Business Travellers’ Guide
Seal the deal in London’s hip spots, both modern and historic
London has been a magnet for travellers since the Romans sailed up the River Thames and founded Londinium in 43 CE. Despite the political and economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit, it remains as alluring as ever – helped, in part, by sterling’s post-referendum slump, which gives visitors and investors more bang for their buck in this thrilling metropolis where more than 300 languages spice the (occasionally drizzly) air.
Driven by its work-hard-play-hard ethic, London is always evolving and recently there’s been a spate of five-star openings, particularly in the City, the historic financial heartbeat also known as the Square Mile. Perched beneath cloud-piercing cranes and quirkily named skyscrapers – the Cheesegrater and Walkie-Talkie – are grand Georgian-, Victorian- and Edwardian-era banks and offices, some reborn as ritzy venues where movers and shakers eat, drink, sleep and clinch deals. Work may also take you to the gleaming corporate towers of Canary Wharf, a 15-minute Tube ride east of the City.
But the coolest place to do business in London could well be Shoreditch. An artsy, gentrified district on the City’s northern fringes, it’s home to a hive of tech and design companies, lightened by street-food markets, boutiques and pop-up bars (one has been decorated like Donald Trump’s New York penthouse apartment).
For tips on how to mix business with pleasure in England’s extraordinary capital, read on...