The grande dame Grosvenor House, now run by Marriott, opened with great flourish in 1929. Overlooking Hyde Park, it has 495 rooms, a bright red bar and the city's biggest ballroom, once an ice rink where the Queen took lessons and now a popular venue for black-tie affairs. The hotel has good-sized rooms and two highly touted restaurants: JW Steakhouse and Corrigan's Mayfair.