Sofitel London St James

Prepare for a slight case of culture shock — the old Cox’s and King’s bank on the corner of Waterloo Place and Pall Mall, just around the corner from the Piccadilly Circus tube station, is now the place to go in London for a little taste of Paris. Today owned by the French Sofitel chain, it’s had a makeover courtesy of designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, and now sports a fine French brasserie.

Absent is the country-house look of the standard London luxury hotel — this one is contemporary and continental through and through. There is such a thing as five-star luxury without chintz and printed fabrics, and these rooms prove it, outfitted in smart, nearly monochrome color schemes with dark lacquered furniture against muted backgrounds, trading patterned wallpaper for black-and-white photographic prints.

Beneath the Art Deco surface you’ll find all the trappings of a state-of-the-art hotel, technological and otherwise: palatial bathrooms, flat-screen televisions, high-speed internet, spa and massage treatments and a full complement of business services. Wild Honey St James, the restaurant, has been recognized with a MICHELIN Star, and is complemented by the Bistrot Wild Honey and the swanky St James Bar.