Sometimes the star grading system can be a bit of a misnomer and should be considered as a standard rather than an expectation, much like the Premiership football league; there are teams which continue to be brilliant, and then there are the rest.
In the heart of Mayfair, just set back from Park Lane and a few paces from Hyde Park and Knightsbridge, sits the 5-star Four Seasons hotel.
A recent £125 million refit raises the notion that this hotel may offer something special,
Viewed from the outside, the hotel looks like another high-rise, high-class, soulless, place to dwell.
However, once through the doors, I’d soon forgotten about the austere exterior — and the hubbub of the West End — as I was greeted by an overwhelming sense of serenity.
Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon was entrusted with overseeing the decoration of the 193 bedrooms and 46 suites. Each room has marble bathrooms and some have mirrors with integrated television and each feels that bit different using a unique feature of the room as a focal point; whether it is the floor to wall window, a garden terrace or open fires. Some rooms have urban views others over Hyde Park or Westminster.
There are several banqueting suites, a spectacular rooftop spa, and a sensational restaurant which managed to deliver a formality without being formal.
There is also a glass-walled roof spa on the 10th floor which means great views while relaxing.
They way I see it, if this hotel could play football, it would surely be the team Manchester United would want to beat.
RATES: From £460 per room
www.fourseasons.com
TEL: 0207 499 0888
DANIEL COBBS