Detailed Review
The Metropolitan in London is among the capital's most enduring design phenomena, a hotel that combines cool looks and cosseting service with a contemporary mindset, putting it squarely on the map of travellers seeking to be at the centre of the action.
From floor-to-ceiling windows, look out over a glittering skyline, comfortable in the knowledge you are standing right where it matters - on Park Lane, with the city's best bar and restaurant in the very same building.
It is your private haven at the heart of the metropolis, a place to retreat to when the need for quiet comes upon you.
The Japanese-Peruvian restaurant, Nobu, buzzes at lunch and dinner with devotees of its Michelin-starred cuisine. The Met Bar is a cult classic among the music, media and fashion crowd, a sultry lounge bar and members only club with live DJs and memorable Martinis.
For a quieter moment, retreat to the COMO Shambhala Urban Escape offering a full-range of holistic, Asian-inspired therapies including Reiki and Reflexology in addition to yoga and a fully-equipped private gym.
Press Quotes
"... pared-down contemporary style and muted colours..." The Independent 05
"This ultra-trendy hangout has lost none of its cachet. The reception is so uncluttered you can’t be entirely sure whether the people in sleek suits really could be there to help you check in. But the service is reassuringly friendly - the staff may look cool but their welcome is warm." Guardian 04
Independent Reviews
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“Cool, minimal rooms with Hyde Park views and a hotspot restaurant have made this trend-setting London hotel an industry icon.”
Metropolitan
By Joanna Monkhouse
When the Metropolitan opened 7 years ago, it was the first new hotel along the prestigious strip of Park Lane hotels for 20 years. Contemporary in attitude and styling, the hotel prides itself on the friendliness of the Armani-clad staff and their high service level, as one would expect by their numbers – they buzz around in droves.
Where the Metropolitan excels is in its restaurant and bar. A table at Nobu is still one of the hottest in town after years of deserved adoration – the new Japanese cuisine is sublime and the much feted black cod does live up to its expectations. The hip Met Bar, seductive and womb-like with its subtle lighting, mural by Basquiat, ice-cool bar and extensive cocktail menu (featuring 26 different martinis) is for hotel guests and private members only. Breakfast is served à la carte in the White room which can also be used for private parties. Guest Relations can recommend and secure reservations for the hardest-to-book restaurants, club guest lists and theatre tickets.
Pared-down yet comfortable in decor, the spacious rooms sport stylish fresh flowers, cream walls, well-made wooden furniture of simple lines, a banquette with cushions in calming colours offering views of the city or over Park Lane to Hyde Park (double glazing effectively kills the traffic noise), yet somehow the overall effect is edging towards bland. The Metropolitan’s penthouse suite has fabulous views over London from walls of windows in the salon, the bedroom and from both the shower and the freestanding bath. Bathrooms are not quite as spacious as the rooms merit but are by no means cramped. Marble, wood and large mirrors cover the walls, combination bath/showers grace the majority (only 10th floor has separate), all are supplied with delightful Shambala products, specially created for the sister hotel Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos. There is a Shambala spa in the basement for a full pampering experience with steam and treatment rooms, a huge shower and well-equipped gym.
Someone has given the rooms and their contents much thought – there is admirable attention to detail (a joggers map of the park, adaptable lighting, great in-room facilities, multiple phone lines, ISDN), but this love of detail is not consistent. The goose down duvets may be the softest, lightest, warmest you have ever had the pleasure to sleep under, but they barely cover the whole bed. The dressing gowns look like they have done more than enough service for previous guests. The mini-bar has a wide and enticing selection (including rice cakes for the model, hangover kit for the party animal and aromatherapy candle for the chill seeker) but the high-tech, interactive tv/cd/dvd station offers a disappointing selection of pay per view films at £9.50 a pop. There is a complimentary cd/dvd library available at front desk which makes up for this, and the am/pm yoga programme is free (yoga mats can be requested from front desk).
The Metropolitan’s clientele is a mixture of hip, pleasure seekers and business travellers who value style as much as amenities. The atmosphere resembles that at the Montalambert in Paris – with the chic, young staff and their enthusiastic service, designer style and high comfort countered by the steep rates.
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