Four Seasons London (Hyde Park) is closed until 2010. London is bereft of great hotels, apart from the small boutique hotels of Firmdale, the best of which are Covent Garden Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel and Soho Hotel. They also have a charming little B&B (with 24-hour room service) called The Knightsbridge. I don't like The Haymarket Hotel, though, although the rooms and suites are excellent - it's just the public areas that grate and the touristy location.

Otherwise, there is Browns, which is OK and is very central. I am also intrigued by The Langham, which has just completed a huge refurbishment, so I may try this out.

The big, supposedly luxe hotels of London manage to provide lacklustre service on a regular basis so I am not holding out much hope for The Savoy when it re-opens later this year under Fairmont.