Though the NY-LON creativity convergence has spawned envy and admiration among hoteliers, some hotels have taken an alternative approach to maintaining a brand while remaining true to their location. After decades of global reverence in Hong Kong and Bangkok, the Mandarin Oriental invaded the West a mere 15 years ago with its Asian opulence and approachable pampering. The hotel group’s first European endeavor, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, coincided with the completion of their first American outposts in San Francisco and Miami. During this time of expansion, Mandarin Oriental went through painstaking efforts to draw on local inspiration for design and style without comprising its reputation as a venerated Asian temptress. The results were nothing short of spectacular.

Situated on Europe’s most valuable real estate, the grand Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (www.mandarinoriental.com/london, +44 (0) 20 7235 2000, 66 Knightsbridge, London) is a glorious re-invention of the historic, Edwardian-style palace that has hosted the full gamut of British royalty since the turn of the 20th century. Formerly the Hyde Park Hotel, the Mandarin Oriental saved the British high tea in big hats vibe and added 100 million dollars of modernity to achieve a proverbial yet often unattainable equilibrium of old meets new. The traditionally uniformed bellmen escort guests through the museum-like teal and black marble-clad lobby to the bustling check-in area, where gregarious staff balance personality with professionalism. The handsome handcrafted furnishings and Victorian trimmings of the 198 rooms and suites represent a distinguished past while technologically savvy accessories are a clear indication of 2011.

Regardless of your stature or sexuality, the hotel’s magical aura fosters fairy tale fantasies of princess proportions. Most rooms gaze over Hyde Park or Knightsbridge, London’s most iconic and romantic backdrops. As you peer out the window at the world above and below, your room transforms into a fortress. The panorama plays out like an old “Wishing You Were Here” London postcard – royal horses, red buses, Harrods and Harvey Nichols shopping bags, the sights of the London Eye and the sounds of Big Ben in the distance.

Paying homage to recent NY-LON paragon, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park recently imported one of New York’s top chefs, Daniel Boulud, to headline its new trendy restaurant, Bar Boulud. French-born Boulud champions a ménage-a-tois of tastes with French-American dishes for the more discerning British palate. For example, the American inspired Lobster Chop-Chop Salad precedes a dinner of Saint- Jacques Forestiere (sautéed sea scallops grilled to perfection with mushrooms fricassee of peas and watercress) followed by the orgasmic Gateau Chocolat- Framboise. The restaurant’s open kitchen calamity, gorgeous French cook staff, and Chatty Cathy diners are a welcomed change to London’s predictable dining scene. In late January 2011, a new neighbor will occupy the space next to Bar Boloud. The contemporary British Brasserie, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, promises the revival and modernization of traditional British recipes.

A few blocks south of the Mandarin, unassumingly blending into the posh residential streets of Belgravia, the Georgian-styled Halkin (www.halkin.como.bz, +44 (0) 20 7333 1000, Halkin Street, London) masters the London haute boutique experience. Just five minutes from the welcomed insanity of London’s busy streets, the unabashedly private Halkin is the metropolis’ secret zen den. On each of the hotel’s five floors, room entries morph into a sea of pleated slate, such that discovering your room means first uncovering your secret door. Beyond the black corridors, rich teak wall panels, straight edges, and polished lines mark the interior contemporary elegance. The floors to ceiling marble bathrooms are the kind where you spend way too much time doing absolutely nothing. Overall, the hotel’s design sophistication emanates an orderly and cohesive energy consistent with the COMO brand’s wellness philosophy.

When guests want to speed up their pulse and raise their blood alcohol levels, they head to Halkin’s sister property, the Metropolitan London (www.metropolitan.london.como.bz, +44 (0) 20 7447 1000, Old Park Lane, London) where they are granted entry to the members only Met Bar. On the south end of Park Lane, Metropolitan London is one of London’s best stand and pose hotels, where you spend more time in the lobby and at the bar sizing everyone up than resting in your room. It’s also a hotspot for local socialites, movers and shakers pulling up to Nobu London in their latest wheels and then taking the party to the world famous bar.