Hotel Review: 45 Park Lane, London

All the luxuries of a Dorchester residence, with the intimate feel and personal service of a boutique hotel. Plus, an award-winning spa worth revisiting again and again. Read our review of 45 Park Lane. 

STAY 

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. The basement spa at 45 Park Lane is something truly special. Of course, London is not short of enticing day spas, but this is one of our favourites. Pristine marble changing rooms, a plush relaxation area (complete with cosy swinging bench) and a pretty floral-walled pool area with 20m pool, steam room, sauna and hydro pool: there are few spaces in London more appealing for a time-out. The spa offering is world class, too, with treatments from Dr Uliana Gout and ishga; the personalised full body massages are truly transformative. 

Moving upstairs, the 46 rooms and suites (not 45, oddly) mix art deco charm with modern appeal, the spacious, light-filled rooms the work of architect, curator, artist and designer Thierry Despont. Every room and suite boasts a Hyde Park view, with the bigger residences offering wraparound views, the Penthouse Suite at the top boasting a terrace with panoramic views if you want something really special. The classic marble bathrooms are upgraded with high-tech Japanese toilets, plush velvet sofas sit beneath striking modern art: 45 Park Lane is about classic comforts with a contemporary twist. 

This is also reflected with the hotel’s commitment to showcasing current British artists. Permanent displays by the likes of Damien Hirst and Sir Peter Blake contrast with regularly evolving exhibitions showcasing local artists with mediums including collage, sculpture and photography. 

The Spa at 45 Park Lane

LOCATION

Located, as you may gather from the name, on London’s Park Lane, the hotel is perfectly located for Hyde Park in front, Mayfair behind, Oxford Street to the north and Picadilly, Green Park and Buckingham Palace below. 45 Park Ln, London W1K 1PN 

EAT 

45 Park Lane boasts two tempting restaurants. Michelin-starred Sushi Kanesaka above and Wolfgang Puck’s debut restaurant in Europe, CUT at 45 Park Lane, below. CUT, a modern take on an American steak restaurant, serves up the best steak in town with one of the widest selection of cuts in the capital. There’s something here for non-meat-eaters, too, and elevated comfort food is the order of the day. The mini cheese pastries to start, the rich and delicious stir-fried black pepper lobster with melt-in-the-mouth aubergine, the indulgent and irresistible cheesecake served with strawberries: it’s food worth unbuttoning your top button (or two) for. 

CUT at 45 Park Lane

THE FINAL WORD 

Former home of The Playboy Club, this Park Lane address has transformed from a party palace to a city sanctuary. This gem is now arguably the coolest of the Dorchester’s urban abodes, a draw for lovers of art, fine dining and superlative spa offerings.   

BOOK

Room rates start at £950 | dorchestercollection.com