45 Park Lane, London

Travel can be tricky these days, particularly if you have to leave your butler at home. Fortunately for the service-minded traveler, the Dorchester Collection's latest property, 45 Park Lane, opens in London on September 1. Although it will be the first completely new hotel to open in Mayfair in the past 100 years, it's pulling a trick straight out of the Gosford Park playbook: Every guest gets their own host. 

Part personal assistant, part butler, part concierge, hosts will be assigned to each of the property's 45 rooms and suites. They'll greet you, escort you to your room for a private check-in, and arrange everything just so (expect a call prior to arrival). The overall effect is like staying at a well-located private residence, one replete with screening room, Wolfgang Puck in the kitchen (the in-house Cut restaurant is his first European venture), and rich Deco-inspired contemporary interiors by Thierry Despont. Capital holiday, old chaps. 

45 Park Lane

Mayfair, London

Tel: 44 20 7493 4545

By: concierge .com

Eccleston Square: a new ultra-modern hideaway in the heart of London

Eccleston Square Hotel will be opening in July 2011.

When guests arrive at Eccleston Square Hotel, an historic townhouse on an award- winning garden square in Pimlico, Central London, they might think they’re about to step into an old-fashioned city residence. But instead they will be entering a timeless modern lobby, which dazzles with a black, crystal chandelier and herring bone pattern floor tiles.





After a £6.5m renovation, this Georgian town house has emerged as an ultra-high-tech urban cocoon, where guests are comforted and soothed by luxurious products and swathes of futuristic gadgets. In all 39 rooms there are blue tooth iPod connections, VoIP phones and programmable ‘wake up and sleep’ experience that takes control of the curtains, heating and lighting. The 46-inch 3D TVs with 3D Blu-Ray players and hand-made, electronically adjustable Hästens beds are standard in all rooms.

Good sleep and wellbeing are central to the design concept devised by Olivia Byrne, who recently completed a four-and-a-half-year course at the esteemed Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. “The ethos of the Eccleston Square Hotel is quite simple,” she said. “We want our clients to leave the hotel feeling better than they did when they arrived.”

Eccleston Square Hotel is an ultra-modern hideaway in the heart of Central London. With cutting-edge gadgets in every room, it’s the perfect place for guests to relax and recharge.

LOCATION OF ECCLESTON SQAURE HOTEL

The hotel is located approximately 25 minutes from Heathrow International Airport.

By: Designhotels.com

5 Red Carnation Hotels Make Conde Nast Gold List

Readers of Conde Nast Traveler have honored five Red Carnation Hotel Collection properties as "the best places in the world to stay".

The Milestone Hotel, 41, and Egerton House Hotel in London; and The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa and Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat (pictured above) in South Africa were all named on Conde Nast Traveler's Gold List for 2011. With three hotels listed in England, The Milestone ranked first for hotels with an impressive score of 95.8, which included a perfect score of 100 for Service. The Egerton House Hotel is proud to be added to the Gold List this year.

Red Carnation strives "to provide exceptional, memorable hospitality by meeting or exceeding guest expectations and creating an environment where guests, as well as employees, refer to the hotels as their "home away from home." "No request is too large, no detail too small" is the ethos that inspires this luxury collection, clearly reflected in the stellar ratings their hotels continue to receive year after year.

Situated in the heart of Kensington, the quiet and understated elegance of The Milestone is celebrated for its style, comfort, and exalted levels of personal service. This five-star hotel opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens has 56 individually designed rooms and suites, and six two-bedroom apartments, lavishly decorated with the finest fabrics and furnishings. Boasting 24-hour butler service, restaurants' offerings ranging from traditional afternoon tea to full course dinners, this exquisite hotel is a short stroll to the Royal Albert Hall, and in easy reach of Knightsbridge and the West End.

An intimately elegant townhouse, The Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge is a shopper's delight with Harrods and Harvey Nichols a short stroll away, and the West End's theatres ten minutes from the hotel. This luxury five-star hotel boasts 28 individually designed rooms and suites, breakfast dining room, and a 24-hour menu to enjoy in room, lounge or bar. Renowned for its impeccable levels of service, charm and attention to detail, it is the perfect place to stay while enjoying the best of London.

41 is a discreet, haven of style and comfort, residence only hotel overlooking The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. A chic black and white design scheme is complemented by the plentiful rich mahogany throughout the hotel, and the Executive Lounge where natural daylight floods in from the glass roof. This intimate club-like property offers the height of five-star luxury: 30 rooms and beautiful suites including two unique hospitality suites, butler service, 24-hour room service, the latest in-room technology, full concierge service, "plunder the pantry" whenever you wish, and an outstanding level of personal service.

The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa - a peaceful sanctuary nestled at the edge of the world, with staggering views of the majestic Twelve Apostles mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. This five-star Cape Town hotel is only 5 minutes from Camps Bay and 15 minutes from the City Centre and V&A Waterfront. Guests can experience the best of both worlds - vibrant Cape Town, and a haven of natural beauty. Facilities include 70 sea and mountain facing bedrooms and suites including the Presidential Suite; two pools; the award-winning Sanctuary Spa; Azure restaurant; Cafe Grill; Leopard Bar; and a 16-seater private cinema.

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat - an extraordinary haven nestled in the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains in the Western Cape, just 270km from Cape Town - is the ideal spa retreat. Guests enjoy warm, caring service and hospitality, delicious organic cuisine, breathtaking dining venues, luxurious spa treatments, and superb facilities in a malaria and predator free setting. Luxury accommodations include the Lodge with 16 rooms and suites and the secluded Koro Lodge - a private villa that comfortably houses eight. This Natural Heritage Site is home to many exceptional sand rock art sites. Guests can discover the wonders of nature, choose from numerous outdoor activities, or just inhale and succumb to the beauty, peace and quiet.

The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is an award-winning collection of five and four star family-run boutique hotels in London, Dorset, Guernsey, Geneva and South Africa. Each property has its own individual character and unique location that reflects the local environment, culture and cuisine. They all share the qualities that win Red Carnation so many prestigious awards - splendid luxury, generous hospitality, inventive and traditional cuisine, private art collections, passionate service and loyal staff committed to creating richly rewarding experiences for all their guests.

By luxurytravelmagazine.com