LONDON’S LATEST

The Business Traveller team checks out the UK capital’s newest openings and revamps

THE BILTMORE MAYFAIR

 e Biltmore opened a er an 18-month closure and £60 million refurbishment that transformed the former Millennium Grosvenor Square into only the second of Hilton’s new luxury hotel brand, LXR. It joins the Habtoor Palace Dubai (the former St Regis), with a third property also now open in Anguilla.  e hotel has two entrances, one on Grosvenor Square and the other around the back on Adam’s Row, where valet parking is available and from where the event facilities can be accessed directly.  e property is in a rough T-shape, with the top of the T facing on to the square. It looks very luxurious, with a liveried doorman waiting to welcome you in. From the main reception you can see the entrance to the Pine Bar, plus the Tea Lounge and the Betterment restaurant and bar.  e 307 rooms (including 57 suites) are set over seven  oors and are in three main colour schemes – blue, green and rust red. All feature pale block  ooring and a décor of neutral opulence, with natural, hessian-style wallpaper, painted wood panelling and Chinese-style etched mirrors.  ere are 17 categories at present (I was told these may be reduced to make booking simpler), which range from the 22 sqm Double Deluxe room to the 160 sqm Presidential suite. Some suites on the eighth  oor are duplex.  e large sash windows of our 43 sqm King Grand Premier with View room overlooked Grosvenor Square. It had a wooden-framed super-king bed, a sitting area with a brown velvet, art deco-style sofa, and a desk with power and USB points. A curved cabinet housed a minibar, Nespresso machine and kettle.  e marble bathroom had a tub, a power shower, a Japanese-style toilet and Penhaligon’s amenities.  e Betterment is by Jason Atherton, who is in charge of all of the hotel’s food and beverage, including banqueting and room service.  e restaurant is excellent – quite a stark space in terms of design, but the food is top notch.  e Pine Bar o ers more than 100 whiskies, and the Tea Lounge is a relaxing spot that we used a er our meal.  e Biltmore has one of the best hotel gyms I’ve seen in central London – large and with great technology, such as an exercise room with a TV wall where exercise classes are beamed through for you to join in.  e meeting facilities are extensive and include a 500 sqm ballroom that seats 320 people for dinner.

VERDICT The refurbishment has upgraded the hotel to a new standard, and the food and beverage help it to stand out from some strong competition, as does the service. Highly recommended. Tom Otley

BELOW: King Grand Premier with View room; the Betterment

THE STANDARD LONDON

Hip US brand The Standard opened its first overseas outpost in King’s Cross last July. It has hotels in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, and has since launched in the Maldives.

The hotel is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annexe – a 1974 Brutalist office block opposite the St Pancras Renaissance hotel on Euston Road, although the entrance is on Argyle Street. It is steps from King’s Cross St Pancras and St Pancras International stations. The retro curves of its concrete façade are a striking sight. Three floors have been built on while a scarlet pill-shaped external lift to Decimo restaurant on the top (tenth) level has been added.

The bold, colourful interiors pay homage to the seventies period. At the heart of the ground-floor public area is the Library Lounge, a good-looking, low-lit space with slouchy leather sofas and tables that attract laptop-wielding types by day and cocktail drinkers by night. This is the site of the former Camden Council Library, and the in-house librarian has clearly had fun sourcing books for the shelves, which are compiled under categories such as “Order” and “Chaos”, “Hope” and “Darkness”, and “Adult relationships”. You’ll find Sounds Studio here, too, a recording booth that hosts weekly live music, DJ sets and talks.

The 266 rooms and suites are in 11 categories, starting with 13 sqm Singles, 19-26 sqm Cosy Cores (windowless but well designed) and 16-19 sqm Queen’s Standards. The top categories are on the eighth and ninth floors and include King’s Terrace (28-37 sqm, with outdoor baths) and the 68 sqm Suite Terraces, which have a further 62-64 sqm of outdoor space with superb views. These floors feature light wood accents, while most other categories have red, blue and purple colour schemes and bed throws by Wallace Sewell, designer of the Tube seat fabric.

