London Hotels

• Overlooking the Thames, near the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, this Grade I listed building offers luxurious accommodation.
  
  
• Guestrooms at Royal Horseguards are air conditioned with fax/modem points, mini-bar and ironing centre; some have river views.
  
  
• The hotel is within walking distance of many major London sights, theatres and shops and close to the business district.
  
  

GENERAL INFORMATION:
What to expect: Converted to a hotel in 1971, this historical property was built in 1884 as a home for international diplomats and prestigious clubs. Today, the French chateau-style, 10-storey building is still a riverside landmark. Door staff in top hats welcome suited executives and casually dressed vacationers into the airy lobby, with its chandelier, brass table lamps, striped sofas, and oak fireplace.

Amenity highlights: Guests have 24-hour access to the fitness center with its range of cardio machines, or they can enjoy the Thames-side location by joining the many joggers along the embankment. The large restaurant retains a surprisingly intimate ambience and has a modern European menu. A business center (surcharge) offers high-speed Internet access; two floors of grand meeting rooms, with restored Victorian decor, can accommodate 250 people.

Insider tip: The subterranean Cabinet War Rooms, from which Churchill directed Britain’s armed forces in World War II, are two blocks from the hotel. The site is now a museum, offering the chance to see one of the war’s best-kept secrets.

PROPERTY AMENITIES:
Royal Horseguards Hotel's business center has two high-speed Internet access points, a fax, printer, scanner, copier, and courier postal service (surcharges apply). High-speed Internet access (surcharge) is also available from a desk in the lobby. Two floors of meeting rooms, all decorated in grand Victorian style, can accommodate 250 people.

Open 24 hours, the fitness center offers seven cardio machines, complimentary towels, and a TV.

ROOMS:
Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, has 280 guestrooms; all are individually designed in classic English style and vary in size, decor, and design. All have two armchairs, desks that double as vanities with large mirrors, minibars, and polished-steel ice buckets. High-speed Internet access also is available.

DINING:
One Twenty One Two - Named after the phone number of the nearby Old Scotland Yard police headquarters. Silver-plated cutlery, white tablecloths. Buffet breakfast, buffet or cooked-to-order lunch, and dinner menu with European entrées. Drinks at the adjoining bar all day.

The Terrace - Secluded outdoor alfresco dining and drinks.