Story by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Photography by Manos Angelakis and courtesy of Corinthia Hotel London
 

Corinthia Hotel London
Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD
United Kingdom
www.corinthia.com

It’s all in the details. Exquisite details surround you as you enter the newly opened luxury hotel, Corinthia London. Located just yards from the River Thames, in the heart of Whitehall, the beautifully restored Belle Époque building is just across the river from the London Eye and within easy walking distance of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament; the National Gallery; the Tate Modern; Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column; and the theater district.

The Corinthia Hotel London exudes the elegance that one has grown to expect from the Corinthia Group of hotels. Founded by the Pisani family of Malta in the 1960’s this privately owned company has become successful by staying faithful to Alfred Pisani’s philosophy of the “Craftsmanship of Care”. No expense was spared to insure that quality design elements of the highest order were included in this restoration to achieve the perfect blending of old and state-of-the-art new. You can’t buy impeccable taste; in the case of the Corinthia Hotels, it comes from the driving force at the top and is reflected in each of the Corinthia Hotels I have visited.

In 2008, under the ownership of the Corinthia Group, designers of creative excellence and imagination were given the chore of restoring the building at the corner of Whitehall Place that originally opened as the prestigious Hôtel Métropole in 1885. After 50 years of catering to high society with elegant balls and banquets, the building was requisitioned by the government during World War I and finally sold to the government in 1936. For the next 70 years it housed offices for the Ministry of Defense. MI9 operated from here and oversaw the crucial job of coordinating large numbers of prisoner of war escapes across Europe during World War II. But one of the most fascinating services performed for the government came out of room 801, the highly classified depository for UFO sightings.

When the completely renovated building opened in April 2011 as the Corinthia Hotel London, there were 294 guest accommodations, including 36 individually designed luxurious suites. In addition there are seven Signature Suites designed to reflect a distinct personality; The Whitehall Penthouse, furnished like a Victorian Gentleman’s club with sweeping views of Whitehall; The Writer’s Penthouse, with bookcases and furnishings evocative of a Victorian reading room; The Hamilton Penthouse, suggestive of  Noel Coward elegance with its own heated terrace and vitality pool; The Musician’s Penthouse, with its baby grand piano; The Explorer’s Penthouse, and The Actor’s Penthouse, plus the sumptuous Royal Penthouse, the largest two-bedroom suite in London at 5000 square feet on 2 levels. It contains a sweeping circular staircase, private elevator, walk-in wine cellar, kitchen, gym and spa treatment room, and roof terrace with fire pit, so you can enjoy the stunning views even on those cold London evenings. All of the Signature Suites are situated on 2 floors with sweeping staircases or private lifts, offering unrivaled views of the Thames and beyond.

All of the rooms and suites are spacious with state-of-the-art electronics. They all offer a high level of comfort and elegance, from the fine furnishings and fabrics – royal purple, moss green and soft gold are the new grey -  to the luxurious bedding and super convenient bedside light controls and revolving flat screen TV. In the bathroom standout features include plush heated towels on the warming rack; separate shower stall with rain-shower head; separate commode room; an oversized bathtub with its own flat-screen TV and under tub recessed mood lighting; and a high-end accessory pack with amenity lotions. Our Executive Room had a separate dressing area with full length mirrors and lights that automatically turned on when the doors were opened; an oversized easy access safe large enough to hold a laptop computer; padded hangers for delicates clothes; a convenient leather stool; pull-out drawers and shelves; and a shelf for resting a suitcase.

The lobby is a gorgeous meeting area with its soaring atrium dome from which hangs the ‘Full Moon’ chandelier, a creation of French designer Chafik Gasmi, produced by Baccarat, one of the most prestigious crystal manufacturers in the world. The chandelier’s 1,001 crystal baubles descend from the dome with Baccarat’s signature single red crystal in the center representing the heart of the chandelier. As Chief Operating Officer, Liam Lambert told us, the red crystal is at the heart of the chandelier and the chandelier is at the heart of the hotel. Awesome as the Full Moon is, it is not the only stand-out piece of art in the lobby and throughout the hotel. The Corinthia Hotel London is a de facto museum for contemporary British artists having commissioned 250 unique examples. There are oil paintings and art photographs scattered throughout the first floor along with arrangements of fresh flowers changed to reflect the seasons. Flowers are definitely a design feature of the Corinthia with a designated flower designer responsible for the spectacular arrangements displayed in profusion throughout the first floor.

A delightful way to spend an afternoon is in the lobby under the ‘Full Moon’ having afternoon or high tea. After years of laboring under the illusion that ‘afternoon tea’ was the proper appellation for the lovely English custom in the late afternoon of selecting your choice out of dozens of familiar and/or exotic teas, and being served on a three-tiered pastry tray, a specific set of finger sandwiches; scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves; and mouth-watering pastries. Years ago I was informed by a woman who claimed authority in such matters, that high tea was a term used by the ‘lower classes’ to combine a late lunch and early supper, since they could not afford both an afternoon and evening meal. Apparently customs have recently changed and now you can have afternoon tea beginning at 2:30 PM or a savory high tea after 4:30 PM, the difference being in the items served. At the Corinthia London you can enjoy either tea, and so I ordered afternoon tea and Manos ordered high tea, so we could sample the difference. High Tea began with a bottomless tulip of Champaign and instead of the four finger sandwiches of smoked salmon, egg salad, cucumber, and chicken, there were meat pasties and heartier selections. Scones were optional, and the pastry consisted of a large slice of different cakes chosen by the guest from a pastry table. I much prefer the afternoon tea with the traditional sandwiches, at least two scones with clotted cream and fresh strawberry preserves, and a selection of small pastries. Either way it is a wonderful custom and should be indulged whenever you are in England. I particularly love English scones with the fixings and frankly craved after the treat until finding an excellent facsimile locally.

There are two distinctly different and both very good restaurants ‘Massimo Restaurant and Oyster Bar’ and ‘The Northall’ (refer to Restaurant section for review of Massimo) and a charming bar with an extended piano that becomes the bar at ‘Bassoon’.

But the crowning glory at the Corinthia London is the ESPA Life spa. Built on four floors this conceptual environment takes you out of your normal reality and into a round gray and black world where there are no edges and all is serene.  As you descend from one floor to the other, it becomes softer and darker and more nurturing (or disconcerting, according to your state of mind), until on the lowest level you discover 2 pools, one fairly shallow and with a silver bottom which allows the movement of the water to reflect on the ceiling creating a mind altering sensory sensation; the other with a hydro-action chair for full body stimulation. Push the red button and water massages your shoulders and back. Another chair offers foot and leg water massage and against the far wall there is a bed with agitating water action. The co-ed sauna is a beautifully designed engineering marvel, constructed with glass walls surrounding the wooden platforms and beds, it seems to float in the center of the space. There is a fully equipped gym with the latest equipment and a professional trainer available at all times to offer assistance with machines or with a workout program. There are segregated areas set aside to offer privacy when you work- out if you wish, or a large general area if you prefer company. In both the ladies and men’s changing areas there are sauna and steam rooms plus a restful area with fireplace and heated lounges. The physical layout is unique, and the treatment selection and performance top-notch.

From the warm greeting by the doorman to the tender care given in the ESPA Life spa, all the staff were friendly and helpful and made us feel like honored guests. The Corinthia Hotel London is truly a luxury property without pretension.

© January 2012 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.