Earls Court Exhibition Centre - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Kensington Gardens / Kensington Palace - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Natural History Museum - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Victoria & Albert Museum - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Hyde Park - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Knightsbridge - 0.5 miles (1 kilometer)
Harrods - 0.5 miles (1 kilometers)
Olympia Exhibition Centre - 1.5 miles (2 kilometers)
Buckingham Palace - 2 miles (3 kilometers)
Bond Street - 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)
Oxford Street - 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)
Piccadilly Circus - 3 miles (5 kilometers)
National Gallery - 3 miles (5 kilometers)
Trafalgar Square - 3 miles (5 kilometers)
Houses of Parliament and Big Ben - 3 miles (5 kilometers)
Westminster Abbey - 3 miles (5 kilometers)
Tate Modern - 4.5 miles (7 kilometers)
St Paul’s Cathedral - 5 miles (8 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 Gloucester Road. There is also a wide choice of buses. The hotel can order black taxi cabs on request.

This hotel has 200 quiet guestrooms, all of which are decorated in cream wallpaper with a subtle maroon print, dark green carpets and full-length drapes. Beds have cotton sheets, maroon bedspreads and dark green valance. All rooms have framed prints, walnut veneer desks, lamps, chest of drawers and small tables, telephones and dial-up Internet access (fee), two green armchairs and white wardrobes containing safe, minibar, trouser press and extra pillows. The beige marble bathrooms have baths and showers, heated towel rails, hairdryers, mirrors and complimentary toiletries.

Wetherby’s - Located on the ground floor, this large split-level restaurant caters for 140 à la carte diners and 188 for buffet banquets. It has large wooden-covered columns, several large plants and terracotta padded chairs arranged round white-clothed tables. There is also a grand piano in the corner. The menu is modern European with a French twist, and cocktails are available, along with a wide selection of wines and beers. Serves lunch and dinner.

Lounge bar - This all-day bar by the reception provides a comfortable place to have a coffee, snack or post-dinner drink, with plenty of sofas and easy chairs in traditional fabrics, tables and lamps.

What to expect: The hotel has an original white Victorian façade and stone steps, with three gray marble columns marking the entrance. Completely redesigned in 1993, the interior of the hotel has a welcoming, contemporary flavor. The cream marble reception area leads onto a large lounge/bar with plenty of sofas, chairs and tables for both corporate and leisure guests to relax in.

Amenity highlights: Guests can relax in the reception lounge/bar, before heading for dinner in the restaurant, serving modern European food with a French twist. Business travelers can make use of one of the nine conference rooms, as well as having workout at the gym downstairs.

Insider tip: The Albert Memorial, commissioned by Queen Victoria in the 19th century to commemorate her late husband, Prince Albert, is just a ten-minute walk away in Hyde Park. An elaborate structure with various friezes and pillars of red granite, it has recently been restored to its original splendor, recovered in gold leaf.

There are nine conference rooms of various sizes catering for six to 350 people, depending on the function and layout choice. All have walls in a cherrywood finish, turquoise carpet, long tables, LCD, overhead projector and separate cloakrooms. The smaller rooms on the ground floor have a foyer area for tea and coffee, while the Harrington Centre on the lower ground floor has removable walls that convert the conference rooms into one large conference or banqueting space. There is also a small business center with computers, dial-up Internet, photocopier and desk.

On the lower ground floor, a fitness center is open to all guests, with cardiovascular machines plus saunas and complimentary lockers in the changing rooms.