HotelChatter

It's not hit the headlines big-time for two reasons: First, we've all got a bit of Gordon Ramsay fatigue. The man  seems to be lapping up publicity from every puddle he sees, and opening international branches of his restaurants faster than Starbucks.

Secondly, like most of his ventures, it's not actually Ramsay who'll be running the show but his friend and fellow chef Angela Hartnett. "It's Angela Hartnett's project," said the project's spokeswoman openly. "It's owned by Gordon Ramsay's group but it's very much Angela who's taking it under her wing."

The York and Albany is right in the middle of trendy Camden, but it's been boarded up for years waiting for someone to come and give it a bit of loving care. And give the pub's previous owner, actor Gary Love, £4 million or so.

With only ten rooms and a top chef in charge, we reckon the plan is more for a restaurant-with-rooms than a hotel with a restaurant. In fact, the restaurant will probably open before the rooms, in May later this year, along with a "traditional London bar". Our experience of traditional London bars involves sky-high prices, tiny shots of spirits and hordes of drunken City slickers, so let's hope it doesn't follow tradition too closely...

Don't ask us how much a night in the new hotel will cost. If you have to ask, we bet you can't afford to pay.

Some Pub Trivia for Ya
The Duke of York and Albany was otherwise known as Prince Frederick, the second son of the British King George III. He was a friend of the building's original architect John Nash (who also designed Regent's Park), who built the place in 1827.