The Zetter
Where? In London's Clerkenwell, a newly hip district featuring some of the capital's hottest restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It's also within walking distance of St Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern, the Barbican and Sadler's Wells.
Spring chicken or golden oldie? The former. After its opening this spring, The Zetter was immediately listed as one of Conde Nast Traveller's 50 coolest new hotels.
Tell us more: Once a gloomy Victorian warehouse, this 19th-century building is now an airy haven, where old and new clash with stylish aplomb. The stripped-back brick walls are topped by floating ceilings, an original spiral staircase flames in fire-engine red, and the huge windows are flanked by modish shutters.
Who goes there? Keira Knightley, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Louis Theroux are all fans of the hotel's straightforward approach, which emphasises the importance of bouncy beds, 'rain-dance' showers and the latest technology.
Such as? Each of the 52 rooms and seven rooftop studios has a CD player with more than 4,000 downloadable tracks. There's also a DVD player, data sockets for laptops and a flat-screen TV from which guests can access the internet.
What's the decor like? Fashionably zany: designer chairs by the likes of Knoll and Wegner have been re-upholstered in mad patterns, while a muted palette of English Heritage hues contrasts with modern wallpaper strips depicting brightly coloured butterflies and flowers.
Any novelty extras? Hot-water bottles, second-hand books, oversized duck-down pillows and toiletries by Barefoot Botanicals.
Is there a restaurant? Indeed. The Zetter is referred to by its creators as a 'restaurant and rooms', and the eatery is integral to its success. The restaurant serves rustic Italian fare, and the menu includes mozzarella and anchovy salad, veal chops and balsamic ice cream.
Anything else we should know? Apart from the studios, rooms are mini-bar-free. Instead, vending machines in the light airy corridors dispense toothpaste, champagne, disposable cameras and batteries.
