Last week a friend and I attended a launch party for a very exciting newly renovated hotel, the Pullman St Pancras, right next to King’s Cross St Pancras station – perfect location if you’re catching the Eurostar train to Paris for the weekend, as I did in July earlier this year. It was rather a glamorous affair, with Champagne flowing all night long for a large group of us hardy souls who go out mid-week. I have to say I was very impressed by the party: signature cocktails and exquisite canapés in the Golden Arrow bar were followed by a cheese board large enough to feed an army in the mezzanine lounge, accompanied by an entire bar full of different varieties of Port (I have a particular sweet spot for Port). While nibbling on the 30+ cheeses on offer we admired an exhibition by Nigerian photographer George Osadi before swanning into the Nobel Suite to attack the macaroons and desserts, not to mention the gorgeous bar in the middle of the room.

          DJs Knew-wave and Atfunk warmed up the room with a great set before Tom Findlay, one part of the legendary Groove Armada, took to the decks. There was also Oliver Twist-inspired sculpture by James A. Matthews and another photography exhibition by Carole Bellaiche on display, contributing to the launch party’s ‘Artnight’ theme.

         Later on down in the Travel Lounge we braved a glass of Irish whiskey. The bartender did a fantastic job of selling its ‘triple-distilled’ properties and ‘hint of vanilla’, but it still tasted like petrol to our delicate palates, and we couldn’t understand how men manage to stomach whiskey… It was down in that bar that we could scribble a message onto one of the Pullman postcards and they would post it for us, which is where I picked up this postcard (the very top image). After all, any excuse to grow my collection of postcards.

          The whiskey bar looked particularly sophisticated but as my friend Sarah and I are partial to something a bit sweeter, we headed back to safety at the Champagne bar. By the looks of the crowds of young Londoners at the launch party, the Pullman St Pancras Hotel will be a lively post-work hub for young professionals, and I can personally vouch for their canapés – you won’t be disappointed! The hotel is part of the Accor Hotels group and you can find a full list of their London hotels here.