St Pancras Renaissance Hotel London
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The only hotel in the world where you can hang out in a Harry Potter set and enjoy a genuine neo-Gothic masterpiece without even leaving the station.
Address: Euston Rd, London NW1 2AR. Price: From £400. Closest transport: It is in the St Pancras Station building, just a couple of minutes from King's Cross.
Time Out says
Nobody likes to overuse the word 'iconic' more than your friends at Time Out. But the St Pancras Hotel truly is iconic. Honest. The magnificent neo-Gothic building adjoins St Pancras station and resembles a magnificent wizard's lair. This explains why the Harry Potter films strongly imply that the Hogwarts Express departs from somewhere around its foyer, rather than its more prosaic neighbor King's Cross.
Forget Harry Potter—let's talk about real culture. In 1996, the Spice Girls climbed its grand staircase and into history, filming the music video for 'Wannabe' on its steps. The idea was presumably to juxtapose their fresh and feisty Girl Power attitude with the building's faded imperial splendor. The steps remain virtually unchanged today. You'd better believe I took a selfie. So it's iconic, okay?
Of course, this doesn't tell the whole story. The building—designed by George Gilbert Scott—opened as the Midland Grand Hotel in 1873 and closed in 1935, as its old-world services became too costly to maintain. It then spent the next 70 years as the world's fanciest railway offices. British Rail tried to demolish it but was thwarted by a campaign in the 1960s that led to its Grade II listing. Finally, in 2011, it reemerged phoenix-like as the St Pancras Hotel, resuming its destiny.
How fancy is it? Well, a Deluxe King Room (in which I stayed, the second most basic after the Loft Room) costs over £400 and is not inherently that fancy. Don't get me wrong: there are lovely design details, including beautiful peacock-pattern pillows and chairs, plus tastefully retro decor like a retro radio and wicker wardrobe. But overall, it's an attractive variation on a standard compact room with a king bed and drench shower. More grandiose rooms exist, but at the not-exactly-bargain-basement price, expect something nice, not full-blown Victorian luxury.
Beyond your room, however, it's a different story. The building is entirely exquisite and has a great vibe that balances the bells and whistles of a five-star international hotel with a genuinely fun, welcoming destination for Londoners after a drink or meal. As I entered the airy, vaulted foyer—which serves as afternoon tea and light bar bites bar, The Hansom—a string quartet was playing 'Dancing On My Own,' and a welcome cocktail was offered (and accepted) at check-in. This was good. As a handsome international hotel, it boasts a nice spa, gym, and a modestly sized but beautifully decorated underground swimming pool in Arts and Crafts style. It is also incredibly well-positioned if you're catching the Eurostar (or the Hogwarts Express).
The real jewel in the crown is Booking Office 1869, a restaurant-slash-bar-slash-neo-Victorian fun palace that looks like something out of Phileas Fogg's wildest fantasies. With vaulted ceilings, it's a fusion of the grandiose and the glam, and probably the only building in London outside of Kew that manages to style out indoor palms. The food menu nods to the building's history: I had a hearty Lincolnshire rarebit for breakfast, served there. But mostly it's smart modern British with a veggie bias that would have baffled our forebears. My top tips are the Berkshire pork cutlet and the smoked paprika corn 'ribs.'
The best bit, though, is the sensational cocktail list, which riffs on both the hotel's age and the history of cocktails. It offers one drink per decade from the 1860s to the present, starting with its spin on rum punch—a variation on the first professionally recorded cocktail—and moving to the present in a manner I'll call both delicious and educational. Add tasteful live DJ sets at the weekend, and you have one of London's great bar-restaurants.
There are pragmatic reasons related to railway travel that might lead you to the St Pancras Hotel. If you're solely looking to get your head down and move on, it's worth shopping around nearby—it's the closest hotel to the Eurostar, but being five or ten minutes away won't ruin your trip. But if, in addition to your overnight needs, you're looking for a fun night out in stunning surroundings with world-class cocktails and the Spice Girls steps right there to gawp at, the St Pancras Hotel simply cannot be beaten.
Details
Address: Euston Road, London NW1 2AR.
Transport: Tube: King's Cross St Pancras.
