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The Sofitel London at Heathrow Goes High-Tech on TV
We already figured out that the Sofitel London Heathrow T5 is pretty high on the high-tech side of hotel life, what with its complicated air-conditioner controls, referred to by tech-friendlier guests as "cool gizmos".
But now there is high-tech TV as well. The Acentic Panorama system just launched in the Heathrow Sofitel and this is meant to be a mix of on-demand and interactive TV services that should probably satisfy pretty much anyone. We're usually pretty fussy about this, but it certainly doesn't sound too bad to get this:
access to 500 international satellite TV channels and up to 250 movies - all available totally on demand and with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind the movies.
We were thinking that an airport hotel is not the place we're going to be spending a lot of time--mostly we just want to sleep there--but since many of the rooms at the Heathrow Sofitel include a TV in the bathroom, there's plenty of chance to watch the latest movie right to the end. Useful for some but not all, that's our final judgment.
Tags: Airport Hotels / London Hotel Reviews / Sofitel Hotels / Hotel Technology / → All Tags
Sofitel Bring High-Tech Luxury to Heathrow's T5
It's early days in the life of the new Sofitel London Heathrow which is the only hotel that directly connects to the airport's Terminal 5. The hotel soft opened in July but should now be fully functioning. And it's not your average airport hotel either.
The concept architect was Stephen Williams (Conrad Hotel in Chelsea Harbour) with the interiors designed by Khuan Chew who worked on the Burj al Arab.
Themes of country and continent resonate throughout the hotel; in the entrance lobby ‘Antarctica’ takes central stage with a dramatic water fountain centrepiece commissioned from RHS Chelsea winner David Harber.
Khuan Chew’s also created one of the most swank suites we've heard about in an airport hotel yet--the hotel's Imperial Suite include the first Swarovski crystal bathrooms in a European.
Tags: Snapshot / London Hotel Reviews / HotelChatter Reviews / → All Tags
Snapshot :: Snow in London
Taken from the lobby restaurant inside the Baglioni Hotel in London this past weekend.
Tags: Hotel Video Tours / London Hotel Reviews / HotelChatter Reviews / → All Tags
Inside the Baglioni Hotel in London
Over the Easter weekend we took a mini-trip to London with a friend and stayed at the Baglioni Hotel overlooking Hyde Park in Kensington. In fact, we took this deal that we found on Tablet Hotels: three nights for the price of two at 230 pounds a night which included daily breakfast and a chocolate Easter Egg.
And we're going to tell you upfront that we liked this hotel a lot. Location, rooms, price, and free internet--this place had it all.
Our video tour is a little dark but don't worry, there are plenty of pictures after the jump.
Tags: London Hotel Reviews / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / → All Tags
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park: What You Get For Your Money
Earlier this week, we scoped out some "cheap" rates for the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel in London. Although a rate of $477 was the cheapest we could find, that's still a deal for a Mandarin Oriental (ie. MO NYC has a $900+ rate.)
So what's this Mandarin Oriental like and is it worth our American dollars?
For starters, let's talk location. The hotel backs onto Hyde Park, but it's also across the road from Harvey Nichols department store and is just minutes from Harrods and surrounding Knightsbridge designer stores.
What's more, you're within a stone's throw of Buckingham Palace as well, and can witness the procession of the Household Cavalry from the comfort of your very balcony. (But we bet a room with a balcony and this view costs extra.)
Tags: Andaz Hotels / Hotel Debates / London Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Hotel Andaz London Ghost Town or Weekend Bargain?
HotelChatter readers are in the midst of picking sides on the following issue:
Hotel in Question:
Hyatt Andaz London
Hotly Debated Issue:
Is the new Hyatt Andaz, and the area around the hotel, a ghost town on weekends? Or is the rate of under $300/night a steal for London?
