The welcome
Despite another guest having a full carload of suitcases, there are enough staff to enable me to offload my things without stopping. Reception is a set of two chairs and empty desks at one side of the fine lobby, which has retained its original marble floor and walls after a recent 19-month refurbishment. The absence of paperwork, phones or visible computer screens gives a sense that you’re arriving at a grand house rather than a hotel. Since this hotel is now owned by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, I feel doubly at home. Check in is in my room.
The neighbourhood
The hotel sits on Knightsbridge, between Hyde Park and Green Park, beside Hyde Park Corner Underground station. It’s in the embassy district of Knightsbridge, and is walking distance from Mayfair and Buckingham Palace.
The room
The four-storey, mansion-style building, dating from about 1830, has 93 rooms, and mine is a section of the second floor royal suite (the whole suite is seven bedrooms; the smaller, cheaper rooms are upstairs). I’m not expecting to like the decor, which in photos appears chintzy, but it’s hard not to be taken with the thick, heavy wooden door, exquisite marble bathroom, high, elaborately coved ceilings, crystal chandelier, comfort-inducing carpet and Regency-style bed. Yellow is the dominant colour, and the room is finished with a period portraits and fresh flowers. The only minus point is the hermetically sealed atmosphere, which is dry, but the secondary glazing muffles the busy road outside.
The scene
On the night of my arrival, I see a large number of beautiful, elegantly dressed Gulf Arab women enjoying their surroundings. At afternoon tea in the Withdrawing Room, all the other guests are Arab; at dinner, there are Arabic, British and European guests; and at breakfast, I see Indians, Europeans and Arabs. Russians are also apparently a key market. The staff seem mostly European, but one thing is evident throughout: this hotel couldn’t be anywhere but London, which is why most people come here.
The service
Generally elegant and respectful, as you would expect. I find having a butler is somewhat intrusive – he’s in and out of my room so many times, often announcing himself and letting himself in at the same time while I’m there, that I feel uncomfortable. There are a few glitches with the room – such as a flickering light in the bathroom and a bath that can’t be drained – that require several maintenance calls and visits. There’s also a technical issue with the phones while I’m there. Service in the restaurants is gracious, assured at dinner and slightly fussy at breakfast.
The food
I have a tasting menu (£95 [Dh547]) at dinner in Céleste, a gorgeous, French-style room that’s my favourite in the hotel. The vegetable and fish dishes are excellent, but the meat is rather dull. The cheeses and desserts make up for it. Breakfast is fantastic, with every item – from the house blend tea to the cooked cherry tomatoes and poached eggs – seemingly the best they could be. The afternoon tea (£57 [Dh328]) was fresh, imaginative and generously proportioned.
Loved
Céleste restaurant.
Hated
The flickering light in the bathroom.
The verdict
A unique taste of London elegance, from another age.
The bottom line
Double rooms at The Lanesborough (www.lanesborough.com; 0044 207 259 5599) cost from £650 (Dh3,744) per night, including taxes, Wi-Fi, a daily newspaper, tea and coffee, mineral water and fresh fruit.
rbehan@thenational.ae