LONDON

IF LUXURY to you means cool, funky and stripped back, then don’t come to The Lanesborough. After its lavish 18-month, top-to-toe revamp, the hotel has shaken off its scaffolding to reclaim its crown as one of the capital’s most luxurious hotels — and if it makes no pretensions to being hip, it’s unquestionably special.

When it comes to plushness, The Lanesborough has stuck with the traditional. Carpets are deep, the marble is hand-cut, chandeliers are oversized and windows are covered with elaborate swags and tails. This is the opulent antithesis of modern luxury.

The overhaul of the l andmark Regency building was overseen by the late designer Alberto Pinto, renowned for his lavish designs. After his death in 2012, his sister Linda Pinto took over the project rumoured to cost £80 million, employing a vast line-up of artisans and craftsmen to reflect the heritage of the building.

As a result, rooms are comfortable: think canopied beds, chinoiserieprint curtains and beautifully intricate plasterwork on the ceilings. The palette here is deep and rich, all claret, cream and gold. Walls are lined with oil paintings, and if you can’t find your TV, press the remote control — you might just find it cunningly hidden behind one of them.

From the Roja Dove toiletries to the first-rate service on tap (all of the 50 rooms and 43 suites come complete with a butler), this is intended to be the very essence of a pampering hotel experience. Cementing this even further will be the new mega-spa, due to open this spring.

One of the current highlights is the Michelin-starred menu in the hotel’s signature restaurant Celèste where executive chef Florian Favario has Eric Frechon — one of Paris’ most esteemed chefs -— as chef patron.

If you are not wowed by the elegant, china-blue dining room then you will be bowled over by the exquisitely complex food. From the simply described but beautifully multi-layered French onion starter to the Scottish Salmon (which comes with sautéed cabbage and ginger butter) this is fine dining turned up a notch.

A stay here is emphatically not an everyday experience — and that’s exactly what sets it apart from the newer kids on the block. Book in for a momentous occasion. It won’t let you down. RATES: A Deluxe Queen room starts from £590 per night, room only. lanesborough.com