Long-delayed London hotel is finally taking bookings

While works and preparations continue on the Peninsula London, the eyes of the stone Chinese lions at the entrance have been shrouded. It’s a feng shui measure, designed to conserve their protective energy for when the hotel finally swings open its doors.

Those eyes have been blinkered for a while. Announced in 2015 with construction starting in 2017, The Peninsula London was due to open in 2021 but has been delayed due to the pandemic and ensuing staffing issues.

But the covers – on both the lions’ eyes and the hotel – are finally set to come off. The opening date has been set as September 12, with bookings now being accepted.

The Peninsula London is the Hong Kong-based luxury brand’s first in the UK and only the 12th in the world. Its sister properties – all with their own signature sets of feng shui lions – are in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Paris, Bangkok, Manila and Istanbul.

Considering the first Peninsula opened in Hong Kong in 1928, expansion may be a slow burn, but a hot location is paramount for each edition, as the London property demonstrates.

Such was the mid-20th century way: an unremarkable office block was erected in the 1960s on Hyde Park Corner with a rare view of Buckingham Palace Garden as well as Wellington Arch, The Green Park and Hyde Park. A 10-minute walk to Harvey Nicholls and 15 to Harrods – it’s safe to say the site may have been wasted on those with eyes down to the desk for most of the time they inhabited it.

Now, both hotel guests and visitors to The Peninsula London can enjoy those vistas. The hotel includes a rooftop experience via The Brooklands restaurant, which has views over the adjacent greenery and city beyond.

The eighth floor space pays homage to the classic eras of British aviation and motorsport and serves modern British cuisine by Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi.