Soho Sanctum Hotel, London

You'd imagine a hotel owned by the management of the rock group Iron Maiden is going to be a bit different and the Soho Sanctum doesn't disappoint. With a basement boutique cinema and a really cool rooftop garden/lounge/bar- including hot tub - as part of the offering, it's a hotel with celebrities in mind.

I pretty much took the place over for a launch event, which meant I ended up in one of the loft suites, which go for around £400 per night. Comfortable, nicely designed, high quality of furnishings and fitments, the room was nice - however I wasn't blown away. There just seemed to be something lacking and I just couldn't put my finger on what. It had a stunning stand along hot tub nearby the bed, a disappointingly small bathroom for a room of this cost, a cool speaker which housed the mini-bar and a large, comfortable, king-size bed. Lot's of plus points, however the sum part of them all, didn't add up to something bigger if that makes sense.

The room was located the other side of the door into the rooftop lounge, which was great for accessing my event, however I'm sure it would be noisy if you had booked the room and a function went on a bit late, next door. I had a good look round all the rooms on a pre-inspection visit, they are a mix of crash pads and larger rooms, some with a heavy boudoir theme to them, which may not appeal to everyone, so check before you book.

Staff are welcoming and the intimate reception area, gives a nice feel to the place. The restaurant/bar is combined with the restaurant occupying the bulk of the available space, to accomodate all the Soho luvvies who'll be stopping by for lunch/dinner. It didn't feel like somewhere you could sit all night working on your laptop whilst having a beer, I guess the roof garden is where that should be at, providing there isn't a function on (again check before you book as access is limited).

Location wise, it's very good for the West End, being only a stones throw from Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street. Ideal for London meetings or sightseeing.

My Rating - 4P's. Mainly due to not feeling the WOW appeal from the room that I was hoping for. It's a great hotel, well worth a visit to make your own judgment and to have a beer or two in the roof garden and see if you can spot a celeb.

Dean Street Townhouse Hotel, Soho

Bang, smack in the centre of London's Soho, the Dean Street Townhouse is one of the best located hotels you can stop in if you want to be in the beating heart of Soho, close to the bars and restaurants.

When you eventually track it down, as it's not particularly obvious it's a hotel (I wandered in to the next door restaurant first), you'll be greeted by a small and intimate reception and public seating area. The hotel is about intimacy, combined with a comfortable, individually designed room. Fittings were of a high quality, i-Pod dock, Roberts DAB radio, LCD screen, nice toiletries, rain shower, bed linen etc. A bit of a home from home.

Prices range from around £140 upwards for a small room, escalating to around £290 if you look at their website. If you want to save on taxi's and be centrally located for Oxford Street, Soho and the West End generally, it's well worth considering.

My Rating 4P's.

Citizen M - Glasgow

What strikes you on arrival at Citizen M, is the informality of the place. There isn't the usual thirty foot long reception desk, but a bank of check-in screens, like at an airport, where greeters will help get you checked in quickly. It's the first sign, that the hotel operates slightly differently,that they've thought about their audience and the way their lives work.

The hotel is really well thought out in its public areas, with a lot of focus on bringing travellers together. The reception/bar/breakfast area/breakout seating areas are all on the same floor and flow as one space, with modern/contemporary furniture and workstations, which adds to the informality and sense of space.

Rooms are of a high quality for the price, compact but highly functional. They are about twelve foot wide, but about twenty five foot deep. Each room is equipped with a King Size bed which consumes the entire width of the room with a large LCD TV and a Philips Moodpad system which allows you to control pretty much everything in the room . A small open sink is in the room with a shower cubicle (rainshower style)/toilet and a small desk at which to work. For an overnight trip it was more than adequate, if there are two of you - it might feel a bit cramped if you've got luggage.

Close to both Glasgow train stations (about seven to ten minutes walk to both), it's well located for visiting the city. One major drawback is parking. The hotel is on a busy one way-street, with no lay-by to bag drop and the car park is around five minutes walk away. I was in quite a rush when I arrived as I needed to take a train to Edinburgh for a dinner, by the time I'd worked out how it all worked, parked, got back and checked in it added twenty minutes onto a tight schedule, just about made it by the skin of my teeth.

