Review / At The Peninsula London, luxurious British details combine with subtle Asian accents to create an experience recalling all that the celebrated Hong Kong hotel has to offer

Nov 17 , 2024

The Peninsula London is situated on Hyde Park Corner in Belgravia. Photo: Handout

From Rolls-Royce limousines and afternoon tea in the lobby, to subtle, East-West details rendered in sumptuous style, The Peninsula London brings new levels of luxury to Belgravia

It’s funny how life comes full circle. Since 1928, The Peninsula Hong Kong has offered travellers a refined slice of English-style luxury hospitality in East Asia.

Luxury is in the details – and so many of the details that have long defined The Peninsula around the world, from its fleet of Rolls-Royce cars to its legendary lobby afternoon tea, evoke the spirit of London’s finest establishments.

This summer, almost a century on from The Peninsula Hong Kong’s first day of service, The Peninsula London fully opened its doors with a grand opening in June.

The tranquil indoor swimming pool at The Peninsula London. Photo: Handout

At a reported cost of more than £1 billion and said to be decades in the making, The Peninsula London long had observers curious as to how the Hong Kong-headquartered hotel group, which always seems to have been inspired by British tradition, would approach its first property in the UK. The answer, it turns out, is by masterfully weaving Western and Asian influences to conjure something entirely original.

Much like the group’s first hotel, and its home city of Hong Kong, The Peninsula London artfully blends elements of British and Chinese culture to create an experience for guests that feels in keeping with its surroundings, while also offering something new. And what surroundings they are: The Peninsula London is situated in Belgravia, the heart of the British establishment, just steps from the Buckingham Palace gardens and with views over Hyde Park Corner.

The Peninsula London offers all the brand’s signature touches, including a fleet of Rolls-Royce cars. Photo: Handout

Arriving by car, one is immediately transported to a more tranquil world, shielded from the bustling city outside within an off-street cobbled courtyard, which simultaneously evokes a serene English garden and a Beijing siheyuan. Entering the property, I walk past imposing stone lions that guard the entrance and am welcomed to the lobby lounge by a friendly page in The Peninsula’s recognisable crisp white uniform and pillbox hat. It’s midafternoon and soft music from a three-piece band on the mezzanine floor washes over the scene as guests enjoy afternoon tea – served, of course, from silver-plated teapots. For anyone familiar with the Hong Kong property, The Peninsula London will feel like home away from home.

The Peninsula London serves a classic afternoon tea at The Lobby Lounge. Photo: Handout

It’s a recurring theme. The 190 guest rooms and suites, designed by American architect Peter Marino, are a hymn to quiet luxury, delivering style and comfort with a curation of the finest furnishings and fittings – all mahogany-panelled dressing rooms and honey onyx bathrooms – bathed in light from floor-to-ceiling windows. They too feature touches that are distinctly Peninsula, from the traditional, such as a valet box, so guests can receive items without being disturbed, to the state-of-the-art, such as multiple touchscreens for controlling everything from the curtains and lighting to the 24-hour e-concierge service, PenChat.