Metropolitan

The Park Lane hot spot is still going strong
Noteworthy for: The massages at the hotel’s new spa, COMO Shambhala Urban Escape, are considered amongst the best in London.

Popular plate: It may be a cliché to sing the praises of the black cod at Nobu, but there’s a reason why it’s so famous.
It’s rare for a hotel to keep its cool for 15 years, but The Metropolitan has managed it. Although many similarly sleek, modernist design hotels have sprung up in its wake, it still has a cachet, thanks to a fabulous location overlooking Hyde Park, great service and, possibly, the fact that residents get priority booking at its restaurant, the perennially fashionable Nobu.

True, its bijou Met Bar might not be quite the celebrity hangout it once was, but at least now you might be able to get a seat.