All have brown robes, Italian bedlinen, well-stocked minibars, Bang and Olufsen speakers, and desks or tables to work at. Guests in higher categories can avail of Stutterheim raincoats and turndown service.

The bed in my fifth-floor King’s Superior (33-37 sqm) was placed in the centre of the room, looking out at the neo-gothic St Pancras Renaissance, with bay window seating for enjoying the view. The open-plan bathroom had a walk-in shower and freestanding tub. Curves featured heavily in the design, reflecting the façade, and the soundproofing was excellent.

Food and drink is a big focus. All-day restaurant Isla and Double Standard bar are both led by executive chef Adam Rawson. The former

serves an à la carte breakfast and seasonal British coastal cuisine, and has an outdoor terrace (with an original Banksy). The latter is a lively spot serving a wide range of beverages, pub fare and “NYC dive bar food”.

Decimo, led by Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias, cooks up live-fire Spanish and Mexican dishes in a large, glamorous space on the tenth floor with fabulous 360-degree views, partially obscured by swishing macramé curtains. We had a great meal here, trying sweet, smoky marinated red peppers presented tartare-style (£5), punchy crab and jalapeno aguachile (£22) and beautifully cooked monkfish (£18). The atmosphere was warm and social, and the service, as throughout the property, was friendly and helpful. The gym has Technogym kit and Peloton bikes (a spare bike can be put in eighth- and ninth-floor rooms).

FROM TOP: Decimo; Queen of Queens room; Library Lounge

VERDICT Fantastic to look at and fun to stay in, this is an excellent addition to the London hotel scene, and a good stopover for business travellers catching the Eurostar. Michelle Harbi

SOFITEL LONDON ST JAMES

Located on the corner of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place, the Sofitel has been open since 2002, when the Grade II-listed building was converted from a bank. It is now moving towards a refurbishment of all of its rooms (suites are yet to come) by Pierre-Yves Rochon, who originally designed them. The public areas are grand yet understated, and the staff extremely friendly and professional.

The room count is now 183 (it was originally 166), with entry-level Classics being 23 sqm. There are six floors, and the soundproofing is remarkable. Rochon has gone for “a bold British design scheme that recalls the creative, dynamic feel of the 1960s and 1970s” with “striking colours, modern pop art pieces and whimsical accents and accessories”. There are three colour schemes, green, red or blue. Distinctive chairs are mixed with art deco pieces, which is quite ambitious, while the bathrooms, corridors and public areas are traditional. I think the hotel should get full marks for not treading the same path as other luxury hotels, but I’m not sure all of these different influences gel.

All rooms have Smeg kettles, Nespresso machines, Roberts radio alarm clocks, very comfortable beds and good work tables. Bathrooms are very high end with Hermes toiletries.

Previously called Balcon, the restaurant is now Wild Honey St James, an evolution of Anthony Demetre’s now-closed Wild Honey in Mayfair. It’s very good – the food is tasty, in good-sized portions and with an imaginative mix of ingredients and influences. My English seabass, wild mushrooms, white beans, cobnuts and thyme and lemon (£35) was delicious. The bar is an attractive place with a wide choice of beverages. The Rose Lounge is very pink, and presumably an exercise in kitsch, with a harpist playing while people had afternoon tea and drinks.

The meeting space can be accessed by a separate door next to the hotel, as can the two-floor spa (there is no pool). The small gym looks a little like an afterthought but is stylishly lit.

VERDICT A sumptuous renovation, but it is the service and the bar and restaurant that really makes the hotel stand out from the crowd. Tom Otley

TREEHOUSE LONDON

Open since November, this property is operated by SH Hotels and Resorts, which also has the 1 Hotels and Baccarat Hotels brands. Treehouse London is the first of its kind, and “has been designed to appeal to the child in all of us… playful, curious, rustic and nostalgic, inspired by simple joys”. It’s on Langham Place, across the street from the BBC and just north of Oxford Circus.

For me, checking in here was a blast from the past, since this was the hotel I stayed in for my first visit to London in the early 1980s. I can’t remember what brand it was back then, but most recently it has been the Saint George’s hotel. On the ground floor you walk through Backyard, a coffee shop, then take the lift to the 15th floor for reception and for Madera, the hotel’s bar and restaurant.

