London may not be under-endowed with luxury hotels, but until now they have tended to cluster around Mayfair and Park Lane. So Four Seasons’ decision to open its second London five-star on the eastern edge of the City financial district, midway between the West End and the investment banks of Canary Wharf, marks a striking shift in the capital’s centre of gravity.
Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square occupies the former headquarters of the Port of London Authority, a grand Beaux-Arts building overlooking the Tower of London, which stood in for MI6 in Skyfall. Built between 1912 and 1922, when London was the greatest seaport in the world, it exudes Edwardian self-confidence, with an opulent marble lobby and walnut-panelled reception rooms that have been carefully restored to their former glory in a six-year, multimillion-pound programme of rebuilding and renovation.
The interiors of the 100-room hotel (which also has 41 serviced apartments that span the top four floors of the building) were designed by Bruno Moinard and Claire Betaille of Paris-based 4BI et Associés, whose previous work includes the Cartier boutique on Central Park and the rooms at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée. The centrepiece, quite literally, is the Rotunda, a glitzy circular lounge in the middle of the building, whose shallow gold-ribbed dome is supported by barley-sugar columns, and surrounded by a series of relief murals intended to evoke the maritime heritage of the site.
Two restaurants open off the lobby: La Dame de Pic, the first British offering from the French-based three-Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, with an equally upscale Asian restaurant designed by Hong Kong’s AB Concept to follow later this year.
Downstairs is the 1,680 sq m day spa, designed in a neo-Roman style by Joseph Caspari, includes eight treatment rooms, a hammam and a 14m pool. More unusually, the ground floor is where you’ll find the nine Heritage Suites, their location capitalising on the original five-metre-high ceilings and period detailing. These open in May along with the third-floor Presidential Suite, which offers dining for eight and a small private terrace – though our vote goes to the Executive Rooms for their winning combination of size and more contemporary design. Eastward ho!
ADDRESS
10 Trinity Square
-
Reuters presents the 500 most impactful photographs of the last 40 years in a new book'In the Moment: 40 Years of Reuters Photojournalism,' published by Thames & Hudson', celebrates an era of iconic photography
-
At La Fondation hotel in Paris, minimalism has irresistible warmthOnce a parking lot, this 17th-arrondissement stay now offers rooftop city views, cocooning suites, and interiors by Roman & Williams
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
London’s best pizza restaurant gets a new home in MayfairSecure a slice of New York-style pizza in central London as Crisp Pizza teams up with the Devonshire pub to set up shop in the relaunched The Marlborough
-
At this east London listening bar, mezcal-fuelled cocktails hit as hard as the basslinesIn Bethnal Green, Little Fires pairs vinyl grooves with mezcal margaritas and Oaxacan sharing plates
-
Harry Nuriev’s Noisy Oyster London bistro isn’t quite finished – and that’s the pointA futuristic, work-in-progress aesthetic forms a striking backdrop for a new, sustainably focused seafood bistro in Shoreditch
-
Head to Lupa for a taste of Rome in the heart of HighburyEd Templeton, Theo James and Naz Hassan unveil an intimate 28-seat restaurant that balances a cosy, candlelit atmosphere with Roman-style dining
-
Underground grooves and a touch of ‘controlled chaos’ make this exciting Japanese-inspired restaurant one to bookMoi, a new subterranean hotspot in London, is a feast for the senses
-
Café Kitsuné doubles down on London with a new locationCafé Kitsuné continues its global expansion with a bijou two-floor venue in Covent Garden that prioritises both craft and flavour
-
You can live out your Gatsby dreams, thanks to Claridge’s new Jazz Age-themed sleepoverCheck in for the legendary hotel's Bright Young Things Sleepover — Shalimar perfume included
-
Do luxury hotels need a farmer-in-residence?From Ibiza to Indonesia, hospitality brands are cultivating a new travel experience, where wellness begins in the soil and ends at the table
