The Haymarket

Creative and quirky hotel for design buffs
Noteworthy for: The rooms are spacious and sleek, but this is one for those who put style over cosy home comforts.

Talk of the town: There are frequently parties in the suites and paparazzi waiting outside for a star guest to emerge.
British design duo Tim and Kit Kemp don’t have one signature look; they just create achingly hip and creatively quirky hotels with a buzz, and the Haymarket is no exception. In the heart of the West End, the delights of theatre-land, Soho and Covent Garden are within walking distance, which says something of the cool and cultured crowd it attracts.

While it may look classic and conservative from the outside, each of the 50-rooms in the Regency-era building are individually styled in a jamboree of genres and decades. The gym is under par, but their pièce de résistance is the 60ft pool magnificently lit by artist Martin Richman’s mesmerising kinetic wall installation changing between blue, yellow and red complete with poolside bar. A rare treat in London.