It wouldn't stop me from staying at the hotel again as nearly all city hotels have this problem, would just plan it better next time and ensure luggage is kept to a minimum. The main reason for this is that you have to put it in context of the whole experience versus the price.

My rate was round £90 for the night. This included free wireless internet and free movies in the room, which is standard in the hotel. Having a drink in the bar when I got back from dinner, I found the prices reasonable and the serving sizes really ample. A glass of wine was about twice what you'd normally get in a hotel, for around a fiver a glass. Staff were really friendly and made a point to engage me, seeing I was a lone traveller. It has a nice atmosphere to it, relaxed, informal and not threatening if you're travelling alone.

The Citizen M concept is really refreshing and it seems they have plans to roll it out further across Europe. I think other hotels could learn quite a bit from them, they've taken a fresh sheet of paper to the idea of a hotel, right from the basics up in terms of design and guest experience. I'd go back there and - relative to price - it's a smashing place to stay.

My Rating 5P's

The Arch, London

Opened in December 2009, The Arch, is a new contemporary hotel, just a stone's throw from Marble Arch. Nestling in Great Cumberland Place, it's close enough to the action to feel part of it, but also being on a side street, so the road noise levels are very low.

Set in a row of Georgian townhouses, let me say from the start, that they are getting it right. Great location (close to Hyde Park and Oxford St), beautiful decoration in the public areas, hearty welcome on reception and a really nice feel about the place. It has the wow appeal and you know it's going to be a great stay.

Rooms are really comfortable, with a real attention to detail. Bed linen is of a really high quality, the furniture of a high quality, TV in the bathroom, big fluffy towels (which were replaced during my stay), Sky HD, free wireless internet (that's worth £15 a night), free soft drinks in the mini-bar.

The market for hotels is competitive in London, finding a hotel where you're not just part of the crowd is becoming more difficult. The Arch have struck a really nice balance between attentiveness and anonymity. Rooms can be booked for around £229 a night including breakfast until April, breakfast is of a really high quality with plenty of choice. If your budget runs to this hotel, I'd highly recommend you give it a try.

I'd only have one thing to improve, that was the bar closed at mid-night. Having got back from a function, it's always nice to have a night cap, so you'll need to pop futher down Great Cumberland place for that.

Official Rating - Unknown.

My Rating 5p.

Hoxton Hotel, London E1.

Sat in the heart of Hoxton, the uber cool area of E1, the Hoxton Hotel has been open around 3 years. It was my first stay. Public areas are lovely, really cool, nicely designed and a real feeling of spaciousness. At night, it came alive with lots of diners, people having drinks and talking. Checking in, I felt the front desk could have done better, all my attempts at starting a conversation were cut pretty well dead. It felt very cold and matter of fact, one of the basics that so many hotels get wrong. Everyone is dressed very casually, part of the overall "image" of the hotel and that contributes to the look/feel the hotel is trying to create. My room (number 624) was at the end of a corridor and looked out onto the back of an office block where they could see right into the room (I pulled the curtains over most of the time). Overall it was comfortable enough, however I felt it lacked a bit of character. Classic concrete coloured wall, wenge coloured furniture and fittings. Bathroom was modern, with shower (no bath) and Aveda toiletries, my shower leaked which flooded the bathroom floor (I reported it the following morning, so will no doubt be sorted). Plus points are free wireless, free safe and the cute breakfast bag that you hang outside your door for the morning. I hired a meeting room too, which I found to be really good. No noise. Good facilities and plenty of refreshments on hand whenever you want them. Parking is a bit of a challenge, outside the hotel is a red zone, so you'll need to go round the back if dropping off. Tube wise, Old Street is only a short walk away. There are plenty of nice restaurants around the hotel, I booked a table at The Rivington Grill round the corner, which was really nice, no real complaints other than the "non personality" staff, that's London for you. Overall the Hoxton Hotel is a nice hotel, they've thought through conceptually what they stand for, the public areas are lovely and the rooms comfortable. I liked their quirky signs in the room, the bills that said "here's the damage" at the top. If they sort the welcome out, I'd go back.

