Review of Malmaison Hotel, by Jeroen Bergmans

Malmaison Leeds was the first luxury design hotel in town and opened to great fanfare back in 1999 when this prosperous Yorkshire town was being hailed as the Knightsbridge of the North.

Located just a few streets from the city centre, the luxury hotel's elaborate, Victorian terracotta-coloured façade belies funky, contemporary interiors in shades of purple and maroon with golden detailing. In the lobby a grand staircase and antique wooden panelling from the building's original function as a Victorian bus and train depot have been spruced up with post-modern, tassled chairs and a tiled floor in black and white cheques.

Malmaison Leeds is a magnet for well-heeled businessmen, pop bands and comedians. And at the weekends, wealthy Yorkshire ladies check into the luxury hotel before perusing the boutiques of Leeds' legendary Victoria Quarter.

The facilities

The Brasserie at Malmaison Leeds was way ahead of its time when the restaurant launched its 'Home Grown and Local' menu which changes weekly. Details about the farmers and businesses behind locally-sourced ingredients appear on the menu and inspired many other luxury hotels to follow suit in these organic, carbon footprint-obsessed times. An open fire and low lighting make for a cosy atmosphere and the private dining room, lined with bottles of Veuve Cliquot and the extensive cellar of 300 wines, is free of charge for guests of the luxury hotel.

Right next to the Brasserie, Malmaison's sultry bar, with its dark wood, leather furnishings and intimate alcoves, and is popular with Loiners (that's the locals of Leeds) as well as hotel guests. And downstairs, the luxury hotel's bijou gym is kitted out to burn off all those excess calories.

The rooms

The luxury design hotel's100 rooms were refurbished in 2006 with maroon fabrics, massive rain showers and plasma TV screens. Black and white prints of Chateau Malmaison, a castle that Napoleon bought for his wife Josephine and inspired the name of the chain, adorn the walls. Generous bathrooms have chequered floors that echo the one in the lobby and Aram Aromatics toiletries, teas are provided by Tailors of Harrogate and the large wardrobes are furnished with an iron and ironing board.

Some of the Superior rooms in the luxury hotel have a separate shower and those on the corner of the building are bigger with massive, floor-to-ceiling windows. The Depot Suites are the most sultry with dark wood detailing, slate baths and oversized toiletries by Anatomicals.

Broadband access is complimentary at the weekend and for guests who prefer to breakfast in their rooms, huge breakfast baskets of breads, jams and teas can be ordered the night before.