‘The King Eddy’ (as it’s affectionately known) is resplendent with colonnades and stuccoed ceilings in its lobby. It’s also unashamedly Royalist, with a plethora of portraits and insignia of British monarchs. The rooms have a pot-pourri pleasantness: duck-egg blue walls, floral pictures and plaid patterns, but they deliver on the high-tech goods, too, such as plasma TVs and iPod facilities.

Victoria’s restaurant serves breakfast right through to 2.30pm, as well as lunch, dinner and high tea in the colonnaded lobby. The popular Consort Bar (see Drink) is a dimly-lit, wood-panelled den looking onto King Street. One of the hotel’s big draws is the famous Sunday brunch. It takes place in the ballroom with beef wellington as its signature dish.