Luxury hotel market continues to boom in London

This week has seen the opening of two London luxury properties, proving that the high-end hotel boom in Britain's capital is still well underway.

On March 14 Marriott opened the St Pancras Renaissance hotel, a long-awaited property which has been completely restored to its 19th century glory thanks to a five-year, £200m (€231m) renovation.

The five-star hotel is situated in the London home of Eurostar, providing an easy place to stay the night if you're planning on being whisked off to Paris or Brussels early the next morning.

It offers 245 bedrooms, including 38 Victorian suites which retain the building's period features such as high ceilings and tall windows, although other areas considered worthy of restoration have also been saved - the Ladies Smoking Room and famous Grand Staircase (which made an appearance as Arkham Asylum in the 2005 movie Batman Begins) among them.

The hotel is also home to The Gilbert Scott Restaurant, run by British celebrity chef Marcus Wareing, along with the Booking Office Bar, which serves punches and British-made ales, ciders and perries.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the only luxury property in the city to throw open its doors to guests this week - the London Syon Park, a new retreat set on the Duke of Northumberland's 200 acre (80 hectare) Syon Park estate officially joined the Waldorf Astoria fold too.

With 137 rooms, it's set slightly further outside of London, much closer to London Heathrow airport, and offers more relaxing surroundings for nature-loving guests (there's even a butterfly house in the lobby).

Guests can tuck into a multitude of restaurants and bars, including The Capability, which serves vegetables from the grounds, Brownies, an ice cream terrace and Peacock Alley, a martini bar.

Those wanting some relaxation can chill out at The Deck, a rooftop lounge with a view of the park, or enjoy a treatment at Kallima, the on-site spa.

Recent months have already seen the debut of the refurbished Savoy and new W Leicester Square, with highlights for the not-so-distant future set to include new properties from Sol Melia, Shangri-La, Alrov and Bulgari.

http://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/lonpr-st-pancras

http://www.waldorfastoria.com/search/property-details.cfm?intPropertyId=36