The Guardian – (Travel Review)
Saturday 03 March 2007
PROJECT: HOTEL 55
“There is an instant sense of calm when I step through the sliding glass entrance. My room [is] at the back and you can’t hear a thing, not even tellies’ from the other rooms. What a plus. Bijou’s about right- I have a double bed, a unit housing wardrobe, drawer, fridge, kettle and hairdryer, a crushed velvet stool, full length mirror and small but perfectly formed shower room. The colour scheme is white with touches of smoky lilac and there are two blinds, one blocks out the light and the other lets it in while obscuring the flats opposite…..A late night and sink-into bed mean it’s a struggle to surface. The sun’s streaming in though, and the shower’s got wake-up power so I’m in an extremely good humour by the time I descend. Now I can see the breakfast room properly, – a chic extension with sloping glass roof overlooking a decked terrace and garden…..Hanger Lane will never be a destination in its own right so why stay here? Hotel is a bit of a gem though, if you are staying in town alone – the staff are efficient and friendly and it has achieved a rare thing of an environment in which strangers soon feel completely at ease with each other.”