The hotel is very eco-friendly, down to the recycled wood used in the furnishings and room keys. It has a composting and recycling programme and is reducing single-use plastics. On each corridor is an old-style copper tap where filtered water is available – each room has a glass bottle to fill up.

The ceilings look like rough concrete but, in fact, these are a rendering, as are the plaster walls. There’s an emphasis on whimsy and

FROM TOP: Studio suite, rooftop bar and lobby at Treehouse London

nostalgia in the design – on hooks by the lifts were a bright yellow hat and mackintosh, as if Paddington Bear had just left them there.

The 95 rooms, which include 12 suites, are on floors nine to 14 and range from 23 sqm Lookout Kings to 40 sqm suites. They have long, thin desks of recycled wood (or made to look that way), and many have window cushions for enjoying the view, which from the front, overlooking All Souls Place, is stunning. Each room has a coffee machine, organic cotton bedlinen and refillable own-brand toiletries.

Other touches include yellow cuckoo clocks, “lucky” giant eight

balls, piggy banks and, in some rooms, record players. The shower was large and powerful. The myriad lights allow you to enjoy the view in the evening but it was a bit of an effort when going to bed, since I couldn’t find the master switch.

Fine-dining Mexican restaurant Madera uses organic ingredients and has a “farm-to-glass” mixology programme. The food is delicious, with a huge choice and an excellent vegetarian and vegan menu. The service was very assured. Even breakfast has a Mexican theme, although English items are also available. There are a couple of meeting rooms, while on the 16th floor is a rooftop bar and terrace called the Nest, with 360-degree views of central London plus a tandem swing set, blankets and a DJ booth disguised as a treehouse fort.

There is no gym, although the hotel has arranged rates at nearby club Frame Fitzrovia.

VERDICT A real find – quirky yet well run, with the right focus on environmental issues and design without it getting in the way of being a great place to stay in an unbeatable West End location. Tom Otley

THE PRINCE AKATOKI LONDON

These seven adjoining Georgian townhouses on Great Cumberland Place near Marble Arch originally opened as the Arch London hotel in 2010. It reopened as the Prince Akatoki London in September last year after being taken over by Japan’s Prince Hotels and Resorts and converted to the group’s new luxury brand following a complete refurbishment. It is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

While the layout of the Arch has been largely retained, the property has been transformed and the Japanese

influence is instantly noticeable. Bursting into the lobby on a cold December night, I was met by a flickering gas fire, a subtle eucalyptus scent and a smiling member of staff, who quickly handed me a glass of hot sparkling sake. I thought the blondewood reception desks, wooden lamps and screens, warm lighting and grey vases with simple branch decorations looked lovely.

There are 82 rooms, from 21 sqm Superiors to 58 sqm suites, all featuring yoga mats, desks, Nespresso machines, Japanese teapots with fresh chamomile, Bluetooth speakers/alarms, and traditional yukata robes that are laid out at turndown. Higher floors have a nice view of the surrounding rooftops.

I said “wow” out loud when I walked into my 44 sqm Studio suite – partly because I hadn’t realised how far the townhouses extended, but also because I loved the minimalist design. Everything was there that you would normally find in a hotel room, and yet it felt different in subtle ways – the clean lines of the furniture, all of which was slightly raised up from the floor and some of which looked as Scandinavian as it did Japanese; the floating side tables with a pink box for the TV remote; the simple artwork subtly referencing Mount Fuji; and the soft lighting that made the whole room almost glow. There was a very nice bathroom (although this had not been renovated) with Malin and Goetz toiletries, plus a kitchenette and small patio.

The two food and drink venues are Tokii, a Japanese restaurant, and the Malt, a Japanese-style bar. I had an excellent meal at Tokii. It’s trendy and upmarket, but neither quality is overbearing. A plate of five sashimi (£17) was fresh and delicious, and the small dishes we tried – crispy quail eggs with mustard mayo (£4) and ox cheek croquettes (£9) – were decadent and flavoursome. The drinks menu is extensive, with dozens of Japanese whiskies. The lower ground floor has a gym and meeting room.

