Looking for the perfect luxury hotel for your next trip to London? When it comes to getting the most out of the city, location is key, but finding a central hotel that ticks all of the right boxes when it comes to style, facilities and amenities isn’t always an easy task.
The plush ME London, located in the heart of the capital’s cultural district, is just the ticket. Found on the corner of Aldwych Street and The Strand in bustling Covent Garden, a member of the global Meliá portfolio, the ME London is one of eight hotels that sit under the ME brand – a personality-led lifestyle brand that combines innovative style with local tastes and a love for contemporary art and design, music and fashion.
Once the site of the iconic Gaiety Theatre, home of the legendary Gaiety Girls, the building has since undergone a dramatic transformation to become the luxury hotel that it is today.
Built just next to the former BBC headquarters, where the very first radio broadcast was made back in 1922, it has since been redesigned by world-renowned architects Foster and Partners and, today, it exudes an edgy and contemporary look and feel where guests can enjoy the ultimate five-star experience.
The hotel
At first glance, the hotel seems relatively low key, but head inside the main doors and up to the first floor, and everything changes. Check-in takes place here, in the Atrium – shaped in a spectacular 100-foot high pyramid and made from opulent white marble – and offers the first taste of the futuristic vibe you’ll encounter throughout the hotel.
Prepare to be welcomed like royalty with an impressive light show whilst you sip on your complimentary glass of fizz – and let this be a sign of what else is to come. A stroll down the hotel’s dramatic dark marble corridors will connect you with a world of high-tech, high-end rooms, suites and two event spaces – the stylish Marconi Lounge, which is the perfect spot for meetings and merges into a cocktail bar in the early evening, and the spacious ME Room and Studios, which has capacity for up to 300 guests.
Rooms and suites
Home to 157 chic rooms, 15 lavish suites and an opulent duplex penthouse named Suite ME, the hotel has got all levels of luxury covered. Located over the ninth and tenth floors, the Suite ME is, of course, the piece-de-resistance, and features an impressive curved shape and glass domed ceiling, offering spectacular views of the London skyline and down over the city. From the private sun terrace, you can spot iconic sights like the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. Redesigned in 2019 with Rockett St. George’s signature style, it exudes modern opulence and is equipped with a host of plush furnishings and modern, high-tech features.
All room types, however, exemplify this modern look and feel, with a mostly white colour palette and digital-display panels controlling everything from colourful mood lighting to heating and air conditioning adding a decidedly futuristic twist. The bathrooms are suitably opulent, too, and boast luxuries like walk-in Bali rain showers and huge, unusually shaped bath tubs, with additional touches like the Apivita toiletries and in-room Espresso machines ensuring you have all you need for a relaxing stay.
Food and drink
The ME excels when it comes to food and drink offerings, with three stylish environments in which guests can enjoy decadent dining and exquisite cocktails and wines.
The RADIO Rooftop is a highlight, acting as an urban oasis in the centre of the busy Central London metropolis and a haven of calm away from the throng of the streets below. This trendy spot serves up a mouth-watering menu of international cuisine, premium wines and cocktails inspired by storytelling.
A place where contemporary design meets luxury lifestyle, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a long and leisurely lunch or dinner whilst enjoying impressive views of the city – and, the service, just as it is elsewhere in the hotel, is impeccable. Brunch options include favourites like eggs royale and shakshuka, alongside some sweet treats like pancakes and crema Catalana, while the all-day menu offers up a variety of hot and cold bites, ranging from crab croquettes and seared tuna to celeriac carpaccio and dressed crab.
Down at the Luciano by Gino D’Acampo eatery, Italian-style dining is the order of the day, with breakfast, brunch, dinner and drinks all on the menu. Led by acclaimed executive head chef Lorenzo Minini, there’s a focus on the finest and freshest ingredients and great flavour combinations, with authentic Italian service to make you feel like you really have been whisked away.
The open-theatre style kitchen makes for interesting viewing and a great talking point whilst you indulge yourself with some delectable dishes designed by Gino and his development team.
Here, you can start with a complimentary ‘aperitivi’ – think classic Italian drinks like a Bellini or an Aperol Spritz – to whet your appetite whilst munching on some small cicchetti plates like the cerignola olives and truffle arancini, which are perfect for sharing whilst you chat – before moving onto some classic antipasti.
Main courses include fresh and tasty pasta dishes like seafood tagliatelle and rigatoni with sausage, rosemary and porcini mushrooms, as well as lighter options like the seabass and panzanella or a chicken Caesar salad. And it wouldn’t be an authentic Italian dining experience without rounding off with a little indulgence, in this case, classic tiramisu or a couple of scoops of gelato.
Carnivores shouldn’t miss the chance to enjoy dinner at STK London, which offers a unique twist on the traditional American steakhouse experience that is designed to liven the whole experience up. Expect prime cuts of 28-day aged USDA beef, expertly cooked and, of course, world-class service, all in stylish and contemporary surroundings.
To do
You’ll have no trouble whatsoever in finding things to do in easy reach of the hotel – in fact, its location is one of its major selling points.
First up, the ME London is flanked by some of the city’s major theatres, where you can see some of those famous West End shows you’ve always wanted to tick off. Add to that the expansive shopping area that’s right on your doorstep and punctuated by designer boutiques as well as the larger fashion stores you’d expect, as well as a host of trendy restaurants, cafes and nightclubs, and it’s the perfect choice for a weekend of shopping until you drop, eating until you’re full and enjoying some of the best high-end offerings of all kinds that London has to offer.
Notable sites like Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square are all just a short tube ride away, so from here, the city really is your oyster.
In a nutshell
A stylish, contemporary hotel in a prime location in London, the high-tech ME London exudes a futuristic feel and promises to tick all of the right boxes when it comes to comfort, cuisine and, of course, that all-important luxury.
Factbox
Address: Strand, London WC2R 1HA
Phone: 020 3499 8651
Website: melia.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/london/me-london
All imagery supplied by ME London
