Attentive service. Stunning decor that may be sleekly modern or comfortable period. Dazzling technology that opens curtains from a bedside console and defogs bathroom mirrors. A great hotel has some or all of these, and more, and does it all without attitude. To put it another way, a great hotel has soul.
"Whether you stay in a flat or the main hotel, you have access to the same facilities and services. The gym is a minimal operation--two treadmills, two stationary bikes, a weight machine, free weights, and Power Plate equipment plus a Jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms. The spa has only one treatment room (another is coming in 2009) but it offers a wide range of treatments using products by Aromatherapy Associates, including massages, prescription facials, detoxifying body wraps, manicures and pedicures. Here are some of them; they can all be done in your room as well."
Meet London's Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments. Other than the bowler-hatted doorman, there is little particularly noteworthy about the exterior of the contemporary hotel building on Piccadilly, in the heart of Mayfair. The charm begins inside: an intimate light-filled lobby with big glass windows looking out to Green Park; concierges Duncan and Darren and doormen who always address you by name; even the jar of candies on the counter.

The latest, recently completed interior redesign craftily opened up the lounge, bar, and restaurant while still keeping their cozy feel. High-backed sofas and chairs do the trick. Martin Hulbert, design director of the well-known Fox Linton Associates, calls it "quintessentially English" but distinctly modern in its opulence, with the surprise of traditional furniture covered with contemporary fabrics, modern art and antique furnishings. The open space concept extends to the Essentially English menu, which is now served in the newly named Damask restaurant as well as in the lobby, the Garden Room, and the Whisky Room. As for that famous bar, it may have new plum velvet seating but its 280 varieties of whisky, including 70 malts, still rule.

In the new Garden Room, where bay windows create mini terraces outside, and pastel Thai silk curtains lend the spacious lounge the air of a country house, the Top London Afternoon Tea of 2008, awarded by the Tea Guild, is served daily between 2 and 6 pm. In addition to the traditional scones, clotted cream, and finger sandwiches, what puts it in the winner's circle are the famous macaroons and patisseries from Laduree, the notable Paris tea room.

Upstairs, 111 guestrooms and 12 suites combine traditional English elegance with 21st century technology. All are individually designed and furnished with one-off antiques, latest technology including broadband and wireless Internet access, and CD and DVD players.

No matter how spiffy and stylish the accommodations are, you wouldn't think that a high rise well, middle-rise city hotel could generate such devotion and loyalty. It started with Sally Bulloch. When I first stayed at the Athenaeum about 15 years ago, Sally was called "executive manager." She was really its Auntie Mame, a stylish, effervescent paradigm of hospitality who enveloped you in the Athenaeum family. Everyone was invited to her weekly cocktail party "Do please join us for Champagne & Canapes this Wednesday evening" so guests could meet each other and, I suspect, so she didn't miss someone amusing who was in residence.

Sally eventually left to live in South Africa with the love of her life, but the weekly cocktail party still brings guests together every Wednesday evening, where the general manager and other key staff introduce you to the other revelers, and before you know it, you'll be in on the latest political gossip from a local journalist or theatre dish from an actor rehearsing for a West End show. All kinds of media types have called the Athenaeum home--Michael Douglas, Omar Sharif, Samuel L. Jackson, the A list goes on.

Of course, tickets to theatre and other London attractions are a given, but the hotel also has a special relationship with the neighboring Royal Academy of Arts, and often offers a Cultural Weekend Package around the current exhibit (coming up: "Byzantium, October 25, 2008 - March 22, 2009), as well as with Historic Royal Palaces and the Hampton Court Music Festival.

Celebrities are not the only ones drawn to the privacy and convenience of the Athenaeum's 33 apartments that occupy four Edwardian townhouses around the corner on quiet Down Street but connected to the hotel. These one-and two-bedroom flats, with private entrances and TV-phone security systems, are mostly classic British in decor; all have 21st century amenities, from plasma television monitors to digital TV/entertainment systems, living room with sofa bed, dining alcove, and a tidily outfitted mini kitchen. There's a microwave and washer/dryer, which you might need, and no dishwasher, which you won't because a housekeeper comes in daily to clean up.

If you're traveling with children, from babies through tweens, you'll find such child-friendly amenities as nappies and baby Einstein DVD's to age-specific toy boxes and iPod docking stations.

Miss your pet? As soon as British customs permitted pet entry without a lengthy quarantine, the Athenaeum opened its apartments to dogs and cats, with pet supplies, sitters, and walkers on request.

Nothing lets you feel more like a Londoner than actually living there. And once you settle in and live like a local, you start to act like one. For instance, you take leisurely walks along unfamiliar streets, not packing three museums and theatre into every day. And you find yourself stopping by a food hall to pick up something for supper, then kicking back with a pint in your sitting room, and watching the BBC on the telly.

With the high price tag on London hotel rooms and meals, this is prime time to try out apartment living. It combines the convenience of your own flat with the services of a 5-star hotel. And when you're traveling with family, even the priciest are good deals.

Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments, 116 Piccadilly, London, W1V 0BJ; res: 800-335-3300; fax: 800-335-3200; www.athenaeumhotel.com.

SPA MENU

MASSAGES:
Aromatherapy Stress Relief Massage (60 mins £75 I 90 mins £100). A traditional full body massage combining practices from East and West. Anti Cellulite Treatment (60 mins £80, 90 mins £100). A body detox with Pink Grapefruit, Mandarin with Juniper Berry, and Rosemary. Revive Jet Lag Massage (60 mins £75 I 90 mins £100). A Mandarin and Pink Grapefruit treatment to rejuvenate and stimulate all senses. Destress Muscle Release (60 mins £75 I 90 mins £100). Intensive deep tissue techniques using Ginger and Black Pepper to warm and sooth tense aching muscles. Hot Stone Massage (75 mins £110). A deep intense massage using hot stones.

SCRUBS AND WRAPS:
Citrus Detox Reviver (60 minutes £75). An all-over body exfoliation using a Green Olive Stone and Sea Silk Scrub to feel cleansed and detoxed inside and out. Rose Hydrating Cocoon (60 mins £75). Thoroughly moisturizing treatment using rich oils and creams with Damask Rose. Enrich Body Treatment (90 mins £110). An Invigorating, intensely nourishing and moisturizing treatment using Coffee, Tuberose, Jasmine, and Tonka Beans.

FACIALS:
Prescription Facial (60 mins £75). A facial pressure point massage using a personalized prescription range of therapeutic essential oil based products. Renew Rose Anti Ageing Facial (90 mins £100). Utilizes the nourishing properties of Rose and Frankincense for mature, dry and devitalized skins. Balance Deep Cleansing Facial (60 mins £75). Tailored for oily and combination skins, it uses the natural antiseptic propertie
s of Lavend
er and Tea-Tree. Renew Rose Total Indulgence Facial and Massage (90 mins £100). A rejuvenating facial massage using natural Damask Rose Water to cleanse, tone, exfoliate, and apply a hydrating mask, combined with massage, relaxing massages of the back, scalp, hands and arms.

LUXURY HAND AND FOOT TREATMENTS:
Rose Petal Luxury Manicure (45 mins £45). Rich and moisturizing oils, gels and creams of Renew Rose. Ginger and Black Pepper Manicure (45 minutes -£45). Specially selected essential oils to support circulation and re-invigorate your hands and arms. Essential Maintenance Manicure (30 mins £30). Ginger and Black Pepper Pedicure (60 minutes - £60). A smoothing, revitalizing treatment.