Phil Brown

Phil Brown - Travel Stories

Full throttle luxury stay

The Peninsula’s billion-dollar London hotel has taken 35 years to arrive, but its prime position, elegance alongside family comfort, and cleverly incorporated
transport heritage touches, proves good things come to those who wait.
Phil Brown - Qweekend, The Courier-Mail, September 13/14/2025

After checking into The Peninsula London, our first thought was not to leave the room. Calming, spacious and luxurious, it was a classic we-thought-we-had-died-and-gone-toheaven kind of room overlooking the Wellington Arch with a view across several Royal Parks and the palace gardens.

We finally did go for a wander in the neighbourhood - and what a neighbourhood.

We walked past the Wellington Arch (London's version of the Arc de Triomphe), through Green Park, past The Queen's Meadow, a wildflower meadow established in 2016 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, and five minutes later found ourselves at Buckingham Palace.

Most Peninsula hotels - there are now 12 worldwide - feature a helipad but for security reasons The Peninsula London does not, because it shares airspace with the palace and its grounds.

Located at 1 Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, it opened in 2023 and was a new build, costing about 1bn pounds ($2bn).

It took The Peninsula Hotels group 35 years to find the right location and some old post-war office buildings were sacrificed to make way for this stunning 190-room hotel.

Many Aussies know the mother ship, The Peninsula Hong Kong, famous for its high tea and an expansive and welcoming lobby.

While it is luxurious, The Peninsula Hong Kong has never been stuffy and so it is with all their properties. The staff are friendly and service, impeccable.

We have been fortunate enough to stay at the Hong Kong property and in Tokyo, Bangkok and Paris and have found warmth and hospitality is the common denominator. This reflects the founding Kadoorie family's ethos.

It's a family business essentially and that is reflected in the hotels which welcome families like us three.

For Sir Michael Kadoorie, chairman of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, the London property is the realisation of a long-held aspiration.

In a stunning coffee table book about the hotel, by luxury publisher Assouline, Sir Michael's foreword is followed by a poem to honour the hotel, written on commission by no less than Britain's Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage.

"Traveller, imagine this hotel is a book. / Check in and stroll through its first chapter, / from the grand entrance's capital letter / to the last full stop of thought before sleep / on a pillow fluffed with clouds or dreams." Nice.

The hotel, along with 25 opulent luxury residences, centres on an expansive, offstreet courtyard, landscaped in the style of a classic English garden. Many of London's most iconic attractions are nearby including the parks and palace mentioned, plus the Palace of Westminster, Harrods and the boutiques of Bond St. Across the road is Hyde Park, where we spent a sunny afternoon with friends visiting the Serpentine Gallery and lunching nearby. Afterwards we lounged in the lobby over tea and biscuits, perhaps lingering longer than we should have but that seemed fine because the lobby is a welcoming one in true Peninsula tradition.

Outside, iconic stone lions guard the entrances and if you're a car enthusiast you can watch the hotel's signature Rolls Royces come and go. Peninsulas also usually have a vintage Roller in their fleet and in London it's a stunning 1935 Rolls- Royce Phantom II Sedanca De-Ville which was having an outing for a ritzy wedding during our stay.

It's a luxury hotel, but it's an understated luxury. The amenities and the gorgeous hi-tech rooms - and that location - make it special, and the service, well that's a Peninsula tradition. I loved the fact that after putting my laundry in the valet box it was returned a couple of hours later. These little touches impress.

Our aim was to spend as much time in the hotel as possible soaking up that Peninsula ambience and making the most of the facilities, including the 25m underground pool adjacent the spa and wellness centre.

There are dining options including the rooftop restaurant Brooklands by Claude Bosi, awarded two Michelin stars within four months of opening. We had lunch there; the only time I have ever had chicken liver ice cream! According to the souvenir menu, the chef's aim is to take you on "a gastronomic journey through the British isles". The Brooklands Bar, also on the rooftop level, has the most amazing views and is a good spot for a sunset drink.

Sir Michael's twin passions are reflected here with designs that reference both British motorsport and aviation. The famous Brooklands racetrack and the supersonic Concorde are key inspirations. In the restaurant an amazing Concorde sculpture is suspended from the ceiling, a detailed aluminium replica. Downstairs in a little nook off the lobby there is even the nose of a Concorde. No, really!

We also dined at the exquisite Canton Blue which is a nod to the hotel group's oriental heritage. There is also the popular Little Blue Noodle Bar.

The Kadoories launched their first property, the Hong Kong Hotel, in 1868. The Peninsula Hong Kong (described famously as "the finest hotel east of Suez") opened in 1928.

The hotel group began expanding internationally in 1976, first into Asia with The Peninsula Manila and later into the US market with The Peninsula New York in 1988, The Peninsula Beverly Hills in 1991, and The Peninsula Chicago. Then they added Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, Istanbul, Bangkok, and now London. Each property has its own allure.

The Peninsula London is my new favourite, but admittedly I have a few more to try and I’m up for the challenge.

The writer was a guest of The Peninsula London

Phil Brown

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