Imagine a spire-shaped ICC rising up from among Victorian red-brick buildings in historic London. That's essentially The Shard (above). Italian architect Renzo Piano's 1,004-foot tall tower on the banks of the Thames was meant to open by the 2012 Olympics, but was six months late. The Shangri-La, which occupies the mid-levels of this 87-floor skyscraper with a jagged peak, followed suit this May. The hotel chain says it waited a decade to find a special London location before signing into this ground-breaking spot in 2005: London Town has previously reserved its tall towers for mostly business - think the Gherkin and Centre Point - but Western Europe's newest highest building is home to the capital's first high-rise hotel.

Yes, but London does not - at least, not views like this. Every wall in this skyscraper hotel is floor-to-ceiling glass, providing stupendous vistas of London. The Sky Lobby on the 35th floor circumnavigates the building, offering a 360-degree view of the city, allowing you to look north to St Paul's Cathedral (beautifully lit at night), east to the Docklands, west to Big Ben, and south towards, er, Croydon.

A bit officey: the only standout feature being the Japanese-style toilets. Of course, it's about exterior, not interior. Shangri-La doesn't want you cooing over the Egyptian cotton bedspread; the luxe lies in being able to run a bubble bath and watch the early morning pink sun spread over a panoramic London (above), or taking an evening night cap as the city twinkles.

Don't panic - the one-way glass protects your privacy (although the binoculars in each room mean you can be a peeping Tom). However, due to the unique shape of the building, when the lights are on the glass panels can act as mirrors, offering a glimpse into nearby rooms. Another quirk is that when the sun shines too brightly (not a huge problem in London) the light flooding the rooms can be blinding, and so automatic blinds plunge the rooms into darkness.