The hotel: The five-star Intercontinental Park Lane is located in Mayfair on the corner of Piccadilly and Park Lane. There are 447 guest rooms and 60 suites across the eight floors.
The Check-in: I was ushered into the gleaming lobby by a cheery doormen but had to wait a few minutes while the check-in staff attended to other guests. The usual paperwork was soon completed and I was shown to my room on the second floor.
The room: The door opened into a large living area in shades of brown and beige, complete with table, chairs, desk, wall-mounted flatscreen TV, Bose CD player, DVD player, sofa, separate toilet, plenty of framed artwork and the usual over-priced – but cleverly camouflaged – minibar. There was also a kettle, tea, coffee and a complimentary pack of Duchy biscuits, fruit and mineral water. Double doors led through to the bedroom area with a chaise longue, large double bed, wardrobe, safe, several mirrors, a second TV and bathroom with Elemis toileteries and separate bath and walk-in shower. Windows
in both areas were virtually floor-to-ceiling.
The business: Club Intercontinental on the seventh floor is open to guests staying in Executive rooms and suites – or there's a £90 premium per standard room. There are views over Wellington Arch and Hyde Park Corner towards the Thames, and it is open for breakfast (07.00-11.00), afternoon tea (15.00-17.00), and Champagne, cocktails and canapes (17.30-19.30). Elsewhere there are 19 rooms for meetings and events, all benefitting from natural daylight. They range in capacity from 1,000 delegates theatre-style to small board-rooms. A business centre is open 24 hours and is staffed by day for secretarial services.
The restaurant: The eponymous Theo Randall restaurant is a multiple award-winner (the hotel has been named Condé Nast Traveller's Best Hotel in the UK for Food) featuring Italian-influenced menus and plenty of seafood. The surroundings are smart and stylish, the atmosphere is pleasingly relaxed – with a mix of well-heeled tourists and business folk – and there's barely a whiff of pomposity. I enjoyed Devon crab and calamari with chilli and rocket, and a main course of sea bass with spinach, capers and deep-fried zucchini. Flooded with natural light, the Cookbook Café offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, or there's the excellent market table lunch (£18) with a wide choice of salads, pastas, cold meats, seafood, sushi, cheeses and breads.
The facilities: The Spa Intercontinental and fitness suite feel a world away from the streets of central London, and a wide range of massages, wraps and scrubs are available.
The check-out: Would have been over in a flash but for a query with the bill which was quickly checked and rectified.
The verdict: A first class London hotel that really lives up to its lofty reputation. Dining options are top-notch, but perhaps most pleasing of all were the staff who were genuinely friendly and not at all stuffy.
The details: One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London, WIJ 7QY. Tel: 020 7318 8593; see: www.london.intercontinental.com. Rates start from £259 (+VAT) for a Standard Room. Andy Hoskins
