St Martins Lane Hotel

To enter the stunning St Martins Lane Hotel in the heart of London's Theatreland you pass through the tallest revolving door in London, a luminescent yellow-glass colossus which separates the relative prosaic nature of the outside world from the colourful hub within. French New Design guru Philippe Starck has successfully helped transform a 1960s office block into an Alice in Wonderland-style space where Dali-esque dimensions and proportions are the order of the day. In the baffling lobby gold molars serve as stools, gilt chairs are scattered across the open space and huge chess pieces mingle with coffee tables while oversized columns contrast against the Portuguese limestone floors and many angled niches in the walls. Columns in the restaurant boast enough framed pictures and photos to rival the Royal Academy summer exhibition while, in stark contrast, each table is illuminated by a single, subdued light bulb hanging low from the ceiling on a black chord. The multi-coloured basement Light Bar is both playful and chic while above, each bedroom benefits from floor to ceiling windows and an interactive lighting system which creates a flamboyant Rubik's Cube of colour. The St Martins Lane Hotel not only embodies the philosophy as 'hotel as theatre' but also draws parallels with interactive art installations and dreamlike spaces. With no sign outside, this isn't a place which many stumble upon out of the blue; for those who are in the know, it is also a popular spot for the Asian-Latino food of the Asia de Cuba restaurant or a cocktail in one of the many bars.