Great Northern Hotel

King’s Cross has come a long way in recent years, from a somewhat reluctant travel hub for the north side of Central London to a proper neighborhood in its own right, complete with entertainment and culture destinations to support the refurbished and expanded King’s Cross and St. Pancras rail stations. The time is right, then, for the original railway hotel, the Great Northern Hotel, fresh off its own renovation, which leaves intact the 1850s exterior and brings the interiors subtly and tastefully into the 21st century.

The rooms may be smallish, but they’re comfortable, well-lit, and well-soundproofed, not to mention stylish — they come in four flavors, each one paying homage to a historic era/style, but all of them interpreted through a contemporary design lens. It’s a bid to reclaim some of the romance of the golden age of railway travel, and the key is that the hotel’s history is shown just enough respect, but never too much.

Plum + Spilt Milk, named for the colors of the original Great Northern Railway dining carriage, is the hotel’s flagship restaurant, and it’s joined by the straightforwardly named GNH Bar and Terrace, a buzzing space which opens right onto Pancras Road. There’s also the quieter, cozier Snug Bar, as well as Kiosk, a daytime take-out window serving coffee, pastries, and sandwiches until mid-afternoon.