The Soho Hotel, Firmdale Hotels

London’s Soho Hotel is impossibly glamorous, a luxury boutique that is at once classic and original — classic in the now-familiar London sense of overstated and outsized comfort, robust and enveloping furnishing and fixtures (as compared to the papier-mâché set construction in lesser boutiques) and original in its avoidance of worn-out tropes like featureless white rooms, cheap ‘Zen’ minimalism and off-the-rack hotel-standard furniture.

The only complaint one could possibly lodge is that the hotel’s immediate surroundings, down a nondescript mews off Dean Street, are a bit less than scenic; but the Soho location is obviously highly desirable, and if anything the slightly incognito frontage only adds to the feeling of having been let in on something of a secret.

Once inside, of course, there’s plenty to look at — the rooms are decorated in a rich, idiosyncratic style (thanks to the inimitable Kit Kemp), modern yet decidedly warm, and more spacious than any London hotel room has a right to be. Wide loft-style windows let in plenty of sunlight, and the fifth-floor suites (the penthouses and the Wallpaper*-approved Soho Suite) open onto private terraces with stunning panoramic views of the city.

The hotel’s public spaces include two private cinemas, featuring garish leather armchairs by Poltrona Frau, and two separate drawing rooms with fireplaces and honor bars. A restaurant and fitness center ensure you don’t absolutely have to venture outside, and if on business, you can reserve one of the event rooms and have your appointments brought to you—though to be a shut-in would be to entirely miss the point, as the location is easily half of the hotel’s appeal. Otherwise it might simply be called The Hotel….

How to get there:
The Soho Hotel is a 10-minute walk from both the Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road tube stations. If you’re arriving from Heathrow Airport the most convenient transfer option to central London is the Heathrow Express train, which leaves Heathrow Airport every 15 minutes and takes 15 minutes to arrive at Paddington Station. One-way fares are available from £25 and round-trip fares from £37. By black cab, The Soho Hotel is approximately a 45-minute ride from Heathrow Airport (depending on traffic) and can cost upwards of £50.