The Marriott, Grosvenor Square, London

The public areas are no longer a rather alarming red but pay homage to the refined, minimalist school of modern interior design with a dash of art deco. Walls are finished in a Venetian plaster made of grouted marble using a 16th century technique, while trompe-l'oeil paneling is glazed with old fashioned beeswax. Thus the visitor is welcomed into a tranquil haven instead of reeling from a gaudy leftover from the 1970s.

Marriott has also been hard at work improving the 236 rooms. Alexandra Champalimaud & Associates have continued the art deco theme with navy and mustard colour schemes, clear glass bedside lights and clear glass tables.

Try an Executive Suite for a good combination of practical working space and room to relax. These are large rooms by London standards and very comfortably furnished.

Keeping online

Not surprisingly all the rooms have high-speed Internet access and televisions with pay-per-view films, stereos, mini-bars and safes. There are also two small desks available in the entrance lobby with Internet access and wireless access for laptops.

The marble bathrooms are again themed to art deco with silver taps and large white baths set in black and white marble tiles. This is also a good hotel for the disabled with well placed handrails in the bathrooms, and even signage in brail throughout.

The Marriott Grosvenor Square has two restaurants: The Cobalt just off the lobby and elegantly furnished with a blend of traditional and modern features in blues and browns. Alternatively the Maze is the hotel's fine dining restaurant operated by Gordon Ramsay who is well known in Dubai for his Hilton Creek restaurants.

As a conference centre this hotel scores strongly with the Westminster Ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 guests for a reception, and can be divided into three sections. In addition, there is the 3,000 square feet Whitehall suite which can be used in conjunction with the ballroom.

Home from home

The guests tend to be either international tourists with a fair representation from the US, or businessmen with meetings in this part of town. Mayfair is the home of most of the UK based hedge funds, for example.

London is a congested city and being on the doorstep is always an advantage to ensure prompt arrival for important meetings. Equally entertaining after work hours is easier too if you do not face a long and unpleasant journey back to your hotel.

The staff are friendly and helpful to business visitor and tourist alike, and are uniformed in the traditional London fashion adding a certain style to the place. In short this centrally located five-star hotel has pretty much all you could ask for and a little extra.