The Corinthia

- Emma Johnson

PART OF THE CORINTHIA collection of hotels, founded by the Pisani family of Malta in 1962, The Corinthia London was one of its most special and hotly anticipated venues when it opened in 2011. Choosing a unique location on Whitehall Place, just off The Strand and The Embankment, and walking distance from Trafalgar Square, it is one of the city’s most chic and glamorous hotels, boasting a stunning lobby, with a celebrity clientele, and a modern, decadent décor to match.

Amongst its headline-hitting fans is musician and TV Star will.i.am, who famously uses it as his London ‘pad’ whenever he’s in town. And, sure enough, when we turn up late one afternoon, he’s there in the striking lobby bar – dominated by the most enormous spherical chandelier that hangs above, reflecting proceedings like a shimmering orb. Surrounded by his entourage, kicking back on one of their sofas and chatting amiably, the rest of the hotel’s guests seem completely unfazed by will.i.am’s appearance, and it soon becomes clear that star status here is somewhat down-played and accepted as the norm – just another way that this place feels effortlessly cool.