It certainly has grandeur — check out the Grade II-listed façade — but the colourful contemporary interiors add relaxed intimacy too. The five-star hotel is part of the French-based Sofitel group, now owned by hotel mega-brand Accor but it stays true to its Parisian heritage, greeting guests with a warm “Bonjour”.
Where is it?
Sofitel London St James is in Waterloo Place on the corner of Pall Mall and Lower Regent Street, a stately, sophisticated and unexpectedly calm location just two minutes from Piccadilly Circus and five from Trafalgar Square. It overlooks the Crimean War Memorial and the Athenaeum Club in one of London’s most grandly elegant squares with St James Park on the doorstep.
Style
The building celebrates its centenary this year, completed in 1923 and operating as a bank before Sofitel claimed it in 2002. The neoclassical exterior, in step with the grand sweep of Regent Street, opens into an equally lavish lobby but there’s a fresh, youthful sophistication too. Colourful, tactile furnishings include deep blues, steely teals, warm reds and greens on tartan carpets in the bedrooms, velvet banquettes and club-style chairs in the dining rooms and bars. An open invitation to feel at home.
Facilities
A well-equipped gym on the first floor with free weights and Technogym machines includes a AlphaSphere by Sha chair designed to ease jetlag. The ground floor Spa has four treatment rooms, a hammam, steam room and jacuzzi, only available to those booking a treatment. The star of the show is Su-Man, facialist to Hollywood celebrities including Juliette Binoche, who has brought her unique blend of Oriental face massage, Western science and warm personality to a residency at Sofitel London St James. Her “no-Botox face lifts” are world-renowned and highly recommended.
Extracurricular
Step out and, boom, hello prime central London. Turn left for St James Park, right for Piccadilly and within a fifteen minute walk you’ll find some of London’s top addresses: Fortnum & Mason and The Wolseley on Piccadilly, Mayfair’s art galleries, Bond Street’s boutiques and restaurants galore. Prestigious members’ clubs, Buckingham Palace, theatres and museums, Westminster: they’re all nearby.
Food & drink
Start the evening at St James Bar, an atmospheric success helped by the warm staff and an inspiring newly created “Taste the World” cocktail menu. Next-door, Michelin-starred restaurant Wild Honey St James combines French flair with British produce under head chef Anthony Demetre. The handsome dining room is also where a very good breakfast, included in every room rate, is served. The Rose Lounge is a wonderfully over the top rose-filled space for afternoon tea, with a fun children’s menu featuring Nutella sandwiches and caramel popcorn and La Terrasse, informal outdoor tables at the front of the hotel set up for summer, serves Mediterranean-inspired pastas, seafood and burgers.
Which room?
The 183 rooms and suites range from Classic up to the Opera Suite, some looking onto Pall Mall and some onto Waterloo Place. Lower floor rooms have higher ceilings, upper floors have wider views. These are stylish and well thought out, designed in a choice of four warm colours and there are Smeg kettles, Nespresso machines and a fool-proof radio and docking station. The smart black marble bathrooms are filled with generous bottles of Diptyque products.
Best for...
Business people, international tourists and anyone looking for a prime London location and a welcoming stay in a magical location. The St James Bar is popular with couples and families pre-theatre and friends meeting for a post-work drink while facialist Su-Man has a loyal fan-base of hotel and non-hotel guests.
Details
Superior Rooms start from £545 including VAT and breakfast; sofitelstjames.com
