20 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden London, WC2 9HD England
Phone: (0)20 7836 4300 Fax: (0)207 240 3540
(800) 333-3333 US
(0800) 37 4411 UK

‘Look,‘ the bellman said, ‘the moon is right over the Seven Dials.’

The bellman was looking through the window of the fifth floor suite in the Radisson Edwardian Mountbatten Hotel. And bellman was right. Tucked away in Covent Garden, this quiet four-star deluxe hotel looks out on the bright lights of the West End theaters. The silver half-moon looked quite at home. If you look beyond the chimneys and rooftops that evoke Peter Pan, you can see the London Eye wheeling in the distance, guarding the legendary, looping. Thames. This enormous Ferris wheel, which was erected to celebrate London’s Millennium celebrations, smiles and flashes at nearby Big Ben with bluish blinks.

Back to the Seven Dials. Stories abound as to how this London landmark got its name. Currently, we like the one that notes that the seven catty-corner corners which meet have buildings that are blessed with clocks. It is an absolute symphony of roman numerals. In addition there is that Seven Dials pillar which pays its respects to the seven dials. It too is a time piece, at least during the few hours of daylight allowed by London’s latitude 51N31.

In order to understand the Mountbatten (if understanding hotels is part of how you process the world) it helps to understand the Radisson Edwardian Hotels. The privately-owned chain consists of 10 UK hotels (nine in London, one at Heathrow Airport) and apparently more on the way. Next to open will be hotels in Birmingham and Manchester. The Birmingham property, the Baskerville House is set to open in the fall of 2003. as  221-room luxury hotel. 

The owner, the tycoon with good taste Jasminder Singh, is an accountant by training; he has been a London hotelier since 1977. The chain’s name suggests a slavish desire to reproduce an anatomically correct replica of the Edwardian era. This proves not to be the case: the prevailing philosophy is much more intelligent. The idea is to capture and maintain the spirit of that era — specifically an atmosphere of luxury and opulence — while happily using the best contemporary design ideas. Calm colors, sometimes joyfully startling shapes and materials blend throughout the Mountbatten.

And how suite the sitting room is: plump pillows and a comfy sofa, upholstered in a bang-on shade of Edwardian chartreuse… the rich lustre of the angled walls in a lovely, cosseting cerulean blue… huge windows which actually open and look out in different directions…George Melly on the Bose wave radio…who couldn’t get mellow here, very fast? We did.

Room service? Yes, please. The eats: eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomato, yogurt, fruit, juice, toast and tea. We liked snorking up the full English breakfasts --- we prefer vegetarian style --- room service shoots up to the rooms. We sat at the lovely antique table in the angled niche between two windows and engaged in commentary and delighted speculation about the people milling about below, off to work in Covent Garden.

And the well-appointed bedroom was not simply the obligatory other room but a soft

haven made for sleeping and lounging.

Staff at the Mountbatten were extremely helpful and friendly and professional. Not that we had many problems to pose to them.

When staying at the Mountbatten, don’t forget to set your dial for a drink at the hotel’s popular bar, The Dial An assortment of comfortable sofas, easy chairs and the posture-flattering, comfortable straight back chairs invite you to sit down. Bold white inch-thick candles lend a bit of atmosphere. Floor to ceiling windows face the street and look out at theater district night life. Who are those people in dress attire? Oh they’re coming in here. The Dial’s smart location, connection to the Mountbatten and inviting décor bring a highly democratic but sedate bunch to the joint. You have your actors and luvvies and hangers-on who have just strutted and sweated their hour or so on stage as well as young (but old enough to drink) men and women on dates as well as locals out for a breath of air, diplomats, industrialists, and yes tourists from all over the world, all mixing in.

The Dial is a wonderful spot from which to view the theatrical streets.

Verdict: Very comfy, great nabe, extremely nice. Would definitely do it again.

97 Great Russell Street London, WC1B 3BL England
Phone: + 44 (0)20 7637 3477
Fax: + 44 (0)20 7631 3133
Toll Free: (800) 333-3333 US
Toll Free: (0800) 37 4411 UK

The Kenilworth, located in the Bloomsbury section, is another design jewel in the Edwardian Radisson collection. It’s only a block or so away from the British Museum, and not far from the Mountbatten, if you got hooked on pulling actors or actresses at the Dial bar. (And while the district is steeped in atmosphere and tradition, the Kenilworth rooms manage to be both really modern and comfortable. .

Just about everything has a designer label or at least designer mind behind it. A dropped ceiling with recessed lights transforms a grey wall to a subtle and nuanced (like Brendan Fraser’s performance) setting. The persistent and ubiquitous touches do not scream. They delight, charm and give comfort: leather covered cubical night stands, Philip Starck faucets, glass desks in some rooms. Cheery wood desks in others.

