Can a fresh Four Seasons compete with London’s ritziest hotel?
Opened this past summer, The Four Seasons at Ten Trinity Square is a newcomer on London’s hotel stage. How does it stack up to the 111-year-old Ritz? We investigated.
The lure
It’s the Union Jack of hotels. The classic establishment in the West End is so quintessentially British, that the final scene of “Downton Abbey” was filmed in its historic restaurant.
The look
The 111 rooms and 23 suites are lavish and Versailles-lebel glam: Think chandeliers, settees and vanities. The shimmering detail on many of the walls is actual 24-karat gold leaf, maintained by a gilder who’s worked at the hotel for a quarter-century.
The history
At 111 years old, The Ritz has played host and home to some of the world’s most notable celebs, politicians and royalty: Prince Charles, Charlie Chaplin and the Rolling Stones among them. (Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died in the hotel in 2013.)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
The Ritz Restaurant, boasting floor-to-ceiling marble columns, posh table settings and pristine views of Green Park, is perfect for a filling English breakfast or Michelin-starred Beef Wellington. Just feet away, the Rivoli Bar serves decadent Champagne cocktails.
The luxe factor
The hotel lives up to its recently bestowed “royal warrant”: Descending the hotel’s staircase into the long, red-carpeted lobby is a positively princely experience. Plus, the hotel is the origin of the word “ritzy.”
The letdown
The Ritz still enforces a dress code — men must wear a jacket and tie in the restaurants and stay “smart casual” everywhere else. Though it adds to the elegance, it can also heighten stress levels.
The lowdown
Best for an extremely special occasion or a well-endowed expense account, the Ritz brags a century of splendid service, extravagant atmosphere and delicious excess.
From $428
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The lure
The reliably fabulous chain has established its latest London hotel just a stone’s throw from the Tower of London for sightseers, and close to nearby business hubs for worker bees.
The look
It’s a night at the museum! The public areas of the hotel (especially the white rotunda with artful nods to the city’s maritime past) look straight out of the National Gallery, but the rooms are sleek and up-to-the-minute. If you feel like James Bond, that’s because parts of “Skyfall” were filmed there.
The history
While it’s a new Four Seasons, Ten Trinity Square is a London landmark. Built in 1922, it was once home to the Port of London Authority — the city’s trade center. And a second-floor meeting room, which is still standing, played host to the inaugural assembly of the United Nations in 1946.
The layout
Even with 89 rooms and 11 suites, the Four Seasons manages to feel intimate, comfortable and remarkably unpretentious. Sitting in an armchair beneath the massive rotunda is both cozy and jaw-dropping.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Culinary star Anne-Sophie Pic, the only female French chef to hold three Michelin stars, makes her UK debut with La Dame de Pic, where she puts inventive spins on British classiques, like Dover sole with green apple and anise emulsion.
The luxe factor
The amenities — large showers and deep soaking tubs, centrally controlled lighting systems, every imaginable power outlet — are brand-spankin’ new and geared towards the many needs of the 2017 traveler.
The letdown
Planning a late night out? Nighttime food options near the hotel are limited in the sleepy neighborhood, aside from a Pizza Express that stays open till 11 p.m. You’ll have to make do with room service.
The lowdown
Perfect for the business traveler who wants to be pampered but enjoys a low-key stay with top-notch everything.
From $478