New York is often referred to as the city that never sleeps. While London regularly puts up a good fight against its American rival in the entertainment and cultural stakes, the British capital is now looking to appeal to those who like nothing better than 40 winks in a cosy bed and a well deserved nights rest.
Helping stake London’s claim to the title of ‘best night’s sleep’ is the Corinthia Hotel, located right in the heart of the capital. While this latter phrase is often overused by real estate agents and marketing experts, it certainly is the case with the Corinthia as its an hour from London’s Heathrow Airport in Whitehall, just off Trafalgar Square and across from The Thames near the iconic London Eye.
But back to the sleep: The ‘Sumptuous Sleep Retreat’ package was launched in the Summer of 2014 and is designed to offer the hectic CEO or overworked businessman the chance to get back in sync with some much-needed pillow time.
The luxury slumber was designed by Dr Guy Meadows who has been studying human physiology for 17 years, with 12 years devoted to sleep research and the prevention of sleeping disorders. As part of the package you can also request a one-to-one session with the doctor himself.
In a bid to snooze, the day starts with a light lunch designed by UK nutritionist Jeannette Hyde, who has designed a special menu based on a Functional Medicine approach, which focuses on eating the right types of food to balance your stress hormones and eating slowly and mindfully to absorb vitamins and minerals for optimum hormone and brain function.
A 120 minute Sleep Ritual at ESPA Life is next on the menu. This is designed to balance the body’s energies and includes a Balinese massage to calm the mind and hot stones to ease tension. This is followed by Shirodhara – an Ayurvedic treatment that involves the therapist dropping warm oil on your forehead and is designed to soothe the grey matter.
I’ve had massages on almost every continent around the world but this was truly one of the best, mainly as the masseuse spent a long time interviewing me on my lifestyle, my job, my posture, my stress levels and everything I had been up to lately what might impact on my body. It didn’t feel remotely intrusive and meant the masseuse truly had a better understanding of you as a patient. As a result, all the knots and pains were quickly targeted, I felt amazing afterwards and he even recommended several exercises that would help afterwards.
Next follows a light dinner from the Sleep Menu in The Northall restaurant at the hotel. The Northall showcases the very best of British cuisine with a focus on seasonal produce from local artisanal suppliers. Those who are fans of Grosvenor House in Dubai will be well acquainted already as The Northall’s executive chef is Garry Hollihead, who previously worked at the popular Dubai Marina property.
As the night draws to a close, guests are left to unwind with a turndown treat of valerian tea or warm milk and pumpkin seed cookies and it’s off to bed.
I’ve stayed in the hotel three times and it’s easily one of the most popular properties with locals, which is clearly a good sign. For example, as I stopped in Heathrow to meet a British friend who was flying out, I told her I was about to grab a car to the Corinthia and she remarked it was indeed one of the current hotspots for pre-theatre drinks or snacks for Londoners on a night out. The best starting point for a night out is the Bassoon lounge, which is very theatrical in its interiors, has some very chatty and highly-skilled mixologists and a vast array of colourful and adventurous beverages on offer.
Another clear example of the popularity of the property: As I sat in the majestic Lobby Lounge, just below the massive, but striking, ‘Full Moon’ chandelier, which was created by Parisian designer Chafik Gasmi and produced by prestigious French crystal manufacturer Baccarat, I got a tap on the shoulder and turned around to be greeted by two friends from Dubai who had found themselves in London on the same night. Of all the hotels in the all the world I thought. As we tucked into the Corinthia London’s afternoon tea menu, with quintessentially British cakes such as delicate Battenberg, classic Eccles cakes and light Bakewell tarts, we laughed that it was just as well we weren’t on any clandestine mission or we’d have failed miserably to slide in unnoticed.
Ironically, the hotel is privy to no end of secrets. The grand Victorian building has three distinct phases to its 125-year-old history. Dating from 1885, the building spent fifty years as the prestigious and popular Hôtel Métropole before it was taken over by the British government in 1936 and used as Ministry of Defence offices, with many notable figures and events taking place within the building. Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously wrote of hearing Big Ben strike on Armistice Day, declaring the end of World War II, while watching from a window as Londoners celebrated. It’s also said that the building housed the records of British UFO sightings. Probably best not to know any of that before heading settling down for a good night’s sleep.
While the Hôtel Métropole had over 600 rooms, the current incarnation has 294 guest accommodations, including 45 luxurious suites, some of which are located over two storeys. The Royal Suite, at more than 470 square metres, is the largest two-bedroom suite in London and while the standard rooms may be smaller than most Middle East hotel rooms, they are amongst the largest in their category in London’s luxury hotel market. While the main living area is not huge, the bathroom facilities are expansive and it has a massive walk-in wardrobe and dressing area, with a floor-length mirror, which is a novel addition.
“We are in the business of selling sleep,” Matthew Dixon, Corinthia London general manager, says of the hotel and its current sleep-focused promotional push. However, with its location in the heart of London it also offers a chance to get out and see the city, so you can justify some down time later on.
The ‘Sumptuous Sleep Retreat’ is priced from £758 ($1,190) based on single occupancy, or from £1,198 for double occupancy. A one-to-one consultation with Dr Guy Meadows is an additional £400 for 1.5 hours and a one-to-one consultation with Jeannette Hyde is an additional £150 for 1.5 hours. Reservations: +44 (0)20 7321 3000 / [email protected].
CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON
Address: 10 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2BD
Phone: +44 20 7930 8181
Website: www.corinthia.com/hotels/london
Follow us on
