Four Seasons London at Ten Trinity Square

The UN ballroom is where the inaugural reception of the General Assembly took place in 1946

BACKGROUND Four Seasons opened its new City property in January. It’s the luxury group’s second London hotel, complementing Park Lane.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? First impressions are fairly daunting. The hotel occupies the Grade II Listed former Port of London Authority HQ, which originally opened in 1922, opposite the Tower of London. You can’t miss the building’s grandeur – it looks monolithic and memorial-like, with a façade constructed from giant blocks of Portland stone. There are usually several members of staff around the entrance. Inside, there’s a small reception area to the right, while ahead is the domed Rotunda, lounge where you can take tea in the afternoon or have a drink in the evening. The colour scheme changes during the day, and there’s live music as well.

WHERE IS IT? On Trinity Square, a couple of minutes’ walk from Tower Hill Tube station, past the Citizen M hotel.

ROOMS The 89 rooms and 11 suites are on floors one to three. Somewhere in the building are also 41 private residences and a members’ club, although I never found the secret door. Bathrooms in entry-level Superior rooms (28-34 sqm) have walk-in showers (some with baths), lots of pale marble and lovely Bottega Veneta toiletries; all other rooms also have tubs. The best room categories are Deluxe (30-45 sqm), Premier (33-49 sqm) and Executive (53-67 sqm) – the last of these look on to a central atrium. All rooms come with iPads to control the air conditioning and lighting, free wifi, and tea and coffee.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS The destination restaurant is La Dame de Pic, which was awarded a Michelin star in October. I ate in Asian restaurant Mei Ume, which has Japanese and Chinese food with a Western-friendly menu and plenty of choice, and is in a superb art deco space. The Rotunda has excellent bartenders and a good list of cocktails.

MEETING FACILITIES The UN Ballroom, where the inaugural reception of the General Assembly took place in 1946, seats 150 people for a banquet. There’s also the Merchants Hall and several smaller rooms.

LEISURE FACILITIES There’s a large gym, an outstanding spa and a swimming pool. Tom Otley

VERDICT A top-class hotel with great facilities, flawless service and a building renovation that the developers can be proud of. In short, it’s a Four Seasons – expensive, but worth it.

PRICE Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in December started from £525 for a Superior room.

CONTACT 10 Trinity Square; +44 (0)20 3297 9200; fourseasons.com