ABOVE: Deluxe room at the Prince Akatoki

VERDICT The refurbishment of the property is gorgeous and the restaurant and bar are excellent. It would be suitable for business, thanks to the central location and good wifi, but extra touches made my weekday stay feel like a special occasion – the delicious sake on arrival, changing into my yukata after a bath, and being sent on my way with a scented flannel and smoothie. Jenni Reid

BELOW: The Hoxton’ Southwarks Seabird restaurant

THE HOXTON SOUTHWARK

After French and US expansion over the past three years, the Hoxton returned to home turf in September with its third property in the capital. It’s on Blackfriars Road, two minutes’ walk from Southwark tube station.

Stepping into the 14-storey newbuild felt particularly inviting on a chilly December late afternoon, with its glowing lighting and warm buzz. The ground-floor public area is open plan, with reception ahead to the left, all-day restaurant Albie on the far left, a bar on the right, and further seating for relaxing and working in the middle. There’s also a street-side terrace. Black steel-framed windows let in plenty of light while lots of greenery, exposed brick and framed art creates an organic, relaxed feel. Staff are welcoming and keen to help.

The hotel is doing well at attracting the local community to this space – there was a nice hum of activity with people eating, socialising or tapping on laptops. A mezzanine bar works as an overflow area for drinks or one-toones when downstairs is busy.

The 192 rooms are on floors one to six (the Hoxton’s new co-working space, Working From, opens this month on levels seven to 12). The categories are Shoebox (average size 15 sqm), Snug (16 sqm), Cosy (17-21 sqm), Roomy (21-26 sqm) and Biggy (35 sqm) – the first three of which have queen beds and the other two super-kings. Comfortable and well designed to maximise space, they combine industrial-chic exposed brick, concrete ceilings and brass light fittings with softer touches such as deep-ruby velvet headboards, pale green wooden panelling and floral tapestry cushions.

All have wooden floors, a table to work at, 42-inch TVs, Roberts digital radios, handheld steamers, tea and coffee, and fridges (you can buy drinks from reception). A free breakfast bag with orange juice, a pastry from St John Bakery and an apple is provided. Bathrooms have decent walk-in showers and the Hoxton’s Blank refillable toiletries. My third-floor room was peaceful with a pleasant view taking in high rises, a pub, tennis courts and the top of the London Eye.

Albie serves an à la carte breakfast and an all-day menu inspired by the French and Italian Riviera. Seabird is a seafood restaurant that offers what it claims is London’s longest oyster list. It’s a great-looking space with an open kitchen, raw bar and super views from the covered outdoor terrace. Small plates such as octopus roll with padron peppers and sobrasada aioli in a brioche bun (£14.50) were excellent, and our main for two, New Haven whole John Dory (£58), was grilled perfectly and had a zesty mojo verde.

The Apartment event space has six attractive rooms and a communal Pantry area. Guests can use the Bankside Fit Hub gym for £10, or the Thames is nearby for a South Bank jog.

VERDICT A good-value, stylish and buzzy hotel that boasts well thought-out rooms and a great top-floor restaurant. Michelle Harbi

LUKE HAYES

ABOVE: One of the Stratford’s roof terraces

THE STRATFORD

Managed by the Manhattan Loft Corporation, which redeveloped the St Pancras Renaissance hotel in King’s Cross, the Stratford is an ambitious new-build that opened in July. A 145- room hotel occupies the first seven of its 42 floors, with 248 furnished loft apartments taking up the rest.

Located adjacent to Stratford International station – from where a high-speed Javelin takes you to St Pancras International in six minutes and the DLR allows easy access to London City airport – the 143 metrehigh double-cantilevered tower offers great city views and overlooks Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Floors seven, 25 and 36 have roof terraces cut out from the building.

Revolving entrance doors take you into the all-day Stratford Brasserie, an impressive triple-height restaurant and bar that acts as the lobby, providing a lively introduction. Paul Cocksedge’s monochrome sculpture, Murmuration, hangs from the ceiling.

