Andaz, London, United Kingdom

Liverpool Street Station is not a place that you’d immediately associate with one of London’s sleekest design hotels. Nevertheless, this hip corner of the City is home to Andaz, which sits directly above the busy commuters and bustling trains. It is unconventional and trendsetting, a place to escape from the stuffy, tradition-clad rigours of the more established hotels of central London.

The facilities

The quirkiness begins in the Living Room (the lobby), a high-ceilinged, mirrored space filled with sparse swathes of grey furnishings, local artworks and... not much else. There’s no reception desk as such, but instead the multi-tasking 'Hosts' meet each guest armed with a portable computer. Check-in is a relaxing affair; recline on modernist cubes of furniture, sip champagne and let the staff do the rest.

Andaz is large and sprawling, with amenities to match. It encompasses five restaurants, a business centre, a health club, spa and various meeting rooms. There’s even a Masonic Temple (though it's not actually used by the Masons, this was a surprise find during restoration work and now functions as a truly beautiful events space).

The restaurants here deserve a special mention. Between them they offer a great range of cuisine that reflects the area’s cosmopolitan vibe and enjoy significant popularity with guests and non-guests alike - always a good sign.

There’s chic Japanese sushi at Miyako, fresh seafood at Catch and traditional British fare in the George Pub, and more besides. All of the restaurants have organic and locally-sourced food, in keeping with this design hotel’s eco-positive outlook.

The rooms

The 267 bedrooms and suites have been refurbished with the environment in mind. So, each room has a complimentary ‘healthy mini-bar’, packed full of organic juices, water and other treats. The marble toilets are ecologically sound, and use 80% less water with each flush.

The hotel's green credentials do not detract from the luxuriant feel of each room, however. There are iPod docking stations, with iPods loaned out on request. Each room has an ergonomic work station and WIFI access as standard. The huge flat-screen televisions have a complimentary pay-per-view movie service. And all of this in utter peace and tranquillity – you’ll never believe that you’re above a train station at all.