London hotels tend to scream luxe, but St. Martins Lane quietly commands it. The environment here is modern day British glam, minus the hubbub of London’s West End theatre district just outside its front door.
LOCATION, LOCATION
St. Martins Lane is located in Covent Garden and it’s an approximately four-minute walk to the Leicester Square tube station and a host of buses, so travelling around town is easy. If in doubt, stop at the concierge desk where the attendant will help guests map out their journey and print out a copy of the directions.
DESIGN
The lobby is stunningly simple, with a carpet runner so long and enticing that guests may be inspired to show off their best runway walk. Colossal columns and artistic touches such as cushy, button-tufted benches, ornate armchairs, safari-inspired wooden chairs and gigantic chess pieces create subtle theatrical drama, a nod to whimsical interior designer Philippe Starck’s original design. The colourful light behind the check-in desk and elevator corridor are reflective of what guests will find up in their rooms, where an LED light cove behind the bed offers a spectrum of mood-setting colour. (Another fun touch: adult colouring books and pencils in the rooms.)
Right off of the main lobby is the Den, a more sombre, but welcoming room lined with backgammon tables, playful art, comfortable couches and several servers ready to bring cocktails or, as I discovered, an electrical converter to charge a foreign laptop and lemon water for a second round of hiccups.
IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING
Big city hotels need soundproof windows, but in between the two slabs of glass are nonfunctional window blinds. Guests must choose between warm, streaming sunlight or residents in a building across the street casually looking at your goodies. Of course, you can close the drapes, but it’s unfortunate because that also means blocking out the sun and city views. The issue can be easily resolved with the addition of curtain liners, which would offer a modicum of privacy.
BEST AMENITY
Guests are given complimentary passes to Gymbox, the adjacent fitness facility, which features a myriad of gym equipment plus an Olympic-sized boxing ring that looks suspended on the mezzanine level (you can watch the action from afar thanks to the glass wall). It’s got late-night cardio dance classes replete with a DJ, free drinks and, best of all, free laundering service of gym clothes. Gymbox is open to the public, so you’ll also see a bevy of local men and women sweating it out on the treadmills or lifting weights. If all this eye-candy isn’t for you, borrow one of the free hotel bikes for exercise.
EAT IN OR EAT OUT
The hotel has three places to eat and drink – BlindSpot, the hotel’s hidden cocktail room; the Den for small bites (opt for the egg, cheese and tomato sandwich any time of day); and Asia de Cuba, which returns after the hotel revamp with a new menu of Chinese/Cuban fusion and a redecorated interior of Starck’s original room design.
But, most often, I chose to eat out. The food in London can be bland, so why not seek out ethnic restaurants (think Nigerian for joloff rice with fried fish and plantains). If you’re up for exploring, 805 Restaurant in the Old Kent Road neighbourhood serves great Nigerian fine dining.
ROOM WITH A VIEW
St. Martins Lane rooms all have street-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows so guests can often catch cars wildly zipping down narrow streets or see a flock of theatregoers waiting outside the stage doors below.
St. Martin’s Lane, 45 St. Martin’s Lane, London, morganshotelgroup.com; 204 rooms from £193 ($337).
The writer was a guest of the hotel.