A London Address, An Asian Soul

“Guys, quick, look out of the window! The King’s Guards are riding through the arch,” said the breathless message on our media tour group chat. I had been contemplating a soak in the deep tub in my swish room at The Peninsula London, but that indulgence would have to wait. I bounded across to the picture windows overlooking Wellington Arch, and there they were: regally clip-clopping their way through Hyde Park on an uncharacteristically sunny February day.

Catching the daily parade of the Household Cavalry, a priceless London moment, from the comfort of your room, is one of the perks of staying in a Grand Premier Park room at The Peninsula. Set in tony Belgravia, the hotel is just a stone’s throw away from Buckingham Palace, and the suites on the upper floors, like The Peninsula Suite on the 6th Floor, offer panoramic views of the Palace and Hyde Park.

I was quite happy with my view of the Wellington Arch and the Hyde Park Corner roundabout, though—it was almost as much fun to watch the rush-hour traffic and Londoners go about their daily business as it was to catch the drama of the Buckingham Palace mounted guards. The room was beautifully soundproofed, so I got all the fun of staying in the centre of London without hearing the chaos.

A date with The Peninsula

It was a cold, dreary evening when I landed in London after a pleasant nonstop Virgin Atlantic flight from New Delhi. I was returning to the city after years and looking forward to reacquainting myself with it, anchored in the luxurious environs of The Peninsula. The dark clouds and constant drizzle were a bit of a dampener, but there was comfort in knowing that the hotel car would be waiting for me at the airport. The Peninsula famously has a fleet of luxury house cars, including Rolls-Royces and Bentleys for rides within a 2 km radius of the hotel, at no extra cost; my ride was a BMW i7 sedan in a signature “Peninsula Green.”

It was already dark and still drizzling when the car swept into the courtyard of 1 Grosvenor Square, but the welcome was warm. From the doormen to the Peninsula page girls to the receptionist, there were bright smiles and pleasantries all around. Even the twin Chinese stone lions guarding the entrance, a standard fixture at The Peninsula hotels around the world, seemed rather benevolent. The ceremony of my arrival was not lost on me. This wasn’t a quiet check-in with indifferent staff going through the paces. I felt seen, and the enthusiasm, even if rehearsed, felt good. But then, The Peninsula London’s service standards are staunchly Asian with its ethos is rooted in its Hong Kong origins.

The Origin Story

The launch of The Peninsula in London in September 2023 created quite a buzz because Sir Michael Kadoorie, the brand’s owner, had spent 30 years searching for the perfect spot to build his London property before settling on a series of post-war offices in Grosvenor Square. Unlike many other legacy hotels, The Peninsula was built from scratch at a whopping £1 billion after the original buildings were razed.

While the hotel’s origins may be Asian, there is something quintessentially British about it, from the Portland stone used in its architecture to the Rolls-Royce Phantoms in its fleet to the scones, clotted cream, and coronation chicken sandwiches served in its afternoon tea service. Interestingly, the Kadoories have a deep historical connection to India. The Baghdadi Jew family had migrated to Mumbai in the late 1800s, and Sir Elly Kadoorie, Sir Michael’s grandfather, had ventured east to Shanghai to explore business prospects. Today, they continue to run charities in India and have investments in the renewable energy sector in places like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Subtle and Intuitive Luxuries

Rich in history but completely modern, The Peninsula offers tech-equipped rooms, with nightly rates starting at £1,300. For instance, in my 560-635 sq. ft. room, I discovered there were touchscreen tablets and smartphone-like bedside controls for lighting, temperature, curtains, and service requests, as well as super-convenient wireless and wired charging points hidden discreetly in a bedside drawer. Thankfully, they were all easy to use, and I didn’t find myself bumbling around the controls like I often do! There’s also a printer in a cabinet next to the minibar, a video display explaining how the coffee machine works, a Dyson hairdryer, and, wait for it, even a nail dryer in the dressing room. And did I mention a Japanese-style Toto toilet with temperature controls for the heated seats and multiple water pressure options?

The décor, in contrast, is relatively restrained and classic, with the use of dark wood, neutral-toned upholstery, and a traditional room layout. As you walk in, you are flanked by a spacious powder room on the left and a grand marble-clad bathroom on the right, with his-and-hers sinks, a central soaking tub, and a separate walk-in shower. But what I loved best was the heated floor that felt so comforting. Straight ahead is the main living area, with a king-size bed featuring a deep mattress and high-thread-count linen, a two-seater dining table, a coffee table, and a couch. Frankly, this felt more like a suite than a room.

I was greeted with a fruit bowl, a cheese platter, a bread basket, and a tray of chocolates  incuding a hand-crafted miniature Peninsula pageboy. There were also a couple of bottles of “1928” gin specially crafted by Cambridge Distillery for The Peninsula.

I made myself a G&T with some olives and lemon slices for flourish, a kind of Dirty Martini, if you may, and settled in to enjoy this temporary life of luxury.

The Peninsula Plate

That the Peninsula has an Asian soul is nowhere more evident than at Canton Blue, its Cantonese speciality restaurant. With décor inspired by the 19th-century trade routes between Britain and China, the restaurant is a thing of beauty. Designed by Henry Leung from CAP Atelier, there’s an abundance of Cantonese porcelain and silk and a striking ceiling inspired by celestial navigation. Our first meal at the Hotel was at one of Canton Blue’s sumptuous Private Dining Rooms. I still find myself salivating at the memories of Barbecued Iberico Pork, the Cornish seabass, the steamed King Prawn and the Wok-fried British Wagyu Ribeye. Canton Blue is also known for its dumpling menu, and we had a fun masterclass led by head dumpling chef Ling Ling. She was an exacting master, but kinder than our efforts deserved.

The Peninsula’s other standout restaurant is Brooklands by Claude Bosi, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant situated on the hotel’s rooftop that offers stupendous views of the London skyline. Designed on a motorsports and aviation theme, expect the unexpected here like a vintage Napier Railton race car in the lobby and a scale model of the Concorde supersonic jet suspended in the main dining room.  We tried the excellent  3-course set menu of dishes that married British produce with French flair: the Wolves Lane Farm Pumpkin with Stilton and truffle, the Scottish Cod à la Grenobloise and the Yorkshire Rhubarb and Crepe Suzette, Brooklands style.

So, should you book a stay at The Peninsula London? Well, if you can afford it,  the well-designed rooms, the responsive service, the top-notch restaurants,  the superb central London location,  and subtle luxuries make it worth a reservation.

The information

Address: The Peninsula, 1-5 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7HJ, United Kingdom. Rooms can be reserved via peninsula.com, MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Skyscanner, and EaseMyTrip.

Getting there: Virgin Atlantic operates twice-daily, non-stop flights to London from Delhi and Mumbai, and daily flights from Bengaluru. I travelled Premium Economy on the DEL–LHR leg that offers wider seats, priority check-in, and upgraded dining, while the return was in Upper Class with lie-flat beds and a more personalised experience. At Heathrow Airport, access to the airline’s Clubhouse lounge—with à la carte dining and a lively, design-led setting—rounds off a journey that feels premium. Book your journey through virginatlantic.com.