Like Fellini’s celluloid heroines who smoulder in the wall-mounted moody stills, the Italian-owned Baglioni is dark, sexy and alluring and one of the prime design hotels in London. The sixty-six five-star rooms (50 of which are suites) of this boutique hotel are housed in an imposing five-storey Victorian building that belies the glitzy opulence within; the reception area, with its polished dark-wood floors, gold-leaf walls and Murano glass chandeliers, sets a sultry tone for the rest of the hotel. The bedrooms are distinctly masculine with sleek, modern furniture and a palette of black and gold with flashes of scarlet. Super-soft Frette bed linen and mood lighting add a feminine edge. In-room gadgetry is suitably slick – including Bang & Olufsen phones, Gaggia espresso machines and Philips LCD TVs (through which you can access 150 free movies and 1,500 music tracks). Downstairs, the mini-spa, gym, bar and restaurant are all added attractions, though can involve expensive add-ons. That said, the typical guest is unlikely to be phased – Kensington is the area of choice for visiting sheikhs, diplomats and minor European royals. Perhaps the bulletproof windows in the Presidential Suite were a prudent extravagance.