Peninsula vs Raffles: a promising match-up between these two legends of the luxury hotel industry. This September, London will be the scene of a beautiful battle, that of the best opening of the year in the British capital. While the two brands have traditionally competed in terms of excellence and VIP services, one thing is certain: the chain Peninsula wins for earliness with a scheduled opening date of 12 September in upmarket Belgravia. Overlooking Hyde Park Corner and the Wellington Arch, the Asian brand's hotel will offer travellers 190 luxurious rooms and suites with mahogany dressing rooms and spacious bathrooms.
Sophisticated, the Peninsula offers contemporary British elegance in its interiors, designed by architect Peter Marino. With works created by some forty artists from the Royal Drawing School, staff dressed by fashion designer Jenny Packham and made-to-measure fragrances by perfumer Timothy Han, the hotel showcases the best of British elegance. the best of British chic. As for travellers, they will find a host of top-of-the-range services, including a fleet of Rolls Royce cars, as London is obliged to do.
On the restaurant front, its Lobby is ready to welcome guests throughout the day, particularly at Afternoon Tea time, while the host also offers a Cantonese table and a rooftop restaurant serving British cuisine, Brooklands, run by Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi. But the Peninsula also aims to be a top-class meeting place. From next year, the hotel's offer will be completed by an events area with a large ballroom that can accommodate banquets for 450 guests, along with several other meeting and banqueting rooms and a private cinema with 15 seats.
When it comes to comparisons, the Peninsula is housed in a new building with clean lines designed by Hopkins Architects. Raffles with regard to the historical significance of the site. His base: The OWO, the Old War Office, frequented in its day by Winston Churchill as well as spies from MI5 and MI6. A landmark in the Whitehall district, its Edwardian style has been showcased in numerous James films, from Octopussy to No Time To Die.
It took eight years of work to convert this historic heritage into luxury hospitality. Hundreds of craftsmen were called in to refurbish the period features, including the majestic marble staircase, mosaic floors and oak panelling, the metamorphosis of the former ministry of war was entrusted to architect Thierry Despont. A benchmark. Thierry Despont, who died this summer, was famous in the United States for his work with clients such as Bill Gates, Ralph Lauren and Michael Douglas, and for supervising the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the Ritz in Paris.
The result will be a hotel that lives up to the Raffles name and its legendary Singapore palace. When it opens on Friday 29 September, the hotel managed by the luxury brand held by the Accor group will offer 120 rooms and suites, the most exclusive of which will be housed in the Whitehall Wing. Occupying the west wing of the building, this complex of six suites takes its name from a part of the history of the 20th centurye century by transforming the former offices of Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George into a residence for a dozen ultra VIP clients.
Whitehall Wing encompasses the former Army Council Chamber, which has been converted into the Churchill Suite. the office of Britain's most famous prime minister became the Haldane Suite, in honour of the Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912, complete with a mahogany dining table for six. As for the 'old lion's' beloved wife, Clementine, a majestic suite was also dedicated to her, with the privilege for its occupants of watching the changing of the guard through the windows.
A flavour of history, atmosphere, but these relics of bygone days are combined with all the services that today's wealthy tourists can expect, including a 2,500 m2 Guerlain spa with a 20 m long swimming pool and nine treatment rooms. As for dining, there is a plethora to choose from, with nine restaurants and three bars, including a spectacular rooftop offering panoramic views over St James's Park, the Mall and Buckingham Palace.
To this end, the hotel has teamed up with Mauro Colagreco to create three popular venues: a signature restaurant, the Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWOMauro's Table, an intimate 23-cover restaurant, as well as overseeing the hotel's Mediterranean restaurant, Saison. In addition to this partnership with the three-star chef from Mirazur in Menton, the Raffles at The OWO will offer four other independent restaurants: the very Parisian Café Lapérouse, two Italian restaurants, Langosteria and Paper Moon, as well as a Japanese restaurant on the rooftop terrace. Two bars with a hushed ambience complete the picture: the Spy Bar, where you can order shaken or stirred Martinis, and Guard's Bar and Lounge, whose signature cocktail, the London Sling, echoes the Raffles in Singapore.
The historical dimension of the Raffles London at The OWO also makes it a unique venue for professional events and high-profile launch ceremoniesand even state dinners. Accessible by climbing the majestic main staircase, the Whitehall Ballroom can accommodate up to 600 people for gala dinners and is accompanied by a vast 425 m² pre-event area named after Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, alias Lawrence of Arabia. For smaller meetings, the hotel has two multi-purpose rooms that pay tribute to the code used during the war: the 89 m² Code Room and the 94 m² Morse Room, which can be divided into six private rooms. A separate reception room is also available.
