THE GYLE HOTEL
THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY
27
British weather is a favourite topic in everyday
conversation so upon arrival at The Gyle, small
clouds hanging from the ceiling guide you
to the reception, above which a giant cloud
intermittently emits rumbling thunder sounds
and lightning strikes; quite a memorable
welcome to London.
The Toast, which is the social lounge deep
inside the hotel, is a topsy-turvy upside down
world. Visitors walk on an image of the sky
reflected in Loch Fyne, while the ceiling is
covered with a British lawn through which
a large seismic crack emits intermittent
lighting strike effects. This is “the rabbit hole”,
a symbolic pathway between 19th and 21st
century in homage to numerous Victorian
scientists and writers, also connecting The
Gyle to the industrial past of the St Pancras
area once covered by large coal furnaces and
gasworks.
For food and drinks, The Toast offers another
tongue-in-cheek nod to a well-loved British
institution, the B&B but re-thought here as
“Booze & Breakfast”. Able to accommodate
you at any time of day, breakfast is a seamless
affair. Here guests are invited to raid the
bakery pantry and the self-service fridge,
which offers a selection of artisan juices,
house-made charcuteries and fresh salads in
Kilner jars. As the day progresses, a light lunch
can include the likes of hot-smoked salmon
and barley salad, Mull of Kintyre cheese, and
heather-honey raspberry granola. The fridge
is also stocked with bottled craft pils, ale, beer
and porter - all from the Scottish Highlands
brewery Harviestoun as well as a curated
selection of gins and whiskies, focussed on the
Scottish Western Highlands and Islands.