When it opened in 1997, the Metropolitan was at the cutting edge of the movement towards design hotels London – Armani-designed uniforms, a Michelin star for its in-house restaurant Nobu and celebrities swarming to the impossibly hip Met Bar. Latterly, it risked losing its edge as newer kids on the block adopted and updated the Metropolitan’s blend of minimalist cool – however a recent refurb has thrown out the overtly minimalist, updating the lobby and rooms. The strict minimalism of the former colour palette has been reinvigorated with warmer tones of chocolate, damson and fuchsia pink – views of Hyde Park, sleek wood panelling, Frette sheets and marble bathrooms inject a welcome super-luxe feel. The Metropolitan London still attracts the four Ms (music, models, movies and money) – as indeed do Nobu (getting a table here is still as hard as drinking sake with chopsticks) and the Met Bar (where the lure of beautiful people, guest DJs and an excellent Martini menu mean that it is packed out most nights). In essence, what you’re really paying for at the Metropolitan is the cachet of rubbing shoulders with the glitterati.rn