Le Méridien Piccadilly is sold

Le Méridien hotel on Piccadilly has been sold for £64 million, according to reports.

The five-star hotel has been purchased by American company, Host Hotels & Resorts. They describe themselves as one of the “largest owners of luxury and upper upscale hotels”.

Before the sale, Le Méridien, which has 266 guestrooms and boasts one of London’s largest indoor swimming pools, was part of the Starwood group of hotels.

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Chambermaid finds jewellery stash in hotel room

A chambermaid was shocked to find jewellery with a value of up to £500,000 in a Mayfair hotel room, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

The shocked employee found the precious jewellery in a night safe whilst cleaning a room at the Westbury Mayfair hotel, off Old Bond Street.

She reported it to hotel management who eventually reunited the valuable discovery with its owner who had “left the room in a hurry”.

Balderton Street hotel gets planning consent

A Grade-II listed former Mayfair garage will be turned into a new 75-bedroom hotel.

Westminster Council has given planning consent for Grosvenor to convert 8 Balderton Street in to a new boutique hotel.

The art deco building, overlooking Brown Hart Gardens, was designed in the mid 1920s by Wimperis & Simpson.

Sarah-Jane Curtis, Retail Investment Director at Grosvenor said:

“We are delighted to have secured planning consent for this landmark building, and we are in detailed discussions with Chris Corbin and Jeremy King as partners for the investment in this project. They have a proven track record for not only operating high quality restaurants, but also their attention to detail and sympathetic treatment of buildings taking into account their environmental context. This will, we believe, facilitate the creation of a fabulous amenity in Mayfair for residents, workers and visitors.”

The hotel will incorporate public art by artist Antony Gormley – famous for the Angel of the North and the fourth plinth’s One & Other – which will be an “inhabitable sculpture to be used as a guestroom.”

It is intended that the new hotel will be operational by early 2013.

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Hotel Review: Westbury Mayfair

The Westbury Mayfair has the unique claim of being the only hotel on Bond Street, so I paid a visit to this five star hotel last week to see if it lived up the status that its address affords it.

Whilst part of the hotel is indeed on Bond Street, the entrance is actually around the corner in Conduit Street. The hotel lobby is quite beautiful with large marble columns and comfortable chairs. At this point, you certainly feel like you are in a high quality hotel.

Check in service was quick and efficient and the hotel corridors were lined with pictures of, I think, stars from a bygone age which do lend it a slightly glamorous feel.

So far so good, and then you arrive at your room. I was staying in a twin room and frankly it was disappointing. The initial visual impact was not unimpressive – at first glance it actually seemed more than satisfactory. But then you notice quite how small it is. And then you spot an unimpressive, small LCD TV and notice that cushions are left hap-hazardly on the floor.

One of the first things I like to when getting to a hotel is just make myself a quick tea or coffee to settle myself in but there was no kettle and tea facilities in the room. Internet access was available but was absurdly expensive – thank goodness for 3g on my mobile – and the TV menu system was slow, clunky and actually stopped working altogether before long. The picture quality wasn’t very good either.

Service was pretty good – when a request was put in for an ironing board and iron, it was delivered to the room very promptly.

The location of the hotel is, of course, superb. You have the West End right on your doorstep, which is a major plus point. But that and the beautiful lobby do not, unfortunately, make up for the fact that this is supposed to be a a five star hotel, and against that measure, the room itself was a disappointment.

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YouTube Video Of The May Fair Hotel

Interesting video about the May Fair Hotel in London, with comments from Head of Design Michael Attenborough.

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Chesterfield Mayfair Voted One of World’s Best Luxury Hotels

The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair has come ninth in a list of the world’s most luxurious hotels, as voted for by Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice Awards for 2008. The Chesterfield was the only London hotel to make the top ten, with the number one position going to Los Altos De Eros in Costa Rica.

The Chesterfield Mayfair was described by TripAdvisor travellers as “exquisite”, “beyond expectations”, “spotless”, “great value”, and a “peaceful retreat” in a “perfect location” with “first class service”.