Looking for an East End crash pad instead? The Gantry is your gal.
Or maybe you want to get out of town – Paris’s Hôtel Lutetia makes a more-than-pleasant weekend berth.
What is it?
Order it shaken or stirred in the classically handsome Le Magritte bar
An Art Deco stunner with an unpretentious heart.
What's the deal?
The marble-clad bathrooms make scrubbing up a delight
Though Mayfair five-starrer The Beaumont has been housing London’s moneyed visitors since 1926, it still doesn’t quite have the name recognition of other classic London boltholes, like the Connaught or the Dorchester. But it should – it’s every bit as beautiful, storied, and luxurious as its more famous counterparts, but it bypasses any snooty or stuffy traps that other uber-famous heritage hotels might fall into with its warm staff and welcoming disposition. Which you’ll feel whether or not you’re staying there.
Whether you’re a guest or not, you’re going to want to spend some time on the ground floor. This is where you’ll find the book-lined, grand piano-soundtracked lounge (aka ‘Gatsby’s Room’); the delightfully throwback, New York-style The Colony Grill; and the recently-remodelled, Jazz Age drinking den Le Magritte Bar & Terrace. Your evening itinerary looks like this: start with something fizzy in the lounge, listening to the sweet sound of twinkling keys as you settle in for a protracted night of indulgence. Then let one of the swavely-dressed staff show you to your table at The Colony Grill (preferably one of the red leather booths), where you dine on high-society classics like steak tartare and calf’s liver given new life by chef Ben Boeynaems (for what’s nominally a steakhouse, veggies are strangely well catered for). Then, finally, cap the night at the delightfully kitsch Le Magritte, where house cocktails have names like ‘Memory of a Journey 1955’ and the louche, F Scott vibes are right.
Upstairs, rooms fall in line with the 1920s theme: marble bathrooms feature square-patterned tiling, beds are accented with mahogany and gold-trimmed headboards, and Cubist paintings stud the walls. It’s the details that really matter here: taken together, they have a transportative effect – you really do feel like you’ve been dropped into the early part of the last century. Though it was given a facelift last year, many of the original features remain, and the rest has been thoughtfully updated to retain the hotel’s Art Deco spirit. The grandiose suites – some of which can run up to £2,000 per night – surely housed some very minted railway magnates back in the day: their capacious hallways, soaring ceilings, and open plan living-dining spaces make for the kind of luxury only obscene money can buy. But if you don’t have that kind of cash to splash, the classic rooms (a paltry £500-ish per night) do nicely.
On the lower ground floor, the spa is small but perfectly appointed, with a sauna, plunge pool, and heavenly-scented steam room, all done up in beautiful Art Deco style. If you only go for one spa treatment, make it the signature hammam – you’ll be scrubbed to an inch of your life and then slathered with a wave of divine-smelling potions. We guarantee you’ll never feel cleaner.
The best stay for...
Feast on fab steakhouse classics at The Colony Grill
Big spenders with a nostalgic streak.