I Stayed At My Childhood Dream Hotel

There are two types of people who really really really wanna stay at the St Pancras, London. The first are people who have a reason to be a stone’s throw away from King’s Cross or St Pancras International. This is the hotel to stay in to extend your trip before an early morning Eurostar train or following a late-night arrival. The second are those that know the St Pancras as ‘the Spice Girls hotel’; the setting of the greatest music video of all time, 1996’s Wannabe, released when I was 10. As you may have guessed, I fall into the latter category. 

The St Pancras London Hotel 

For me, my stay was all about the staircase. Hotel guests usually use the stairs for travelling between floors only if the lift is taking a while, rather than loitering around at the base of them marking out exactly which step each member of the Spice Girls slammed their body down and wound it all around on. I also climbed right up to the top to gaze at the vaulted ceiling painted with hand-stencilled stars, surely the prettiest hotel staircase in the capital. The stairs were built as part of Sir George Gilbert Scott’s Midland Grand Hotel, which opened in the 1870s, its 83 marble steps flanked by stone and marble columns and cast-iron balustrades, the floor carpeted with a special design from the 19th-century archive.  

There is a hotel beyond the staircase, however, if you can drag yourself up and away from the ghosts of Posh, Scary, Sporty et al and into a room. The hotel has just undergone a full refurbishment of its 245 rooms and suites, blending Victorian heritage in one half with modern sophistication in the other. Barlow House, named for engineer William Barlow, spans seven floors with 207 revamped guestrooms by German designer Nora Witzigmann in deep jewel tones, dark walnut joinery, polished brass and antique mirrors. In the historic Chambers Wing, Nicolas Daul has reimagined the 38 suites with warm walnut, ivy-traced floors, tapestry wallpapers and plush king beds framed by curved headboards. It won’t suit everyone’s tastes, our yolk yellow-walled room wasn’t really my vibe, but if you like dark and gothic with a little bit of clash, it’s worth checking out (/in). 

The Booking Office 1869 

The posh pub grub at The Booking Office 1869 is worth checking out. A buzzy spot for drinks and dinner – not least because of its proximity to the station next door – the former ticket office is a picturesque dining room with towering vaulted ceilings, carved wood panelling and some tall, skinny palm trees. The decade-themed cocktails are a hit, best enjoyed with some indulgent small bites from the menu, the fried chicken, crab and babygem lettuce side were all wonderful. 

The Booking Office 1869

C&TH KEY NOTES

Drink to order: the 1940s, a tequila-mezcal margarita.
Dish to eat: the aforementioned fried chicken starter from the dinner menu – heaven.
Don’t miss: The Ladies’ Smoking Room, originally created in the 1870s as the first public space in Europe where women were permitted to smoke.
When to go: the night before your Eurostar to kick-start your trip in style. Or on a work do; we stumbled upon a city firm’s away day and the conference rooms looked posher than the hotel common areas. 

THE LAST WORD 

Viewed from the top landing, the enormous lobby at the St Pancras, London really is an impressive sight. But whether it’s the predominantly business crowd or the slight mis-match of design between old and new wings, the hotel’s atmosphere feels slightly disjointed. Or perhaps it’s because I was disappointed not to stumble upon a high society party at the base of the red carpeted staircase that I could barrel into and do back-flips down the dinner table a la Mel C. 

BOOK 

For details and reservations at St Pancras, London, an Autograph Collection hotel, visit stpancraslondon.com | Rooms start from £350.