Lost Property St Paul’s London – Curio Collection by Hilton

In the lobby a spooky mannequin faces the wall with a jumper over her head

BACKGROUND

The hotel is a completely new building behind the original façade. The design is by two companies – Key Interior and Designs and ICA Studio, and has been inspired (for some reason) by the many meanings of ‘lost,’ which have been “translated… into visual expressions and representations throughout the hotel”.

WHERE IS IT?

The hotel is on Ludgate Hill, just a two-minute walk from City Thameslink station (direct trains to London Gatwick) and immediately opposite the front steps of St Paul’s.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

In the lobby a spooky mannequin faces the wall with a jumper over her head, while behind reception there are images of lost keys, old photos, credit cards and a passport. Above is a Murano glass light installation and there are brass picture lights and modern art on the walls.

We arrived at 1545. There were two reception staff but neither were welcoming: no smiles, no greetings, just a head down over the keyboard. I gave my name and room reservation, and then identification, and when, after a minute or so, I made an inquiry about whether the room was the one requested (a twin), I was told to “wait a minute”.

Eventually, with an apology, we were told that the room wasn’t ready but would be in an hour. So we stored our bags and went for a coffee in nearby Paternoster Square. We got a call 30 minutes later, returned and finished check-in, and picked up our keys. Throughout our stay when passing reception we would smile and say hello, but we rarely got a reply or even eye contact.

ROOMS

The hotel has six floors with 145 rooms on floors 1-6. Room categories begin with Standard rooms (17-20 sqm), some of which have no view because they are looking onto surrounding buildings. Superior rooms are slightly larger (22-24 sqm) and do have a view, and then Deluxe (22-28 sqm) which are on the top floor. Finally there are seven Junior Suites (30-36 sqm) which also have a bath. Around 10 per cent of the inventory are accessible rooms, and these are Standard rooms but with a larger footprint (26 sqm). There are five interconnecting rooms.

Rooms look out onto the surrounding streets, including Ludgate Hill and Creed Lane. The rooms are modern and smart without being anonymous – oak floors lead to a geometric carpet, with the furniture having rounded edges – almost Art Deco, and the lamps and brushed metal plugs are in a pale gold. The bathrooms are marble, with white porcelain and black slate fixtures and lovely, flattering lighting. There are two colour schemes – royal blue on floors 2, 4 and 6 and burgundy red on floors 1, 3 and 5.

All rooms have plenty of charging points around the room, including USB docks, Nespresso machines, two bottles of water, a laptop safe, Penhaligon toiletries in the bathrooms in large containers (attached to the wall in the case of the shower – good for sustainability), and a heated mirror.

FOOD AND DRINK

The hotel has Found, which is both a restaurant and a bar, and Tattle, the coffee shop, which is by reception. The restaurant is attractive, with a lovely glass sculpture of colourful little birds hanging over a long table to the left (this is where the buffet breakfast is laid out), while to the right there’s a long bar with a vivid blue resin top and then comfortable seating with windows looking out onto a small street (Creed Court).

The restaurant’s menu is short but has a good choice of both starters and main courses, including a vegetarian option. Staff were attentive and friendly. The menu was being finalised when we stayed in August.

MEETINGS

No meeting facilities.

LEISURE

The hotel has a modern gym on the lower ground (basement) level.

VERDICT

This is a lovely hotel in a superb location, steps from St Paul’s.

BESTFOR

Its central location just steps from St Paul’s and good transport links with City Thameslink station, just a two-minute walk away

DON’TMISS

A morning stroll in the surrounding area and over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern

PRICE

Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in October started from £399 for a Queen Guest Room

CONTACT

3-5 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7AA; +44 (0)20 4553 0555; hilton.com