The seven room categories range from 23 sqm Standard to the 65 sqm Manhattan Studio, all with floor-toceiling windows. Large rooms and above have lounge areas. The stoneclad bathrooms have rainshowers

stairs sets the tone, preparing you for a night of cocktails and DJ sets.

On the seventh floor is fine-dining restaurant Allegra, which has a fashionable bar and terrace, referred to as the Sky Terrace, with fantastic views of the London skyline. There are four meeting rooms and a 24-hour gym offering various classes.

ABOVE: The Stratford’s Manhattan Studio LEFT: Allegra restaurant

BELOW: Studio suite

and Ren toiletries, with Studios also having tubs.

The interiors, by Space Copenhagen, are Scandi-chic, with pastel colours and timber elements. Gold accents jazz up the handcrafted oak desk, bed frame and light fixtures. The comfortable bed has a grey curved headboard and a soft Italian woven throw. There are plenty of USB ports and plug sockets, and the TV has Sky Entertainment and Google Chromecast. Along with a well-stocked minibar, there’s a Dualit coffee machine (Studios have Nespresso machines) and East India Company tea.

Stratford Brasserie serves seasonal European dishes from its open kitchen, plus an à la carte breakfast. Guests can choose from classic burgers and steaks, and replace starters with a selection of snacks – I recommend the Romero pepper with anchovies and salsa verde on charred sourdough (£5).

Next to the brasserie is an alpinelike lounge area with an open fire and soaring ceilings. The Mezzanine lounge overlooks this space but is discreetly hidden behind a curtain near check-in, giving it an air of exclusivity. Purple lighting on the

VERDICT This is a great designoriented luxury addition to up-and-coming Stratford, which is set to blossom over the next few years with the arrival of Crossrail and outposts of the V&A and Sadler’s Wells. Hannah Brandler

of Holmes-inspired collector’s items, artworks and antiques, but it has all been done tastefully and complements the modern furniture and furnishings from leading design studios, including Tom Dixon and Danish company Muuto.

The property is an amalgamation of four Georgian buildings, resulting in lots of rooms throughout the ground floor where you can relax, admire the scenery and look for “clues” that have been dotted around.

No two guestrooms are exactly the same, but the inventory is divided into eight categories, from Cosy(15-18 sqm) and Superior (18-21 sqm) to the Townhouse Loft Suites, which offer 50 sqm of living space across two floors, with roll-top baths and record players.

HOLMES HOTEL LONDON

This hotel is part of Park Plaza Hotels and Resorts, which is one of the brands of the Radisson Hotel Group and has eight properties in London. Previously known as the Sherlock Holmes hotel, following a recent refurbishment it has been renamed Holmes Hotel London, retaining its link to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional private detective and Baker Street resident. It’s located a couple of minutes’ walk from Baker Street station, with the main entrance on Chiltern Street.

Any preconceptions I might have had about themed hotels were quickly assuaged when I stepped into the stylish reception area, where staff were sitting behind low desks, and I was offered a refreshing cucumber and mint tea. Yes, the hotel is full

My Heritage Deluxe room (21-25 sqm) had high ceilings and large windows overlooking Baker Street. It also had a desk, a digital radio, Nespresso machine, plush grey robes and Gilchrist and Soames amenities. Décor was bright and minimal, with light wood flooring and splashes of yellow. The furnishings felt high-end.

New all-day restaurant and bar Kitchen at Holmes is a homely space with its own entrance. My Scottish scallop starter was refreshing with a good mix of sweet and savoury flavours, while my king crab salad was packed with juicy chunks of crab, crunchy sweetcorn and a hint of tabasco. Signature cocktails include Sherlock’s Pipe, served in a pipe-shaped glass and containing Talisker, Johnnie Walker Black, smoked Martini Rubino, Campari, and Pimento Dram liqueur. There are three meeting spaces and a stylish gym called Piggy Doyle’s.

