Corinthia – London’s Grand New Hotel
The Corinthia Hotel is the latest of the five-star properties to come up in the capital, but will have a tough fight in its hands for due recognition amongst London’s elite. However, in spite of the issue concerning Libyan ownership, Janet Harmer is having ambitious plans to be recognized as one the leading hotels in London.
London’s luxury hotel landscape has seen more than 1,000 bedrooms getting launched this year until now; and every new opening has been facing a major challenge. However, nothing could have faced more challenges that those experienced by the opening of the 294-bedroom, five-star Corinthia Hotel London.
When the European Union and the UK Government started imposing sanctions on Libya on account of the political unrest prevailing in the country, there had been apprehensions that the inauguration of the part-Libyan-owned Corinthia Hotel might get delayed indefinitely. Nevertheless, when it became clear that these sanctions will not impact property trading, the Corinthia hotel opened up for the guests by April end.
Mathew Dixon, Corinthia’s general manager, is confident that the Corinthia hotel provides enough differences for ensuring that the hotel outshines its rivals by a long distance.
“With just 5 minutes from Downing Street and with breathtaking views of the River Thames, we are located in a fantastic spot” he says. “Also, our bedrooms are very spacious with more than 120 rooms having over 45sq m of space, something that’s never before been seen in London.”
Mathew Dixon is Savoy-trained, and he worked for Rocco Forte and Mandarin Oriental Hotels before taking charge as general manager of the Grove, Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire in his most recent position. He too highlights all the attention to detail which have been incorporated all across the hotel, the 43 suites and 251 bedrooms included.
You have free Wi-Fi all across the hotel that allows user-friendly and fast internet access on account of sufficient bandwidth. You also have London’s largest hotel spa in London, having 17 treatment rooms and spread across four floors; and also Harrods first hotel store.
It’s very evident much money has gone into renovating the once Ministry of Defense building located between Whitehall Place and Northumberland Avenue, that had originally functioned in the 1880s as the Metropole hotel.
$483 million was spent on the renovation with the intention of providing a grand, world-class luxury hotel having a modern look and all contemporary facilities. Corinthia hotel considers as competition the elite hotels in London, including the Dorchester, the Savoy and the Ritz.
The Lobby Lounge is situated at the very heart of the hotel. It serves as the meeting point for guests and also somewhere for enjoying the afternoon tea, made by Claire Clark, award-winning pastry chef, or perhaps an evening cocktail.
The Lobby Lounge gracefully opens out to an inner crescent-shaped courtyard that is maple-lined. Whenever weather permits, food and drinks will be served here.
The dramatic and breathtakingly striped colonnade gracefully and in all elegance frames the room, and serves to focus one’s attention upon the oyster and Champagne bar. Friezes have Roman inspiration, whereas the amazing lighting is inspired by glass-blown lobster pots, Victorian architectural fins, and lunettes. You have a palette of deep blue-soaked timbers contrasting well with flashes of luxurious tans and sharp green, while brass, nickel and pewter shimmer against the hand-cut mosaics.
Complementing Riccioli’s food has been the intention of the overall design. Riccioli’s food offers the freshest seafood and this includes a range of pasta, risotto and antipasti. The restaurant features a specially designed private dining room that can accommodate up to 20 guests. It is here Riccioli takes the centre stage and cooks a menu in the state-of-the-art kitchen that’s located within the room.
The high tea, which is served between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm, is indeed a novel concept. This will include Middle White pork sausages, mustard scones, a selection of cakes and savoury tarts.
Bassoon, the art deco destination bar, uses music as its primary inspiration. It features subtle layers of melodic references in its ceiling, walls and furniture. On the walls hang jazz-inspired art by William H Johnson, where sound waves are seen appearing on the ceiling, while a 7m-long piano constitutes the bar top.
The intention of the GA Design International that designed the bedrooms and suites had been to create a residential feel of the grand English homes, with a subtle contemporary interpretation though. The edges of all rooms are lined with oak timbers that combine with silks, warm limestones and leathers for providing a warm ambience. The bathrooms feature dramatic Calacatta marble and polished plasters.
The Corinthia Hotel London signifies the first foray by Corinthia Hotels into the UK. Corinthia hotels is owned by International Hotel Investments (IHI) which is a publicly listed Maltese holding company.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sera Filson is a writer, health enthusiast, and professional student who’s currently pursing a B.A. in Business Management. When she’s not writing, exercising, or studying, she enjoys reading about laser liposuction and liposuction prices.
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