By, Sharron Livingston
1 min read
BySharron Livingston, Sharron Livingston
There's Grosvenor Hotel and then there are the Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living next door - 130 of them - for those who want a homely experience.
You enter via an easy-to-miss door on the corner of Park Lane and Mount Street. Three men clad in slick grey suits hover around it. They check you in by taking your luggage and escorting you into the lift and onto the second floor.
Lift doors open to quite a shocking expanse of grey and black stretching out from a black reception desk to the head-turning atrium restaurant and lounge.
There are no windows but daylight floods in from the glass roof seven-storeys above. The light is superb and dapples on the dark sofas, the dining tables and tan coloured chairs with hues thrown out by the sky that day. It's open 24/7 and with decorative trees and plumage it feels like an outdoor courtyard.
My apartment - a one-bedroom deluxe - was on the sixth floor and I walked along the grey corridor to get there. It felt hot. I was told the heat was due to soundproofing but they are sorting it. On the bright side, there were some appealing artworks by Mark Humphrey - you may have seen his bronze statue of a soldier that once stood in Trafalgar Square.
Walking into room 618 was a pleasure. The all-in-one kitchen (with every amenity) and dining room was slick, with white cabinets, black or grey floors and furnishings and tan accessories and chairs. I could control the temperature, lights and electronic blinds from a console. The fridge came with complimentary bread, milk and cheese. Had I given them a shopping list in advance, all my groceries would have been there too. The ensuite-cum-wetroom was reassuringly slick in grey marble, with a deep bath and a rainforest shower.
I had a view over the atrium; however, some rooms have views over Mayfair, whose grey slated roofs and red-brick architecture inspired the apartments' colour scheme, chosen by its designer, Anoushka Hempel.
RATES: Studios from £400 a night
www.jumeirah.com
