Inside London’s first billion-pound hotel: The Mail checks in to The Peninsula. Here’s what it’s like, from the 25m pool to the breathtaking views and a ‘ridiculous’ 5,500-a-night suite [Video]

I was wrong.

When I heard that the first-ever UK Peninsula was to be built by one of Britain’s busiest roundabouts, mild shock was my response.

Surely, I mused, views of – and noise from – nose-to-tail traffic will not entice the well-heeled travellers this premium hotel brand hopes to lure.

But Peninsula owner Sir Michael Kadoorie has executed a masterstroke in positioning the hotel at Hyde Park Corner (and shown that patience really is a virtue).

He searched for 35 years for the perfect address for his first hotel on British soil and decided that 1 Grosvenor Place, amid the finery of Belgravia, was it. 

The upshot? The Peninsula London can afford guests jaw-dropping views of the London skyline, Buckingham Palace, and Wellington Arch, which the Household Cavalry passes through during the Changing of the Guard.