis).
THE VERDICT A smooth experience from the booking and the reassuring prearrival alerts to the drive itself.
THE DETAILS Prices depend on the journey and are all-inclusive of taxes, tips and any tolls. blacklane.com
Bev Fearis
THE FLIGHT I flew Business Class on flight EK016 on an Airbus A380.
THE CHECK-IN It was a busy flight but multiple check-in desks were open, with First Class and Business Class passengers also directed to the first available Economy check-in desks. I was grateful for the Premium Security channel (£6 if not flying Business and you want to pay for it).
THE BOARDING Emirates’ spacious lounge is close to a W.H. Smith. Wi-Fi was speedy, there were plenty of power sockets and USB ports and a wide range of lunchtime food options included aubergine masala, vegan pasta and Moroccan spiced beef. Boarding was called 30 minutes before scheduled departure. It was a short walk to the gate and access to the plane was via a dedicated Business Class walkway.
THE SEAT Business Class was ‘upstairs’, in a 1 X 2 X 1 configuration. My forward-facing window seat, 23K, was super comfortable and felt very ‘private’. The premium-looking fittings, including leather covers, and the walnut-coloured, mock-wood panelling, reminded me of an executive jet. The seat was fully reclining and, once prone, had none of the bumps and ridges of other business seats. Slightly odd was the thin ‘popper’ mattress that couldn’t be affixed to the bed. For entertainment, a personal fixed (but removable) tablet was synced with the large screen in front, with easy access to a wide range of ICE channels. I found it a bit odd that movies were occasionally interrupted by a short Dubai tourism advert.
THE SERVICE The cabin was full so the drinks service was slow but many passengers filled up their glasses at the on-board lounge at the back of the upper deck, which is exclusively for First and Business Class passengers. Here a cheerful barman was struggling to keep up with requests for espresso martinis and gin and tonics. Lunch was very impressive, with cutlery wrapped in a white cloth napkin. I was disappointed that, although I was in one of the first
THE PREMIUMLOOKING FITTINGS... REMINDED ME OF AN EXECUTIVE JET
rows to be served, the ‘Arabic mezze’ starter was already unavailable but the charred sea bass was sensationally good.
THE VERDICT An ultra-relaxed and highly-enjoyable flight with entertainment, food and comfort levels you'd expect, but don’t always find, at a five-star hotel.
THE DETAILS One-Way Business Class fares, Gatwick-Dubai, from £2,494.95. emirates.com
Steve Hartridge
THE APARTMENT This is one of the latest apartments to be added to Flying Butler's London portfolio. It's an elegant Victorian townhouse in Kensington's prestigious Lexham Gardens, just off the Cromwell Road, under a 10-minute walk to Earl's Court and Gloucester Road tube stations, and with a mix of one- and two-bed apartments
THE CHECK-IN I had arranged a 'Meet & Greet' with Ponnusha, who had contacted me in advance to confirm a time and was waiting on the steps when I arrived. She gave me a very thorough tour of the apartment, paying particular attention to the coded entry system and the key box, instructing me to leave my keys there when I left the following morning. I was delighted with my VIP welcome pack, which included a small bottle of Proseoco, a box of chocolates and some White Company toiletries.
THE ROOMS I was one of the first guests to stay here so it was all still sparkly and new. Fabulously-tall windows (double-glazed) and high ceilings make the apartment feel really bright and spacious, especially the open-plan lounge/kitchen/dining room. The kitchen has a a dishwasher and a washer-dryer, a decent-sized fridge, oven, electric hob and a microwave. The lounge area has an L-shaped sofa and two armchairs, coffee tables, a flat screen TV on the wall and a few plants. It's modern but homely and has a nice view over a pretty, cobbled mews. The master bedroom has ample cupboard and wardrobe space, a dressing table with good lighting, and a super-comfy king-sized bed with a plush velvet bedrest. The second bedroom, a double, has a cute balcony. Compared to the rest of the apartment, the bathroom is small but was spotlessly clean, with a bath and built-in shower.
THE FACILITIES I set up my laptop on the large kitchen counter, which had conveniently-positioned power points. The Wi-Fi worked well. There's a Sainsbury’s supermarket just round the corner for all your essentials and a
APARTMENT: FLYING BUTLER KENSINGTON
FABULOUSLYTALL WINDOWS AND HIGH CEILINGS MAKE IT FEEL REALLY BRIGHT AND SPACIOUS
short walk away is Kensington High Street, which has plenty of shops, pubs, restaurants and cafés.
THE VERDICT With such a great location and feeling of spaciousness I would have happily stayed a few weeks, and I felt safe too.
THE DETAILS 9 Lexham Gardens London, flyingbutler.com, one-beds from £180 a night, two-beds from £280
