AN INSPECTOR CALLS

He pays his way... and tells it like it is

THE scaffolding finally has come down to reveal the brand new £39 million Belmond Cadogan Hotel on Sloane Street.

If you’re passing, make a point of looking in. Greet the handsome doorman in his red tunic, then stand in the lobby and admire the mosaic floor, the art, the polished wooden staircase, the dresses of the receptionists, the light flooding through the windows, the (faux) sprigs of blossom.

You will see the pretty tea room in front of you, where breakfast is served, and you will want to stay the night. The only drawback is the price, with rooms starting at £470. Throw in dinner and a few drinks, and two of you won’t leave without spending close to £600.

Americans with money will adore it, and wealthy couples coming in to London from the country will feel perfectly at home.

And if you don’t want anyone to know you are here, then an unmarked entrance at the back of the building will do the job.

Such an entrance would have come in handy when the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VII) visited his mistress Lillie Langtry, the American actress and socialite, who lived in the hotel in the late 1870s. A few of her leather suitcases are displayed in the lobby.

We’ve booked the cheapest room — and miraculously are upgraded to a beautiful suite overlooking Pont Street. It’s stylish and modern but respectful of the building’s heritage, with cornices picked out in creamy white paint.

Above the bed is an intriguing and restful abstract painting. Books have been selected by the local bookshop, John Sandoe, and the lotions come from nearby Bamford’s. The marble bathroom is huge, with a TV in a wall near the free-standing bath. The telly doesn’t work, but we’re not bothered.

What does concern us are the fake books near the lifts on the ground floor, the slow service in the bar and the price of a wagyu steak — £44. And why does everything have to be such a performance? We want a couple of drinks fast and ask for them at the bar, only to be told that someone will come to take our order.

Adam Handling is the chefpatron. You walk past his open kitchen to get to the restaurant. The food is fussy, clearly intended to catch the eye of the Michelin inspectors. But the atmosphere is buzzy and full of hope and expectation, just as it should be after so long behind those construction boards. The Belmond Cadogan

75 Sloane St London SW1X 9SG 020 7048 7141; belmond.com

Doubles from £470