The Zetter Hotel, Clerkenwell

An impressive sky-lit atrium is at the core of this inspired 59-room boutique hotel located in a converted Victorian warehouse and part of the indy-minded Zetter Group, with hotels and restaurants marked by "bags of personality and pioneering eco-credentials". A spiral staircase and open lift lead to five floors of stylish rooms. And there's decent food to be had at the in-house restaurant. Located in an area served best by buses, though just a five-minute walk away is Farringdon Tube station, where the Elizabeth line (Crossrail) will zoom you to Tottenham Court Road station (the gateway to Soho) in two or three minutes. Nearby excellent food spots include the now-iconic St John in St John St [see entry]. Not far off is Moro [see entry] in foodie Exmouth Market. (Zetter co-owners Michael Benyan and Mark Sainsbury met while working at Moro.) Also within walking distance of the Barbican arts complex. The increasingly bulging Zetter Group also runs the nearby Zetter Townhouse (49-50 St John's Square), which opened in 2011. A second Zetter Townhouse opened in May 2015 in Marylebone (28–30 Seymour St) and features the "dark and sumptuous" cocktail haven The Seymour's Parlour.