|Places| Susanne Hatje on the reason for London’s hotel boom. “You get the shows here, the music, the art, the history – and the food. It was so different 25 years ago. I would never come to London just for dining, now people come here to eat food from the most cutting-edge chefs in the world.” The company will open a third outpost on the South Bank in 2028. Going head-to-head with The Peninsula on eyewatering spend and exclusive views – one gets the king, the other the prime minister – is Raffles London at The OWO (raffles.com). Taking up an entire block on Whitehall in one of the capital’s most historic buildings, it sits opposite Horse Guards Parade and a stone’s throw from Downing Street. Seven years since the 117-year-old building was bought by the Hinduja family and a cool c£1.2 billion later, it has emerged with its wood panelling, metro tiles and Portland-stone Ionic columns now complemented by chandeliers by Venice-based iDOGI (made up of 3,085 elements and which took 12 months to complete) and Neo-Baroque ceilings. Sweeping into the Whitehall entrance, guests immediately set eyes on the Juliet balcony where Churchill began the day with a speech to staff after ascending the iconic Piastraccia-marble staircase (still complete with leonine stone heads that are rubbed for good luck). On the ground floor, Ian Fleming was often found squirrelled away in the library eavesdropping on spooks’ chat (and the rest is history). A glass-roofed room now houses Mauro Colagreco’s Mediterranean afternoon tea at all-day dining destination Saison under the gaze of a bespoke mural depicting an arcadian Riviera of yore. Guests can reside in rooms (including the former offices where influential leaders like Winston Churchill and Richard Haldane made century-defining decisions) that line the corridors made homey with bespoke Thierry Despont carpets which mimic the ground-floor grilles. The unparalleled history here is matched by the impressive F&B offerings. There are nine restaurants, including Parisian staple Café Lapérouse, nestled in the grand courtyard and a rooftop PHOTO JACQUES PEPION 46 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