Background:
Andaz, the brand spankin' new boutique brand from Hyatt, will debut in London November 15. The first Andaz is a renovation of the old Great Eastern Hyatt Hotel. While opening rates seemed to sit squarely around a lofty $800 a night, we were able to find rates for under $300 a night on weekend nights.
We are a Bunch of Idiots Side (added 3.13.08)
The idiots on one website who started a thread about London's Andaz Hotel being far away from the action at the weekend: in fact it's in Shoreditch, home of the capitals best nightlife.
So says our favorite travel glossy, who seem to agree with HotelChatter member digid, and well, you heard them call everyone else a bunch of Johnny Damons.
Ghost Town Side:
langrty says:
Having stayed at The Great Eastern I can tell you why the rates are so much lower on the weekends: The City, where Andaz is located, is a ghost town.
All of the restaurants in the hotel (including the Pub) are closed on the weekend, with exception of the casual place where your included breakfast is served. Other than the McDonald's outside Liverpool Street Station, and the M&S Simply Food inside, there's no place to get something to eat or drink on Saturdays and Sundays. Spend a Friday at the hotel and you'll see just how isolated and lonely it is in London's business and financial district when the markets are closed.
Bargain Side:
andyabramson says:
If you get a deal on a rate like I did, then its a steal in London (I paid under $350 for two nights)
The Liverpool train and Tube stop is 100 yards away, open on weekends and has fast food. Granted some shopping is closed and so are the shops, but by tube, walking or taxi you can find plenty.
What is your take on the new Hyatt Andaz? Become a member and leave it here.
Related Stories:
· Hyatt Andaz Coverage [HotelChatter]
Tags: London Hotel Reviews / Morgans Hotel Group / Boutique Hotels / Luxury Hotels / → All Tags
Inside The St Martin's Lane Hotel
The faboo Monica Guy returns with a review of a swank and not-for-everyone London hotel. Enjoy.
You think we live in a free society? Try getting into the St Martin's Lane Hotel in London.
With its towering mirror-windowed, office-block style and revolving doors you'd think you were in Canary Wharf or the City, not just a short hop from Trafalgar Square in prime theatre land. But it's not for old businessmen. Oh no. Not at all.
See who's allowed in after the jump.
Tags: London Hotel Reviews / Hotel Renovations / Hotel News / → All Tags
Hotel Renovation Mania:: Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square Now Re-Opened
Six months and $12 million later, the Radisson Edwardian Leicester Square Hotel has finally opened its doors. What can guests expect? According to Michael Attenborough, head of design at the hotel, a whole lot more:
The new look at the boutique-style Leicester Square Hotel focuses on a fantastically comfortable bed and a great bathroom experience. All guestrooms have been updated, with furnishings in cream and taupe tones, and leather headboards and side tables. Accent colors are lime green and deep pink in the bedrooms. The bar and restaurant have more a bar/lounge feel for relaxing and socializing.
New additions include air condition (perfect timing, since summer is finally over), a state-of-the-art fitness center, and complementary wireless. And the better version of its old self it still convenient to the West End theater district, and London's other major traveling hot spots.
But this hotel is not the only renovation game around. It seems that tons of hotels are either undergoing or finishing up their renovations. We're doing our best here to keep you in the loop so here are some more that we've found.
· The New Yorker hotel has finished three floors in its $65 million renovation [Hotel Interactive]
· The Cecil Hotel in downtown LA set for a makeover [Downtown News]
· Doubletree Seattle Aiport finishes their $20 million renovation [Hotel Interactive]
· The Hotel Villamagna in Madrid is closed for renovations and donating unwanted furnishings for charity [IHT]
Tags: London Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
The ParkCity London is a Good Value for an Expensive City
Finding somewhere to stay in London that has both a clean room and a price that doesn't totally blow your budget is quite a challenge. Coming in at #1 last year on the TripAdvisor rankings, and still doing well precisely because it doesn't cost a fortune, the ParkCity London is a recommended spot to crash in London.
