When the Dorchester Collection opened its country retreat Coworth Park last summer in Ascot, Berkshire, it was to deliver Park Lane luxury in a 240-acre out-of-town setting. Now, hot on the heels of that launch, they’ve returned to the heart of Mayfair to offer up a different (and somewhat downsized) proposition.
With an Art Deco-inspired foyer in which you imagine yourself downing whisky sours and playing backgammon, 45 Park Lane unlocked its revolving doors last month. And while it might be just metres away from its sister hotel The Dorchester (celebrating its 80th anniversary this year), the fashionable postcode is where the similarity ends; smaller, slicker and decked with contemporary art by the likes of Damien Hirst and Sir Peter Blake, 45 Park Lane is like a self-contained annex for the cool crowd.
Why it's hot
As its name suggests, there are just 45 rooms and suites, giving the five-star hotel an air of exclusivity and intimacy, almost like a private members’ club you can check into for a night or two. Rooms are like life-sized chocolate boxes – dark wood panelling, brown leathers and velvets and a copper-toned mirrored wall – with cutting-edge technology (at the touch of a button, the TV tilts and black-out blinds descend). Other lovely touches, aside from Vivien Leigh hanging over my bed, include William Curley chocolates and a giant mirror in the bathroom with a TV screen embedded in its centre.
Ideal for ordering an aromatherapy soak (£20) in your personal marble tub and watching Strictly… before for dinner. The bonus of every room is the view onto Hyde Park; merely cross the road for a jog or a spot of yoga (mats are provided in the rooms) or stroll 10 minutes to Bond Street. Guests can also forget Boris’ bicycle scheme, as far more refined purple Brompton bicycles are available to hire to explore London’s sights or the latest exhibition.
Eating and Drinking
You don’t have to stay here to eat but I’d recommended it as after dinner you need a big double bed on which to sit, digest and reflect. The steak restaurant in question, Cut, is Wolfgang Puck’s first European outpost, sharing its name with the original in Beverly Hills and two other, more recent outposts in Las Vegas and Singapore. Slick with red leather booths and low lighting to retain a classic cosiness, sit near the window with the taxis whizzing past and you (almost) feel like you’re in New York.
Kicking off with delicious Parmesan breadsticks and a mini cheeseburger amuse-bouche, the female sommelier took us through the wines as we weighed up the menu. To accompany the cuts, there’s a choice of eight sauces, six ‘additions’ (from seared foie gras to Stilton) and 10 inventive-sounding sides in which to mix and match your perfect steak dinner. I ordered the light Scottish scallop carpaccio with cucumber, young onions and wasabi-kosho to make room for the Tasting of New York Sirloin, which allows you to sample three different cuts. An incredible meal from start to finish – followed by cocktails up on the mezzanine at Bar 45.
Return the next morning for breakfast and – if you dare – order The Park Lane, a hefty cooked breakfast which includes poached eggs with black truffle emulsion and roasted tomatoes stuffed with roasted shallots and mushroom marmalade.
Photo Opportunity
Angelina and Brad have already popped in for Sunday lunch; Kate Moss for dinner and Tom Ford threw his Fashion Week party here. So the question’s not about who you will spot, but who you won’t...
Room rates start from £395 (room only); reservations.uk@dorchestercollection.com; 020-7493 4545; 45parklane.com
