More about the W London-Leicester Square Hotel

Whilst London's luxury hotels are often associated with the leafier parts of the West End, here's one smack bang in the middle of the city's beating heart. Bizarrely standing on top of M&M's World – a 35,000 square feet shrine to the brightly-coloured chocolates – the W London - Leicester Square Hotel is a ten-floor expanse of glass and constantly shifting coloured lights. The hotel bears little of the traditional grace of its contemporaries located further west, but it more than makes up for it by setting a new benchmark for stunning contemporary design. Instead of roaring fireplaces and elegant tea parlours, the hotel feels more like a night club with its ambient lighting and never-ending leather couches, whilst the spa is more science-fiction than Victorian. There are 192 rooms in addition to ten penthouse apartments, but the hotel provides plenty of options to indulge in its sophistication without staying overnight. In the informal setting of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market restaurant, you can sample some of the best Southeast Asian cuisine that London has to offer. You can stay out late, drinking and dancing in The Wyld Bar and if you've still got a hankering for some of that old style elegance, you can unwind with afternoon tea in the Lounge, where this time-honoured tradition is given a unique rock n' roll twist. Best for: The hotel's New Years Eve party is one of the best in London. Did you know? The M&M's World below the hotel is in fact the biggest sweet shop in the world.