No recent guest has a single bad word to say about the ParkCity, and the price speaks for itself: it's common to get a special web rate of 99 pounds ($200), even in summer, and that's really reasonable for a decent hotel in central London. Not only that, the ParkCity is a ten-minute walk from the Earl's Court underground stop, the rooms aren't tiny, the staff are helpful and it's quiet, despite its central location. There's not much more you can ask for in London, unless you have much deeper pockets.
[Photo: bailathacliath]
Related Stories:
· London Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in London [Jaunted]
Tags: London Hotel Reviews / Firmdale Hotels / → All Tags
Haymarket Hotel is an 'Instant Classic'
Few hotels opening are as eagerly anticipated as London's Haymarket Hotel. After months of waiting guests finally had the chance to check out this modern hospitality wonder--and we were curious: What exactly did they find?
The Central London hotel, which is the latest in the wide-ranging empire of Tim and Kit Kemp, boasts 50 rooms designed to be as individual as the Haymarket's guests. They're a mix of modern pieces and antique charm that run between $400 and $600 per night. The Haymarket's show stopper is a 60-foot pool lighted by an everchanging wall installation designed by Martin Richman. According to chatters over at Tablet Hotels, despite a lackluster gym, the Haymarket is a hit.
The verdict on the long-awaited Haymarket Hotel: more of the same from the Firmdale group. We're disposed to think of Number Sixteen, the Knightsbridge, the Pelham and all the rest of the group's other London hotels as instant classics: luxury-hotel values on a boutique-hotel scale, with a unique design personality courtesy of Kit Kemp.
When it comes to the best part of the newest Kemp Family addition, we think it's got as much to do with location (there aren't many lodging options on London's West Side) as it's got to do with looks.
[Photo: Channels World of Hotels]
Related Stories:
· Haymarket Hotel Makes Another `Best' List [Hotel Chatter]
· London Travel [Jaunted]
· Check In, Check Out: Haymarket Hotel [NYT]
Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Amy Winehouse / London Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amy Winehouse in 'Bloody' Fight at the Sanderson Hotel
There's been a lot of crazy celeb stuff happening in hotels this week and it's really hard to keep track of it all. But this report about Amy Winehouse definitely caught our eye.
The troubled rehab-reject singer and her druggie husband have been staying at London's Sanderson Hotel where one of their fights turned bloody at 3am the other night, alarming guests and forcing the concierge to call the police.
Shocking images of the pair show Winehouse wearing blood-soaked ballet shoes, with bruises to her neck, bandages on her arms and make-up smeared down her face.
Fielder-Civil had livid scratches covering his face and neck.
Police confirmed they had attended an incident but no charges would be brought.
Hmm...maybe she just banged into the hotel lighting like David Hasselhoff once did. However, Amy is apparently standing up for her man by texting her love for him to Perez Hilton. Either way, let's just pray that Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse never stay at the same hotel on the same night.
Related Stories:
· Amy Winehouse 'bruised and bloodied' [Telegraph UK]
· Bloodied and bruised Amy Winehouse stands by husband who 'saved her life' [Daily Mail]
Tags: London Hotel Scene / London Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
London's Swingin' Hotel Scene: Concert for Diana Hotel Pick
This week we are focusing on the latest news and reviews on the London Hotel Scene. We'll be looking at budget hotels, Wimbledon hotels, The Concert for Diana hotels and more. So if you've got a London hotel story or query, then c'mon now--fill us in.
On July 1st, those adorable Princes Harry and William are marking what would have been their mom's 46th birthday (as well as the tenth anniversary of her death) with Concert for Diana, a gigantic event held at Wembley Stadium featuring somewhere around 23 performers. The lineup includes everyone from Andrew Lloyd Weber and Duran Duran (YES) to P. Diddy and Fergie (the Pea, not the duchess) and even Roger Hodgson of Supertramp. But where to stay?
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