Green Park - opposite
Hyde Park - 500 meters
St James’ Park - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Knightsbridge - 0.5 miles (1 kilometers)
Piccadilly Circus - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Harrods - 1 mile (3 kilometers)
Trafalgar Square - 1 mile (1.5 kilometers)
National Gallery - 1 mile (1.5 kilometers)
West End (theater district) - 1 mile (1.5 kilometers)
Oxford Street - 1 mile (1.5 kilometers)
Westminster Abbey - 1 mile (1.5 kilometers)
Madame Tussauds - 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers)
BA London Eye - 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers)

The Heathrow Express train and black taxi cabs are available for transfer from the airport to the center of London. The London Underground’s Piccadilly Line also serves all Heathrow terminals and takes passengers into central London.

The extensive London Underground system (the Tube) connects the hotel with the rest of central London within 20 minutes. The Underground station closest to the hotel is Green Park. There is also a wide choice of buses. The hotel can order black taxi cabs on request.

This hotel has 157 guestrooms, all of which are decorated traditionally with soft beige carpet throughout and either floral or checked bedspreads. Beds have Egyptian cotton sheets and padded headboards. Traditional English leather-topped chests are provided as bedside tables. The room temperature, the lighting and the do not disturb sign can all be remotely operated from a console by the bed. Bang and Olufson televisions allow guests to watch cable TV, browse a film library, play video games, DVDs or CDs and access the Internet (fee) via a keyboard provided. Bathrooms are marble throughout and feature heated towel rails and power showers. Neutrogena bath and beauty products and bathrobes are provided.

Bullochs Restaurant - Named after a former executive manager, the Bullochs Restaurant seats 55 for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers pre-theater lunch and dinner specials. The menu is simple, modern British cuisine, featuring plenty of fish, seafood and vegetarian options, all prepared with organic vegetables. The restaurant, designed by Hugo Boss, features a stone mosaic floor imported from Israel. Secluded alcoves are covered with trompe l’oeil fabric that mimics old book-filled library shelves and many of the chairs feature gold plaques with the names of famous former guests. A section of the restaurant can be screened off for private dining.

Whisky Bar - This dimly lit bar is reminiscent of the hotel’s days as a gentleman’s club. The bar specializes in single malt whisky with 157 types on offer. A wide variety of cigars is also available, as are cocktails, soft drinks and snacks. Guests mingle at the bar or relax on the large leather sofas. Open all day until late evening.

Windsor Lounge - The lounge is an informal area decorated with a variety of traditional English furniture and open 24 hours a day. Light meals snacks and afternoon tea are on offer as well as children’s meals. The hotel also offers its guests a selection of cocktails on Wednesday evenings.

What to expect: Formerly a gentleman’s club before becoming a luxury hotel, the Athenaeum was once used by Rank Films as a London base for visiting film stars, earning a reputation as “Tinsel Town on the Thames”. The lobby gleams with shiny brass and polished wood and the bar specializes in malt whisky and cigars. Privately owned and family run, it was listed by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine as one of London’s Top Ten Hotels.

Amenity highlights: Four private function rooms are fully equipped with modern conferencing facilities and the hotel holds a wedding license so a full service can be held here. In the basement, the spa is open exclusively for the use of hotel guests. A wide variety of treatments are on offer, either in the spa or in the privacy of a guest’s room.

Insider tip: Guests can fill in a detailed questionnaire about their particular preferences so that staff can be prepared when the guests return to the Athenaeum. This system allows the hotel to make special arrangements for regular guests without needing to be asked and provides guests with the ultimate in personalized service.

There are three conference/function rooms, the largest of which seats 55 theater style and can be divided to make two smaller rooms. All the meeting rooms are equipped with full conference facilities including video conferencing. They can also be prepared for cocktail receptions, private dinning or weddings. The dedicated business center offers private access to office facilities for all guests.

The hotel’s spa is located in the basement and can be reached directly from all the guest room floors by a dedicated lift. Hypoallergenic products are available and specialist treatments include an enzymatic sea mud body wrap, body exfoliations and auto bronzing. Simple treatments can also be carried out in the guest rooms on request. The modern gym is open 24 hours and guests can relax in the sauna and steam rooms. For those who prefer the fresh air, staff offer detailed maps of all the jogging routes through the nearby Royal Parks.