It’s hard to find a more fashionable area of London than Mayfair, which is probably why The May Fair itself has been such a popular hotel ever since King George V and Queen Mary opened it with much royal fanfare in 1927. Since then, the 400-room, 12-suite property has undergone many changes and owners and is now part of the Edwardian Group London founded by Jasminder Singh. Yet it still remains sleek, sophisticated and famed for its parties at its cocktail bar which boast 40 signature drinks.

As the hotel shares on its website, its “stylish rooms have hosted many intimate liaisons: the risqué, the scandalous and the happily married. The May Fair has 549 doors, behind every one an affair is unfolding.” After first opening more than 80 years ago, The May Fair quickly established itself as one of the most elegant and stylish hotels in Europe, hosting decadent parties and extravagant displays of wealth in the years between the wars.

In the 1950s, Hollywood glamour moved in. Film impresarios the Danziger brothers bought the hotel and turned it into a magnet for the rich, the famous (and, sometimes, the infamous). By the 1960s, it had become the London home for show business royalty; Muhammad Ali and singers Bob Dylan and Marianne Faithfull graced its elegant suites.

Clint Eastwood filmed here with Matt Damon, and rock star P!nk used it as a location for two videos. In 2004, a new era for historic property began. Every room in the hotel was transformed, and new wings and floors added. In came a stylish, modern effusion of glass and leather, marble and gold leaf. Just 30 months and around $100 million later, The May Fair once again announced itself, “A hotel like no other.” It now hosts such occasions as London Fashion Week and the London Film Festival.

The wide lobby is furnished with padded leather seating with eclectic statuettes of assorted animals looking onto the street. Tall crimson vases stand either side of the main door and an impressive chandelier hangs near the concierge desk. Up the marble steps is an atrium with potted ficus plants and black olive trees underneath a slanted glass ceiling. The hotel also includes a cigar room with a wealth of Cuban varieties, a fine-dining restaurant and a Palm Beach casino help keep the well-to-do content.

Our superior deluxe room was a generous size with café au lait carpet and crimson, Catalan-designed furniture including armless leather chairs and deeply-textured fabrics with embroidered curtains. The Samsung digital system offers over 400 complimentary TV channels and the room’s artwork is distinctly Oriental with a set of four black framed ink paintings of men at work. The bathroom includes Sicilian marble, a double sink, wall length mirror and a separate shower and tub. Guest toiletries are from San Francisco-based Essentiel Elements.

The hotel is home to the May Fair Kitchen restaurant which reflects an open-style design where guests can examine a varied display of seafood and fish on ice. Much of the fresh fare is provided by James Knight of Mayfair seafood wholesaler from places such as Ireland, the Maldives and India. Aged cuts of meat are provided by Aldens Specialist Catering Butchers. The kitchen prides itself on using British produce, with vegetables originating at the 1,482-acre Watts Farms in Kent, Essex and Bedfordshire.

With a low ceiling, comfortable lighting, oak paneling and windows looking on to Stratton Street, the restaurant reflects a cozy sense of well-being, a feeling enhanced by a spray of seasonal red berries in glass vases as table decoration and racks of wine nearby. As starters we chose salt and pepper king prawns with fresh chili and slow-roasted garlic, which turned out to be lightly fried, tempura-style. The hand-dived, chargrilled scallops are creatively combined with smoked British ham, a bean emulsion and assorted herbs.

For mains, we opted for a 28-day aged rib-eye accompanied by Diane sauce with samphire and ginger, and aged veal with a creamy lobster mash, tarragon, capers, wilted spinach and a blue and port sauce on the side. They both almost covered our entire plates but that didn’t stop us from devouring them with relish. For desserts, try the succulent dark chocolate fondant with honeycomb and salted caramel ice-cream or the preserves plum posset and winter fruit granola.

Among other services offered by the hotel are a spa and gym and a special screening room for 200 people, with Italian-leather trimmed seats complete with armrests and fold-out tables. For explorations around London, it also couldn’t be much more convenient. It’s a short walk to Green Park metro station, St. James Park, Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Soho and Hyde Park. For glamour and color, and an often rakish history, The May Fair is hard to beat.