ABOVE: Wilde Superior Studio

VERDICT For Sherlock fans, this hotel is a treasure trove of artwork and memorabilia, but even if you’re not, Holmes Hotel London is a stylish, well thoughtout property with an excellent restaurant and bar. A great choice if you’re looking for a Marylebone base. Mark Caswell

BELOW FROM LEFT:

Reception area andbar at Kitchen at Holmes Hotel

WILDE APARTHOTEL BY STAYCITY COVENT GARDEN

Dublin-based Staycity has a portfolio of nearly 3,000 apartments across the UK and Europe with more in the pipeline. It offers hotel rooms, studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments across its Staycity Aparthotels and premium Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity brands. Most have kitchens/kitchenettes, dining and sitting areas, free wifi, guest laundry and weekly housekeeping. Many offer car parking, gyms, guest lounges and Staycafés selling breakfast, light lunch, and all-day snacks and drinks. Wilde Aparthotel in Covent Garden was the first of the Wilde properties to open, in 2018. It has since been joined by aparthotels in Edinburgh and Berlin.

The entrance is off the Strand on Adam Street, although some rooms have views on to the Strand. I had checked in beforehand so should have been able to use the touchscreen to get my key, but there was a problem with the system that was quickly sorted out by the receptionist. Subject to availability, the hotel offers free early check-in and late check-out if you book direct; otherwise it costs £10 per hour.

The 106 rooms range from Wilde Sleep Zone Studios (14 sqm), which are in the basement and have no windows, to 22 sqm studio apartments. My Wilde Studio (18 sqm) had a wooden floor and a raised Hypnos bed with three drawers, which were good for storage and housed a safe and ironing board. There was a 43-inch smart TV, free wifi, and a bedside panel for the lights and blackout blind. One unit had a large fold-down desk with plug points, and two wooden chairs were folded up beneath some hangers. The small kitchenette had an electric hob, a fridge, a dishwasher and a Smeg toaster and kettle. There was a Grohe rainshower in the bathroom.

There is no restaurant, but the hotel has an arrangement with nearby American steakhouse Smith and Wollensky to serve breakfast (£15). There is a room service menu but supermarkets are nearby for buying food. The hotel can arrange day passes at a local gym and has started a running club for guests and local businesses, with a double circuit around St James Park of about 5km.

VERDICT This was excellent value for money for a quietly luxurious stay in a great central location. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable and really added to the overall experience, making this a welcoming home from home. Tom Otley

GREAT SCOTLAND YARD HOTEL

Open since December, this fivestar property is the first of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection in the UK, joining five others in Europe. While it is in a central location just off Whitehall and only two minutes from Trafalgar Square, it is off the main roads so is quiet and feels like a secret find.

Behind the attractive, if not outstanding, façade of Edwardian red brick and Portland stone, the building’s history has been used to create a whole design theme. Until 1890 it was the HQ of the London Metropolitan Police and so there are references to everyone from Sherlock Holmes to the Kray twins. From 1910 it housed the British Army Recruitment Office and Royal Military Police, and more recently it was used by the Ministry of Defence.

Look up as you enter and you’ll see a sculpture of a deconstructed clock with the time stopped at 6 o’clock, which apparently is the time that author Lewis Carroll was interviewed here as a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case. Down some stairs are comfy sofas and one of more than 600 artworks in the hotel – a large piece by Nicola Green made up of silhouettes of people whose lives have been touched by or passed through the British criminal justice system.

Glass cabinets in the lobby house a police helmet, old truncheon and whistles, as well as a barrister’s wig and mug shots of criminals from yesteryear. It’s interesting in a bizarre sort of way.

The 152 rooms are on five floors, with more than a dozen categories, all gathered around a courtyard and offering a variety of views. Few are large; entry-level King rooms are 16 sqm and have good-quality furnishings, a neutral colour palette and quirky design, including doors with the Met crest on them and blue veneered nightstands (another reference to the police). Some have wall-mounted bottle openers in the shape of a moustache or wardrobes concealed behind book-clad doors. Bathrooms feature art deco detailing and amenities from the Scottish Fine Soaps Company.

