HotelChatter

We’re a wee bit baffled by his hotel choice. Rather than being a trendy rockpad, or even plain trendy, the Royal Garden is a placid five star affair in ultra-posh Kensington, looking out over Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, and the Royal Albert Hall, where he played a gig last summer.

Was it because he wanted to go back to a time when he was plain Pete Doherty? (He’s Peter now.) Was he taken by the refurbished eighth floor “Garden Rooms”, which were unveiled in December? Possibly. The decor’s a little staid, but the fittings are five star (Mulberry throws, iPod docking stations), the views are as bucolic as London gets, and there’s plenty space to chuck things around. How good would it look to crash a TV out into the park below?

Or maybe he’s just chilling out before the Proper Rock Star hotel, Sanctum Soho, opens in the spring. Who knows? The other notable absence from the Brits was a certain Ms Winehouse. But seeing as she’s currently in the Caribbean seeking, um, “inspiration”, she can be excused.