51 Buckingham Gate *****

Westminster, a few minutes from Buckingham Palace and Parliament

Luxury

Discreet full service suites and apartments with acclaimed environmental standards

DESCRIPTION                                                                                                             

51 Buckingham Gate consists of 86 elegant suites and apartments. With attractive contemporary design and varying from one to four rooms, each is substantial in size and comes with its own separate kitchen and living area. As a result ‘51 lends itself both to short and extended stays and is suitable for business travellers and families with children.

The hotel is located within easy striking distance of several London landmarks in three beautifully restored Victorian townhouses accessed from a secluded courtyard garden. Among its exclusive services is a personal butler and a “retail shuttle” taking guests direct to the city’s greatest shops.

Organic breakfast is served in The Library which also offers light lunches and private dinners. The hotel has partnered with Noura, a Michelin rated Lebanese restaurant, to provide in-room dining.

The property has the same owners and consequently also benefits from sharing the same facilities as its large neighbour, the four star Crowne Plaza London - St. James.

These include three restaurants: the informal Bistro 51 (British and French classics); the Quilon Restaurant and Bar (sister to the Bombay Brasserie, with southern coastal Indian cuisine, which has been awarded an AA Rosette); and Bank Westminster (a brasserie, sister to the phenomenally successful Bank Restaurant in Aldwych). There are also two bars, Zander and Hamptons.

Spa Fifty One was included in the World's 100 best Spas by Harpers and Queen. It is the only one in England to offer pure and chemical-free Sodashi spa treatments. 

GREEN CREDENTIALS                                                                                                

Most of this hotel’s green initiatives are also implemented at the neighbouring Crowne Plaza London – St James.

Paper, cardboard, glass, batteries, stamps, cooking oil and printer cartridges are recycled. There is a policy of responsible hazardous waste removal. The food and beverage department aims to order local produce and organic and fair trade items. All staff are trained on the hotel’s environmental policy and main procedures. In fact office workers are even fined when they leave their lights on. Nearly 1000 spotlights in the corridors and public areas have been removed and a new water harvesting system brought in.

‘51 received two awards in 2004 from the Considerate Hotelier’s Association, a respected trade body as Considerate Hotel of the Year and the Environmentally Friendly Hotel.

Plans afoot for 2007 include a further reduction of energy consumption by 40%; having calculated the hotel’s carbon footprint it is introducing a voluntary carbon offsetting scheme for guests (the money will go to woodland schemes in the UK); expanding the recycling programme to cover plastic, wet waste, cans and tins; starting green patrols throughout the property and green audits within each department.

Unlike the Crowne Plaza there are no signs discouraging guests from requesting daily linen changes as this is not yet felt to be appropriate for a 5 star establishment: when it comes to environmental measures, just as in the rest of its operations, discretion is paramount.