For a relatively small property, there is a wide choice of food and drink options. The Yard restaurant, under Robin Gill, serves excellent modern British cuisine, while the 40 Elephants bar is named after a 19th-century gang of female robbers and has a cocktail menu inspired by William Terrington’s Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks, dating back to 1869 and believed to be the oldest book on British cocktails. The service in both is great. There’s also speakeasystyle whisky bar Sibin, and the Indianinspired Parlour tea lounge.

The hotel has a well-equipped basement gym, although there isn’t a spa. Also on the lower level is a meetings area called Grace and Favour.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

LEFT: Entrance to the 40 Elephants bar; hotel exterior; lobby seating; King Courtyard View room

VERDICT This is a superb fivestar luxury hotel with staff who provide attentive service, a lovely choice of bars and a must-visit restaurant. Tom Otley

Z COVENT GARDEN

Budget chain Z Hotels has ten properties in London plus more in Bath, Glasgow and Liverpool. It was set up by ex-Thistle Hotels chief executive Bev King and his business partners, and their knowledge of what works and what doesn’t means the hotels are a pleasure to stay at.

This property opened in November 2018, and is behind a red-brick façade in the centre of Covent Garden. After having difficulty finding the entrance and eventually having to phone to find out (it’s through some iron gates just off Bedford Street – if it is late at night, ring the bell by the side), I was checked in quickly. Each evening free wine and cheese are served from 5pm to 8pm – I arrived after this but was offered a complimentary glass. Drinks are also available for purchase. The café offers an extensive continental buffet breakfast from 6.30am (£7.50, or £9.50 with a hot item).

The 113 rooms have dark wood floors, white walls and synthetic suede headboards that continue along the side wall by the bed, important as the size of the rooms (from 8 sqm) means one side of the bed is against the wall – which requires some athleticism if there are two of you in the room.

Free filtered water is supplied in glass bottles, although the bathrooms (shower-only) still have single-use plastics for the combined shower and hair gel. Each room has tea and coffee facilities, a bedside panel for the blackout blinds and lights, and a 49-inch TV through which you can stream your own content via the fast and free wifi. There isn’t a wardrobe but there are plenty of hangers. Soundproofing is very good. There are 12 family rooms (12 sqm) with bunk beds for children.

VERDICT Another excellent addition to the Z portfolio. They are great value with friendly service. Tom Otley

Premier Inn launched its innovative brand Hub by Premier Inn in 2013, promising “the most high-tech and space-efficient rooms currently available in the UK”, with compact rooms up to 30 per cent cheaper than a comparable Premier Inn property in central London.

There are now eight Hubs in London’s zones 1 and 2, and three in Edinburgh. A 110-room Soho hotel is due to open in the spring.

This property opened in August last year on St Swithin’s Lane, a few minutes’ walk from Bank and Cannon Street stations. The small lobby has a self-service kiosk and a check-in desk manned by staff who also run the adjacent café-bar. A media wall features rolling news and London Underground updates.

There is a choice of Standard (11 sqm), Standard Twin (14 sqm) and Bigger (17 sqm) rooms, as well as Accessible. Bigger rooms have king beds and more space, but otherwise there’s not much difference. Décor is simple, light and bright, with a feature wall showing a map of London, and blackout blinds. Premier Inn has

HUB BY PREMIER INN LONDON CITY BANK

thought carefully about how to use the limited space to maximise storage. There is plenty of room under the bed for cases, plus a narrow hanging space by a full-length mirror, and coat hooks. At the end of the bed is a ledge where items can be left, and a small desk slides out from here for use with the armchair. Wifi is free and there were plenty of plugs and USB ports. An ironing board can be delivered. The bathroom was modern with a powerful shower.

The Lounge café-bar serves a buffet breakfast (£6) that includes hot and cold items, plus tea, coffee and juice. The main menu offers chicken or vegetable curry with rice (£6.99).

ABOVE: Z Inside Double room; the Z café

BELOW: Hub by Premier Inn Bigger room; the lobby and café-bar

VERDICT A great location for business travellers looking for access to the City of London. Rooms are compact but well equipped in terms of technology, with a good shower and a comfortable bed. Mark Caswell