You can spot The Wellesley immediately by its art deco exterior. This new luxury boutique hotel in one of London's most exclusive locations has been created in an iconic 1920s building that began life as a London Underground station, and then became Pizza on the Park, one of the city's premier jazz venues.
Now totally refurbished and extended upwards, it claimed, in the run up to opening, that it would be "London's first six-star hotel". That claim has since been quietly dropped, but it is still aiming to be a highly serviced, top-end five-star hotel - with prices to match.
The hotel overlooks Hyde Park and has particularly good views from the upper floors, especially the four-bedroom, four-bathroom Penthouse Suite. Across the road is Apsley House (also known as Number One, London), the historic home of the Duke of Wellington.
Buckingham Palace is almost a neighbour - at least its garden is - and it's a short ride or walk across London's royal parks to both Westminster and the West End. To one side of the hotel is Piccadilly, to the other Knightsbridge, with its famous shops and its restaurants.
The Wellesley's interior is a modern, toned-down, take on art deco in creams, beiges and browns - except in the darker, gentleman's club-style Cigar Lounge.
Contemporary chandeliers of multiple crystal balls light the ceilings, and all the furniture is comfortably padded. The hotel is small enough to be intimate, and large enough to provide a choice of places to relax, eat, and drink.
The Oval Restaurant serves genuine Italian food. There are no nouvelle cuisine portions here - you are expected to enjoy your food, and there are plenty of delicious extras, from 24-month Parma ham wrapped around tasty grissini to homemade petit fours.