The revival of the "Great London Hotels"

I find the whole buzz a bit lame, I must admit. But hotels in London are undoubtedly a key aspect of the social scene, as well as the travel scene. And with the Olympics just round the corner, well I guess hotels could come in handy...

So I shall have my few words and get done with it. So you may have heard that we have seen some pretty major renovations lately, including the Savoy, and the 45 Park Lane (little brother to The Dorchester). The Savoy, on the Strand, is a classic, and looks lovely redone (it's right by LSE, so I do happen to swing by...). This is the first luxury hotel in London, and it has truly found its groove back. Gordon Ramsay is running the kitchen, and no matter how you feel about the guy, the food is never off key.



But really, what I cannot wait to see is the refurbished St. Pancras station hotel back in business. The neo-goth monstrosity (or pinacle of emo architecture, as I've decided to call it), which had been abandoned and had thus far somehow managed to resist many demolition attempts, has become a fixture of this city, and a symbol of its brash, innovative, risk-taking, and quirky people. It's kind of hideous, but I love it.




The hotel is set to reopen in May of this month, under the Renaissance brand, with spa rooms, barbers, a private club, and hopefully, a restaurant to match the decor in opulence. Markus Wareing is set to command something like a "British brasserie".



There is also Blumenthal taking over the kitchen at the Mandarin Oriental, and last year saw Bruno Loubet take over at The Zetter and Koffman at The Berkeley.

Hotel dining it is, then.