Official Rating 5*

My Rating 4P

The Shendish Manor Hotel, Hemel Hempstead

If you're heading Hemel Hempstead way and want an alternative hotel to the well know business hotels like Holiday Inn, you could think about this place, The Shendish Manor.

First things first, it's not the easiest of places to find. It's entrance is tucked away from the main road. First time I stayed there, my SatNav couldn't find the place and I spent forever trying to track the place down. However, second time was easier. Also, don't be tricked by the room photos that you see here. Most bookings on the web are actually for the 52 hotel rooms which are in the new wing, they are more contemporary but not nearly as lush or grand. They've had a go at making them "boutique style" but they do fall well short of the standard, nevertheless they are comfortable enough.

The mobile phone network is very poor. Most of the hotel has no signal. Last time I stayed I had one of the few "signal hotspots" right outside my bedroom window and was interrupted by people talking loudly on mobiles all the time. The in-room broadband, although free, isn't particularly good either. So, comms could be a lot better.

The building itself is very pretty and the gardens at the rear are really lovely to sit and have a drink in on a warm summers evening. The main reception has been tastefully decorated and the welcome was warm. The hotel is quiet, not many people in the public areas so it's good if you want to get stuff done. Hemel Hempstead is only a short taxi ride away £5 or £6 and it's worth a ride out for something to eat at one of the restaurants in the Old Village.

In summary, if you want something different than a sanitised chain hotel, give it a try. It cost me £90 on the web (via one of the major room discounters), this included breakfast, so the value isn't bad. A hotel photo gallery can be seen here.

Official Rating: Not rated.

My Rating: 4P - (just). Broadband needs to be better. Rooms are OK but lack a bit of personality. Nevertheless, it's got bags more character than a normal business chain hotel.

Yang Sing Oriental, Manchester (Now Closed)

This new boutique hotel is the latest business from the Yeung brothers, next door to their famous restaurant on Princess Street, Manchester. You'll probably see Gerry Yeung patrolling the hotel during your stay, a personable fellow, so say hello if you get the opportunity.

We stayed in room 407, which was a stunning room, especially when you consider the current special offer rate of £128 via their website. No doubt the best value hotel in Manchester for the quality you get.

A beautiful hallway led you through to a stunning double aspect bedroom, looking over Manchester. Everything about the room furnishings has been looked at in great detail, from the stunning blinds, to the super comfortable bed and pillows. This place has been thought about, with nothing being overlooked.

What impressed me about this place was that pretty much everything in the room is free. The mini bar, which was stocked with four bottles of water, fizzy drinks, a couple of cans of Tiger, Red and White wine, Jelly beans and peanuts was all complimentary. In any other hotel, this would cost you a merry fortune and you should take this into consideration when comparing hotels.

The bathroom was wetroom style (which I'm not a massive fan of) however everything about it was quality, right the way from the Clarins miniatures to the quality of the towels, bathrobes and slippers.

Breakfast was included and was of a good quality with the English breakfast being cooked to order. It felt a bit disorganised in the dining room however the choice was good, including the freshly squeezed orange juice and thick toast. At weekends, they serve up to 11am, which is great if you want a lie in.

Location wise, it's spot on. Car parking, like all Manchester hotels is not in the hotel, you're best to pre-park in the underground car park alongside the Yang Sing restaurant (St. James Street) and then walk up with your bags, overnight it was about sixteen pounds. You'll need a big de-tour to get back to the car park if you pass it.

Pulling up outside the hotel isn't easy as it sits on a major set of lights. However, there are some spaces alongside the hotel, which may be free.

The room was quiet during the night, however, we were woken by bottles being emptied into bins in the early morning, this is the downside of being in a City centre and close to Chinatown, however, I'm a light sleeper. The only other bug bear was that the lift seemed to take ages.

In summary, I think the Yang Sing Oriental is a super hotel and full worthy of a 5p recommendation. We will definitely stay again. Having stayed at St. John Street (the other boutique hotel in the city which I haven't written my review for yet), I would say the Yang Sing is the better bet if you're coming to the City, both in terms of value for money and location. Point to note, this picture is not room 407, but it is a room from the hotel, so you can get a feel for the design.

Official Rating - 5*

My Rating - 5P