La Suite West Hotel London
A lady in a purple fur coat and glossy leather boots is pacing agitatedly in the reception area of La Suite West, although given that the front desk is fully manned and she’s not making any attempt to communicate with anyone behind it, one can only assume that she’s waiting for a late-running companion.
Not so. As the couple ahead of me are checked out and smilingly farewelled, I step towards the long white marble desk and am almost side tackled by a leaping mass of purple fur. “I have been waiting a very long time,” the ahead atop it barks. “I need a taxi. It is verrrrrry urgent!”
“Jeez lady,” I think. “This is London. Step outside and hail a taxi yourself! And if you want someone to do it for you, at least take your place in the queue rather than just expecting that your mere presence will transmit your needs to staff!”
And this, I suppose, is just one of the reasons why I am not employed at a central London four star hotel: because the individuals who are don’t bat an eyelid, but soothe, reassure and summon a member of staff, who ushers the woman out and raises his arm. A black cab to glide to a stop, he opens its back door and stands by as she gets in. It’s very evident that, at La Suite West, your peace of mind is important.
This tranquility of spirit is mirrored throughout the hotel in its Eastern-inspired decor: designer Anouska Hempel has drawn heavily on Japanese influences to create a Zen-like, monochromatic space, where white walls and linens contrast starkly with black floors, furniture and high shutters. Of course, I suppose it depends on your outlook: the long dark narrow corridors via which the hotel’s 79 rooms are accessed might be a soothing, womb-like environment to one, but a claustrophobic nightmare to another. Personally, I found the simplicity of the design to be rather relaxing – no fuss, no frills, no distractions; even the flat screen television is cunningly concealed in the foot of the curtainless four-poster bed, to be summoned, at the touch of a button, to arise from its hiding place.
The bathroom is small but with deft touches of luxury; crafted from grey and white-swirled marble, its heated floor, thick white towels and array of White Company toiletries (the minimalist packaging of which perfectly complements the decor) set the scene for a blissful shower, with both water pressure and temperature spot on. The marble shower surround is reassuringly high: a good, long, powerful soak without the prospect of a correspondingly soaking wet floor always merits a tick on my happiness list.
Wellness is at the core of La Suite West’s offering: as well as providing, by way of its design, a peaceful haven in the centre of London, it has its clients’ physical health at heart, too, with no alcohol available in the restaurant or minibars, plus a vegan afternoon tea and a variety of ‘clean’ options and smoothies on the breakfast menu. More recently, the hotel has partnered with Nosh Detox to launch its Kitchen Garden, with an emphasis on raw and vegan foods: bowls of pumpkin and quinoa follow virtuously on from a trio of courgette rolls. Disappointingly, however, for a menu with such a ‘clean eating’ thrust, gluten free options are limited, and while the outside terrace area looks perfectly suited for enjoying such wholesome choices on warm days, the inside space, to which this December day has necessarily banished us, lacks much in the way of ambience or ‘warmth’.
Situated within a few paces of Hyde Park, and with decent fitness facilities on site, there are plenty of opportunities to consolidate the hotel’s avowed commitment to well being – but, since sleep is also vital to good health, the cocooning qualities of the room – complete with slatted light filtering in through the high black shutters and casting patterns on the invitingly crisp white sheets – see me clock up an impressive number of unconscious hours. The wide open spaces of Hyde Park are bright and cold the following morning, with squirrels leaping excitedly among almost-bare trees, dogs sporting plaid coats and stylishly draped scarves adorning the shoulders of more than one walker. Much like the hotel itself, it’s London, but not necessarily as you’d know it: for everything else, there’s a black cab that you won’t even need to summon yourself.
La Suite West offers rooms from £129 per night. Bookings through hotel website www.lasuitewest.com
41-51 Inverness Terrace, London W2 3JN, England. T: 020 7313 8484