Thanks for this thread, jspira. JanePond, this is my fave hotel in London as well.

I switched to the Stafford about a year after Starwood took over the Lanesborough and ruined it (at least for me), at the suggestion of a friend (whose picture is in the American Bar - see if you can find him! ), with my first stay being in late 2004. I will only stay at the Stafford now, but when my travels brought me to London about once a month they took great care of me - I even had my "own" room (413) confirmed ahead of time.

When I heard about Kempinski taking it over I was concerned, though my friend stayed there in December and said no major changes were made, and Ben is still tending bar. ^ I'm glad to hear from others here that so far, so good. It's going to be strange to have cars entering Blue Ball Yard, as the entry from St. James's is VERY narrow, as is the yard itself, but hey, whatever works.