Hotels
This month we’re in London and Brussels
BRUSSELS
Petal pusher
They don’t let you forget the floral theme at Hotel Bloom: many of the 350 rooms are decorated with flowery murals by art students from around Europe. This daisy-fresh hotel is just around the corner from Brussels’s Botanical Gardens (10,000 species of plant in the grounds of a 12th-century castle). Businesses are served by 12 meeting rooms and complimentary Wifithroughout. Trendy bar Smoods completes the bouquet of options.
Lee Cheshire Hotel Bloom is just one of the hotels you can book at www.flybmi.com
LONDON
Follow the maze
Having attended several awards ceremonies and black tie functions in the grand ballroom at the basement of Marriott’s Grosvenor Square site, I’d almost forgotten that there was a hotel attached. Until recently, that is, when they completed their multi-million-pound refurbishment and wanted to show off the rooms that had been overlooked in favour of weddings and conferences.
The only overlooking that goes on now, though, is on the private terraces and balconies that have been created for the modernised suites – all cream leather headboards, caramel curtain drapes and minimalist bathrooms. The top two floors have retained traditional English designs, however, as requested by American and Middle Eastern clientele – smoking rooms have also been reserved for the latter on the sixth floor should the hubble-bubble pipe appear.
Flatscreen TVs and Wifiaccess in all rooms cater for the business clients – for whom there’s also a basic business centre with computers, fax and printer and six private meeting rooms.
What adds to the hotel’s USP is that Maze restaurant (part of the Gordon Ramsay empire) always has some tables reserved for hotel guests so you can queue-jump the waiting list. Result.
Robina Dam London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London W1, +44 (0)20 7493 1232; www.marriott.co.uk
