July 15, 2008

EUROPE | ENGLAND | FARNBOROUGH, LONDON

Hottest New Airport Hotels: Part II

By Mark Jolly

Five-star luxe lands at Farnborough — and we've got the exclusive photos.

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This summer, England aims to elevate the airport hotel to new heights. Already, the Radisson SAS at London Stansted flaunts “the only wine tower in Europe” — a 40-foot-high, 4,000-bottle glass atrium where acrobatic “wine angels” fly up and down (aided by high-tech winches) to service your drink request. When it opens at Terminal 5 on July 31, though, Sofitel London Heathrow should comfortably dwarf such design theatrics. The 605-bedroom hotel features five towering steel and glass atriums with a dramatic reception area showcasing a fountain cascading from a mirrored ceiling on to floodlit blocks of ice. Sofitel wants you to think “Antarctica.”

In the same vein, the walk from one public area to another will be themed by continent — this is, after all, one of the world’s largest airport hotels. Or as Sofitel prefers it, “a five-star luxury hotel that just happens to be at an airport.” Fine dining will be overseen by the legendary Albert Roux (who, with his brother Michel, introduced French cuisine to Britain and opened Le Gavroche, the country’s first Michelin-starred restaurant).

But the airport hotel that’s captured our imagination beyond all others is located in the birthplace of British aviation, 38 miles southwest of London. This is Farnborough, site of the country’s first airfield (1905), first powered flight (1908), and famous air show, which is on now and goes through July 20. Operated these days by TAG Aviation as a private all-business airport, Farnborough has been totally overhauled with a new runway and executive terminal.

Now, on July 21, TAG opens Aviator (pictured here for the first time anywhere), a boutique hotel created by Ken McCulloch, the brains behind Malmaison Hotels (the stylish British chain known for its affordable luxury) and Scotland’s first boutique property, One Devonshire Gardens. That means you can expect something seriously special. Interiors are by McCulloch’s wife (and award-winning designer), Amanda Rosa, while food is by Allan Pickett, formerly of Aurora (the iconic restaurant housed in what was the Great Eastern Hotel and is now Andaz Liverpool Street).