We are told that in course of redoing the place a few years ago, the design team led by Michael Attenborough and Mrs. Singh actively sought input from the staff. For example, housekeepers explained how duvets make the make the task of making the bed just right smarter, quicker, easier.

Whatever the journey, the beauty of it is that you find yourself staying in an environment that is modern without being edgily intimidating. Creative original art from around the world seems to be everywhere — in the lobby, the rooms, the restaurants, the corridors. You can work calmly and productively or you can just relax and hang out.

TIP: Go out on the lobby head toward the gents and ladies but stop at the business centre. That’s where you will find three beautiful computers waiting for you and your e-mail. No need to dial up just click on the MSN icon and a web window opens. From there it’s a hop, skip and url to your messages. So far no charge.

116 Piccadilly, London W.1 J 7BJ

Tel 011 44 020 7499 3464

Fax 011 44 020 7493 1860

The Athenaeum is a magnet for visiting film and theatre stars. Recent guests have included John Malkovitch, Samuel Jackson, Simply Red, Dionne Warwick, Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan, Linda Gray, Michael Douglas and Larry Hagman. Part of the Hollywood hangout mystique is certainly because the J. Arthur Rank Organization once owned the property. Two other factors are probably more important. First of all, the Athenaeum delivers service. Staffers quote executive director Sally Bulloch when she says “The answer to every question is yes.”. Also it offers a comfortable and comforting sense of privacy that whispers discretion. Even to the extent of offering the use of secret hallways that afford private entree and egress for the celeb who does not wish to be haunted by paparazzi. This privacy was offered to Denis and Margaret Thatcher when they dallied in the Athenaeum 9^th floor 750 pound a night penthouse for 9 weeks. They chose instead to eat in the public areas and walk through the front door and the Brits loved it.

Travelers USA Notebook stayed in an apartment. These are special and spacious and are round the corner from the main hotel building. The apartments are townhouse suites, two per floor, on Down Street, the side street adjoining the hotel proper. (Quite proper, as a matter of fact. This is Mayfair after all.). Each suite has an oversized living room; ample bedroom; contemporary dark green, tiled kitchen (complete with stove, oven, refrigerator, sink, dishes, tableware, washer dryer combination but alas, no microwave) and a lovely loo. There’s ample closet space. But what’s with the twin beds in the bedrooms? They were tucked in so smartly that it was hard to kick free and play footsie footsie. It made us respect Russell Crowe more, but still. There are twin beds in so many of the A’s rooms, pushed together to make one large bed, that we warn you: if you are a big shot and planning a big juicy secret louche love affair, please phone ahead so the staff can put in a queen size for your visit, or it’s twins for you, duckies!

The central theme of our apartment’s décor might be called patterns. Every surface, fabric, object bears a discernable pattern — powerfully striped green, maroon and cream curtains; beige wallpaper showing regalia separated diamonds, tan and brown floral carpet; bright Princess Anne red rose in a green diamond wreath on an ivory background straight back chairs, rose on burgundy sofa and arm chair red and gold orchids on forest green background chairs. The plush furniture has fringes and the straight backs have studs.

Now here’s the thing. One of us loved the apartment and one of us hated it. One of us found solace in the plush, traditional décor. The other didn’t  -- if we are to attach any credence to the description, “arsenic tones from 1910 and poison and pus greens and brown fringed Philadelphia unsuccessful whorehouse draperies.” (A possible exception to the general décor doldrums might be apartment #13 with its black ceilings and leopard upholstery. Known as the “Wild Room,” it is often used by privacy seekers.) Admittedly there was a bit of discombobulation with trying to work out the tricky television remote controls, coded washer/dryer and stove instructions that didn’t help. And then there were the visible outlets for old English electrical plugs that no longer existed and the hard to find outlets for the more popular plugs of the day. But after a few days crawling around on all fours, looking for the American outlet, which, it is claimed, is in every room, and giving up, it did all seem quite mellow. After all, it is a lovely feeling to have one’s own apartment in London’s Mayfair, and to have an oven in which to cook all those delicious Marks and Spencers frozen meals we often long to try as tourists but cannot bring home on the airplane. There is even a box of laundry powder for you by the washer. To have a discreet staff bring you room service if you are promoting a book and having a series of interviewers traipsing in and out, or having a little orgy---well, as Edward R. Murrow would say,’This---is London’.

The Athenaeum is the perfect spot to stay if you’re into Tory glory and if extreme privacy does not feel like isolation. Whether a guest or not, do drop in on the clubby intimate Whisky Bar. Its menu of at least 100 different single malts is said to be the largest selection of whiskies in London. The barkeep pours with a lovely sense of solemn ceremony.

TIP: For international calls, don’t dial the AT&T number because you don’t get an AT&T operator. Instead, accomplish your goal by just dialing “130.”