Hotels in London: the race for the stars

In London, there's no let-up for the hotel industry. Despite the 15,000 rooms added in anticipation of the 2012 Olympic Games, demand for the city's 1,220 establishments continues unabated. And a further 12,000 new rooms are forecast for the period 2014-2016! The pace of new openings is so fast that such fabulous establishments as the Renaissance Saint Pancras, housed since 2011 in the former Grand Hotel of the eponymous station, are already classics. It has to be said that this magisterial venue, which was one of the most expensive and modern in Europe when it first opened in 1873 before falling into disrepair in the 1930s, is the stuff of legend.

It has a Victorian spirit, a Pre-Raphaelite soul and a neo-Gothic taste that are so delicate that you want to linger as long as possible under its rose windows and ogives. In the old part of the building, which has 34 rooms - out of a total of 241 - 18 have windows overlooking the station. It's an unsettling, dreamlike privilege to reside in front of the Eurostar platforms, to be able to savour this immobile journey back to a time when train journeys were an event. A privilege that gives access to another, opening the doors of the Chambers Club, an exclusive space where cocktails and breakfast are served. However, the rooms in the modern section also enjoy the sumptuous atmosphere of this grand hotel of yesteryear, where all the comforts and technology of the 21st century seem to be at the service of a bygone era.

Indeed, what could be more delicious than having a high tea in the cathedral-like lobby, drinking a beer as you once did from a metal bock in the Booking Office - the former reservations office turned restaurant - or swimming in the pool of the admirable Moorish spa in the basement? But be warned, there is already talk of a competitor opening in 2017 on the other side of the street, in a building dating from the 1970s. A Standard hotel, from the very famous and very contemporary American line orchestrated by Andre Balazs, the owner of the Standard High Line in New York and the Chiltern Firehouse, a very select London hotel opened in 2013... To be continued, then.

Literary café

For the moment, and in the category of 'already classics', we're rushing to discover Café Royal, opened in 2012 and revisiting an establishment in Regent Street founded in the 1860s by a French couple. Fortunate as they were, these two had their estaminet elevated from a beautiful mansion rich in gilding, mouldings and stained glass windows. The renovation work took five years to bring together three buildings and give life to 160 rooms instantly acclaimed by the private circle of Leading Hotels of the World. The restorers at Windsor Castle were even called in to renovate the sumptuous café room, which attracted such prestigious and literary guests as Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf.

However, all the original decorative details, often of Empire inspiration, have been blended with a contemporary feel, expressed in particular by the sleekness of the grey Carrara marble baths. Some suites overlooking Piccadilly Circus have been colloquially dubbed 'television suites' by regular guests, because of the surprising proximity of the large advertising screens. Not to be missed here is the Green Bar, which offers absinthes, and above all the sublime spa with one of the largest hotel pools in London.

Among the newcomers is the spectacular Shangri-La, which moved into Renzo Piano's iconic Shard skyscraper in spring 2014. From the 36th floor upwards, 202 discreetly luxurious rooms with blue cherry blossom headboards now dominate the British capital. Its swimming pool rises to the 52nd floor, making it the highest in Europe. "Because of the unusual shapes of the rooms, linked to the architecture, their price is not linked to size, but to their orientation, towards the Tower of London, the London Eye, Saint Paul's Cathedral or the distant Battersea Power Station."explains Marta Warren, Communications Director.

Liner on the Thames

The area around the Tate Modern and City Hall is booming, but unfortunately it is still shunned by the international clientele still attached to the more central districts of Mayfair and the West End. But things are changing on this side of the Thames. Last September, another hotel opened not far from the Shard, the Mondrian, whose concept was entirely imagined by the designer Tom Dixon. This 359-bedroom hotel is housed in a 1970s building originally intended as a hotel, but which for a long time was the headquarters of the shipping company Sea Containers. That's why its spirit is deliberately 'transatlantic'. The architect, Warren Platner, was American, but Tom Dixon is a subject of Her Majesty. The hotel invites you to cross the Atlantic. This is clear from the lobby, with its huge Nautilus-like counter made of hundreds of copper plates held together by 160,000 nails! "Tom Dixon has kept many of the original details, such as the concrete coffered ceilings, which are very 70s, but above all he has sought to recreate a cruise atmosphere. For example, the bar on the roof terrace gives the impression of being on the deck of a boat."explains spokeswoman Ashleigh Silverman.

Built on the banks of the Thames, the venue lends itself to this aquatic theme, with its porthole-shaped windows opening directly onto the water. "But there is also an industrial spirit, with sculptures in recycled metal, softened by 50s furniture and creations by Tom Dixon himself, which will remain exclusive to the hotel for two years."continues the spokeswoman. Not a detail has been overlooked, right down to the design of the minibars, which have grey exteriors but pink interiors, reminiscent of the City's suits, which are conservative in appearance only...

In the relaxed, urban and affordable category, a new Hoxton opened in September in Holborn. Modelled on its big brother in Shoreditch, this 174-room hotel has a large lobby with bay windows overlooking the street, where you can drink coffee in the morning and cocktails in the evening while working in a very coworking spirit. More confidential, at the back of the hotel, there's also 'the flat', a completely atypical events space, and so much less stuffy than the usual meeting rooms. You'd think you were in the home of someone with taste and a love of vintage furniture, and you can hire the large, spacious kitchen with its round tables, the lounge with its green velvet sofas, the dining room for private dinners, and while you're at it, the whole house.

In the bedrooms, the brand's humorous urban-chic spirit dominates, with imitation toile de Jouy wallpaper depicting typical London scenes. No minibar, but a fridge with milk for morning tea. One hour's free calls to England and abroad are offered every day. And that's not all: in spring 2015, Hoxton is moving beyond its borders and opening in Amsterdam. And then in 2016, it will be New York. And Paris too...