AN INSPECTOR CALLS

WHAT’S your take on Novotels? A little corporate, perhaps, handy for an airport, short of flair and not at all funky? Well, this one bucks the trend big-time.

It’s brand new, occupying a site near Canary Wharf, London, with some of the most compelling views of the capital courtesy of its 39 floors, plus a highoctane bar and classy restaurant — all utterly at odds with a chain culture.

Young men and women swarm around the lobby (throbbing music, swing seats, nightclub vibe) holding tablets to check you in — and, thank the Lord, they seem to be allowed to make decisions, too.

We’ve been quoted £235 B&B for a room on the 16th floor looking out towards Tower Bridge, but we are told it’s ours for £205. And it’s terrific — modern, but practical: the bathroom is a glass box in a corner that feels as if it’s part of the room until you press a button and it instantly frosts up, offering complete privacy.

Free water bottles are in a little fridge and the bed is wonderfully comfortable. My wife says it reminds her of Los Angeles — not that she’s ever been.

There’s a natty coffee shop on the ground floor, but the big selling point is the restaurant and bar on the 37th and 38th floors, which has the feel of an African safari lodge — with animal skin banquettes, thick wood tables and kilim rugs.

The wine list is over-jaunty, with categories such as ‘re-discovered’ and ‘revelation’, and the waitress gets our order muddled. But the atmosphere (and our steaks) can’t be faulted.

It’s the same in the morning, with a Sunday buffet that has us loitering with intent for almost two hours.