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St. Martin's Lane
45 St. Martin's Lane London WC2
020 7300 5500
A new addition to the Ian Schrager chain of hotels is St. Martin's Lane which opened in September '99. Teaming up with French designer Philippe Starck, Schrager takes the hotel experience to a higher level he describes as "theatrical." Interestingly, Starck is one who strives for minimalism in his work. The result is a design that is at once uncluttered and arresting.
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The hotel's facade does not bear its name - it prefers anonymity. St. Martin's Lane is a buzzword only among those who are "in the know" (ooohh, glad to be in THAT circle!).The lobby has that fresh, modern and eclectic feel about it that captures the spirit of the times.
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The room is almost entirely white. With its unique light control system called mood light you are free to play around with light effects to suit your mood. An excellent feature to trip out on after having drank the mini bar dry!(Standard Room rates per day, approx.: single $350-500, double $500-750) |
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The floor-to-ceiling window that occupies an entire wall will satisfy a claustrophobic's clamor for space! I left the shutters open to give the guys from the building across an opportunity for voyeurism ...Notice that the desk has a light that glows from underneath. Cool, eh?
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The entire hotel experience was so splendid it was a shame to go elsewhere! So on our first night we invited friends Paul + Annabelle to have dinner with us at the hotel.
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The hotel's critically acclaimed restaurant Asia de Cuba was booked for the night so we quite happily settled for Saint M --- a restaurant still at the hotel. The food and wine were divine! For a light meal for those of delicate palates there is also the Seabar that serves caviar, oysters and sushi.Even the dead pan-fried fish looks oh so chic!
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After dinner we had a few drinks at the much talked about Light Bar. What is unique about this bar, aside from its lighting, is the long white communal table where everybody sits around. I must warn you though that this bar is exclusive to hotel residents only. So when in London don't make the mistake of checking this out without checking in the hotel to avoid rejection!
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The one thing that is missing though is a nightclub --- and then you really wouldn't have to go elsewhere for entertainment! Last I heard was that the hotel was recently granted licence to operate a club. They must be working on it now. Another thing to check out next time we come round!After the Light Bar, we went up to our room, put a good CD on (every room has a CD player!) and had a blast! . Other Ian Shrager Hotels to check out
Sanderson (newly opened)
50 Berners Street London
44 207 3001 400
Morgans
237 Madison Avenue NY
212 686 0300
Royalton
44 West 44 Street NY
212 869 4400
Paramount
235 West 46 Street NY
212 764 5500
Delano
1685 Collins Avenue South Beach Miami
305 672 2000
Mondrian
8440 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood CA
323 650 8999
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