FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LONDON AT TEN TRINITY SQUARE
10 Trinity Square, EC3N 4AJ hotel. qantas.com.au/fourseasonstentrinity Imposing Corinthian columns and a sculpture of Old Father Thames – a demigod clutching a trident, facing the river and the Tower of London – grace the façade of this white Portlandstone beauty, the former headquarters of the Port of London Authority. Converted into an elegant Four Seasons, it has 100 rooms with marble-clad bathrooms, Nespresso machines and mirrors that turn into TVs, plus bedside iPads and Londonthemed books (drift off while reading Peter Ackroyd’s 848-page “biography” of the city). The Heritage Suites have original high ceilings, ornate plasterwork and working fireplaces.
Business facilities Computers, translation services and airline reservation assistance are available 24 hours. There are five function areas, notably the wood-panelled UN Ballroom, where the inaugural United Nations General Assembly met in 1946. The ground-floor Rotunda Bar is an atmospheric workspace; from late afternoon, a pianist plays the Bösendorfer grand. Wi-fi Complimentary throughout.
Food and drink There are three restaurants, including one helmed by French chef Anne-Sophie Pic (of Michelin-starred Pic) and Chinese and Japanese affair Mei Ume.
Fitness and wellbeing The wellequipped 24-hour gym has cardio machines and weights, plus there’s a spa with treatment rooms, a heated pool, hammam and sauna.
Run route Reception has three-, five- and 10-kilometre mapped routes that skirt the Thames, taking in sights such as Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Coffee nearby Curators Coffee Studio (curatorscoffee.com) conjures caffeine hits near Leadenhall Market, a Victorian arcade used in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.