Pool with jacuzzi includes a pump to swim against. Adjacent is a fitness centre, sauna and steam room.

Some items of the design may only be possible in a new build – the lift that serves the health club and spa for example, which enables guests to go to the club wearing only their robes without competing with porters and arriving travellers. This would also work better if the lift did not stop in the public areas. Restricting access to guest floors would create still more privacy. The health club itself has been well thought through with a generosity of space that is lacking in many other hotels. The gym is comprehensively equipped and the facility is permanently staffed. This is possibly because it is looking for an external membership, but too often an hotel will think a pool and tiny gym is enough even with external members, whereas here the spaces are comfortable, reasonably generous, with space to move and include steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and an exercise pool. There is no attempt to provide therapies and treatments which is appropriate in a part of the world where the provision of these kinds of treatments is taken seriously in so many thermal spas.

The heart of any hotel is the guestrooms, and here the rethinking has resulted in no one great innovation, but an aggregation of smaller innovations that together make a powerful statement about the cosseting of the guests, as is appropriate for a five star hotel. The bathrooms have been completely rethought with many splendid touches such as the pole that stands adjacent to the bath. So much more practical than a wall mounted grab handle for getting in and out, robust, like the hanging pole on a bus, it allows the bath to stand free of the wall whilst allowing the less able to hold on whilst settling into what is a large and deep tub.

Showers are walk-in wet areas, and heated towel rails are used - still a rarity in continental Europe - rollover for another view of the bathrooms Rollover to see how the swing out tea/coffee making facility is neatly housed with safe and fridge in the robe. Soft drinks etc in the fridge are - wonder of wonders - included in the room price

In turn this is complemented by a walk in shower that has a powerful column giving sprays at different levels – in itself not an innovation but unexpected when even separate showers tend to just feature one shower head. The addition of a stool in the shower is amusing, practical, and also in itself a comment on how much space there is here. The wash hand basin again is nothing revolutionary, but the addition of a light beneath it adds colour to the room and creates an ‘aqua’ feel that delights the senses. The glass wall to the bathroom is obscure and allows daylight in without impinging on privacy through careful siteing of the toilet bowl within the space.

In the bedroom there are again a number of minor innovations that add up to a major shift. Most obvious of these is the use of large plasma televisions. Too many hotels use TV’s that are smaller than guest have at home, creating a feeling of cheapness. Even the much trumpeted 27 inch televisions of the ‘W’ hotels fall short of what many now have as home entertainment systems. Here there is no mistake, and although a dominant part of the room somehow this is less oppressive than a large armoire can be when hiding a standard large CRT set.

As a workstation the desk has been thought through, with a high speed internet link being provided as well as ample sockets. Delight of delights, the internet link is free as well, which is as it should be when paying five star rates – how I hate the attitude that can charge hundreds a night for rooms and then add on tiny amounts for bottled water or internet links. This irritant has been removed here, warming one to the operator immediately.

Lighting is well thought through, controllable, plentiful and variable. The bedhead incorporates a glass screen which flexibly is used in different room types to segregate areas whilst using the refraction of light against incised images to create a gentle light at the bedhead that can be supplemented by stronger lights for reading or other needs. The bed too is surprisingly comfortable and has been specially developed for the chain. The continental practise of using individual duvets even on a double bed is to me a delight and removes complaints and competitions for covers. The large TV ensures that viewing can be as comfortable from the bed as from chairs, enhancing other comforts.