Red Carnation Hotels

PRESS ROOM

Break Away

20/01/2008

There are certain things in life you can rely on – two buses arriving at once, rain when you light the barbecue and a London cabbie knowing where you need to be.

Well, two out of three ain’t bad ... the cabbie having let the side down on my recent trip to the capital. To be fair, I’m reliably informed by the staff at 41 that it’s not unusual for taxi drivers not to know where they are, and indeed, they quite like it that way.

For the record, this Red Carnation hotel is not tucked away down some back alley in the heart of the East End, it is in fact beautifully positioned just around the corner from Buckingham Palace.

From the moment you enter this five-star boutique hotel, you know 41 is going to be unlike any hotel you’ve stayed in before. Its discreet entrance, featuring only its number on the door, opens up to a small reception area of maho g any panels and black and white tiles.

From here you take a private lift directly to the fifth floor to check in.

So, you’ve just spent two-and-a half hours on a train and another half-hour in a taxi and the last thing you want is to stand in line at a desk while a receptionist taps away at a computer before handing you two plastic keys.

Luckily for us, this was the 41. Check-in involved being seated on an antique leather sofa in front of a roaring fire with the welcome drink of our choice (champagne, naturally). Here the manager handed us a card to sign and that was pretty much that.

Because I was with my wife, the next four hours saw many shops, many changing rooms and many shopping bags, but then we were back to explore our Executive Club King room.

It had everything you'd expect from a room in such a high-class hotel including those great little touches that demand you notice them. When was the last time you had a fireplace in your room, for instance? Or an iPod speaker docking station? Okay, so most in-hotel TVs offer you Internet access, at a cost, but naturally at 41, it’s free. Alternatively, free Wi-Fi is pumped around the property so you can work, play or keep in touch on your own laptop.

All 30 rooms are unique, but all feature 41’s black and white and mahogany signature. The bathroom featured not one but two showers and the white towels, robes and slippers almost took our attention away from the duvet and pillow menu.

Outside your room, the “make you feel special” touches continue. The private club-feel of the Executive Lounge (where we checked in) is the heart of 41. Here you can relax, watch TV, “raid the pantry” 24-hours a day or enjoy a tipple from the “honesty bar”.

It's also the place you can take breakfast – I can heartily recommend the eggs benedict.

So now London’s best-kept secret is out of the bag, don’t risk picking up a cabbie without The Knowledge, let one of 41’s Bentley or Range Rover transfers drive you to the lap of luxury.

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