Less glitzy than its sister Mayfair hotel, Claridges, the venerable Connaught has always been rather more quietly moneyed and discreet. Not for much longer, it seems.

Picking up on Mayfair's renaissance, with restaurant du jour, Scott's, and Marc Jacob's eponymous store just a stone's throw away, the Connaught's cool £60 million nip and tuck couldn't be more timely. Expect all the ancient details rebuffed, plus a new glass atrium alongside the hi-tech details that the super-rich expect wherever they lay their millinery.

But that's mere pocket change compared to The Savoy's new facelift, which is scheduled to take at least eighteen months. Costing a scant £100 million, in hotel terms that's an eternity to remain 'dark'.