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.

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

Hotel Indigo, London

Decent London hotels, that don't charge the earth are hard to find, this one's a cracker. Hotel Indigo, in Paddington hasn't been open that long and it's a real find.

Bang smack in the centre of London Street, in busy downtown Paddington, you'll find The Indigo. Nestling in amongst a number of bars, restaurants and shops, this is a far more interesting part of London to stay in as a tourist or visitor as there are lots of places to walk out to and the West End is only a short taxi ride away, max £8. My advice is stay here and pay the taxi fare as some of the West End Hotels are way too expensive for what they are.

The rooms are compact, but really comfy, nicely decorated, with all the mod cons and free w-fi, (which is worth fifteen quid on its own, however I do have to comment that the wi-fi and the ethernet was unreliable, regularly dropping out. Rooms don't have baths if you want a good soak after a long day, but they do have walk in showers which are spacious with big shower heads. Room design is contemporary and modern (see picture), with free room safes, plasma TV, i-Pod dock stereo, nice towels and tea/coffee making facilities, Hotel Indigo is great value for money. The room I have stayed in (106) even has a small terrace, which would be nice for a warm day.

The staff have been really welcoming, which is really nice for a London hotel (a smile goes such a long way after a long day) and if this continues, then Hotel Indigo will be seeing me again.

Official Rating - Unknown

My Rating - 4P. Doesn't make 5P, as it's not a 5* hotel, however I would recommend you stay here if visiting London.