Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008 - (Page 10)

DUKE’S conveys classic English elegance and is known for its attentive yet discreet service (conservatory shown, left). DUKE’S GUEST ROOMS (Junior Suite shown below) offer views of sur- rounding greenery in a traditional setting. into its labyrinth of DeChiricolike hallways and marble and gilt ceilings and vaults that you have a sense of the real grandeur of the former Great Eastern Railway Hotel, host to princes, robber barons and possibly even Jack the Ripper, back in the heyday of Queen Victoria. The Hyatt has chosen this location, smack in the griddlehot East End, to create a flagship for its new Andaz brand (a handful are in the blueprint stage for cities like New York and Los Angeles). The reigning concept is “casual luxury and personal choice.” All 267 rooms (not bookable on the GDS) and suites are also inclusive of laundry, movies, mini-bars and local phone calls. The other sell factor at the Andaz is that everyone, from front-desk staff to chef, is “guest-serving.” There is no front desk manager or concierge, and all the young and attractive staff members have the ability to handle guest requests or checkins via a sleek little pad device they carry around with them. Note: This concept has its pros and cons. On the pro side, your clients won’t stand around waiting for service from the right person. On the con side, when we stayed, we needed conciergetype info on some London basics that took a long while to get because there was no dedicated full-time concierge (who would have known immediately how to direct us) and staff had to search the Internet. Insider tip: Andaz skews young and appeals to a client who will appreciate its non-stuffy character. Older clientele might find the lack of staff pecking order hard to decipher. The Andaz public spaces are among its best features. You can walk through its halls for hours finding new things to look at. In design, it seems as if all the Andaz’s volume is on the “in” rather than outside. Five restaurants and four bars, plus the Andaz Studio “Living Room” dining experience (an open kitchen and lots of local artwork on the walls, bookable in advance for clients’ private functions), buzz with the fashionable hum of locals who come here to see and be seen. Insider tip: Agents can book restaurant reservations or other guest requests in advance through General Manager Arnaud de Saint-Exupéry (44207-961-1234) or through guest relations contact Alycia Wilson (alycia.wilson@andaz.com; 44-207-618-5080). Also in the public space (downstairs in a hidden vault) is an old Freemason Temple that was in use back in the day of Jack the Ripper himself (said to have been a member of the brotherhood). Today it’s used for private parties for the likes of Kate Moss and other fashionistas. It’s worth a look for the sheer gothic fantasy element alone. Tip: Arrange a private tour of the property in advance for architecturally curious clients. Some of the areas, including the Masonic Temple, are not easily accessible without staff to guide you. The Andaz rooms themselves have the gracious spaciousness that the old building offers. Many have views of the famous “Gherkin” building nearby. Staff tell us that open suites 104 and 474 are the largest, and can be requested. Design elements are kept at a discrete level and aim more for function rather than form, but linens, towels and amenities are all plush and high quality. Large flat-screen, high-definition TVs also offer free movies for the duration of a guest’s stay. Tip: To get the full feel of the property, it’s really necessary to interact in the public spaces, which is where the hotel’s hot buzz factor comes in. Again, the Andaz is perfect for a younger traveler who goes out more than he or she stays in. The hotel doesn’t have a spa yet, but three treatment rooms offer massage and hot-stone therapies, as well as a post-jet lag treatment. John McCulloch (john. mcculloch@andaz.com; 44-207618-5180), the health club man- 10 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | April 2008

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Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter London DESTINATIONS India Greece HOTELS Golf Royal Hideaway Playacar Chateau Marmont SPAS Hawaiin Spas Southeast Asia CRUISES: Antarctica Cover Story: Rocket man The Pulse Traveling Gourmet Jetset Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008

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