The hospitality sector is suffering during 2020, but ClubMed might just have the answer for reviving its fortunes: “The world’s first Chocolate Orange-inspired hotel room”. Opening this Christmas at La Rosiere ski resort in France, the room is a “sumptuous taste of relaxation” featuring a tree adorned with actual Chocolate Oranges rather than baubles, a bed that features an oversized chocolate segment headboard with blue and orange sheets, and even scented toilet paper (you can probably guess the fragrance) – overall, they claim, it is “a treat for all your senses”. This is what every hotel room should be. Only catch is, only people named Terry can book it (not really).
An impressive facelift
The world in 2020: it may look the same at a glance, but everything has changed. Which makes this the perfect time to reveal the meticulously restored historic façade on the redeveloped No 1 Grosvenor Square, ahead of completion in December. Lodha and Eric Parry Architects began dismantling the façade of the former Macdonald House in 2016, when each of the more than 4,000 stones were removed, given a unique reference number, and assessed for conservation, repair or replacement. Now, it has been painstakingly reconstructed – Diary likes to think in the manner of a giant Lego set – around the building’s completely new structure. Its luxury residences are mounted on vibration isolation springs to eliminate noise pollution from the Jubilee line tunnels that run underneath – so, perhaps a more complicated Lego Technic set…
King of painful puns
We bet the current owner can’t stand losing it. At a vast 5,901 sq ft, you don’t stand so, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to anyone else – in fact, giant steps are what you take walking its many floors, enough to use a different one for seven days. Sure, you might end up so lonely – but every breath you take can be one of luxury. Leave it as it is, or de-do-do it up – and if you want to put on a red light, nobody’s going to stop you. It may not come with fields of gold, but it’s the perfect place for an Englishman in, er, London. If you haven’t guessed by now from Diary’s increasingly laboured references, the former home of music icon Sting is up for sale! The former Police frontman and his wife Trudie Styler rented the Grade II listed Georgian townhouse on Old Queen Street for around two-and-a-half years while renovating their own property nearby – and now it can be yours for a little under £13m. Disappointingly, the details arrived from Beauchamp Estates via email, rather than a message in a bottle.
Who’d be a landlord?
Need a distraction from the daily onslaught of coronavirus news? Diary has the perfect bedtime read. Released this week, Parasite? The Secret Diary of a Landlord goes behind closed doors to reveal the shocking reality of renting out a property. They may have become one of the most hated groups in society, but, as this book confirms, the real life of professional landlords is very different to what most people think. From burglaries and break-ins to drug raids, police warrants, crazy tenant antics, bailiffs, squatters, lawsuits, wrecked properties, interfering council officers, game-playing freeholders and, thankfully, the odd moment of heartfelt joy, one thing’s for sure – the life of a landlord is never dull. No surprise then that the “Secret Landlord” who authored it is keeping their identity firmly under wraps.
Reservoir digs
If Portsmouth’s trio of island fortresses last week didn’t hit the mark for those criminal masterminds seeking a private lair, then look no further. Yorkshire Water is offering up a one-acre service reservoir with planning for a part underground “hidden home”, just a stone’s throw from the Yorkshire Dales. Its sister company Keyland Developments has instructed agents at Harvey Burns & Co to market the residential development opportunity at Wike Ridge. Burns & Co MD Lyndsay Burns says the site is a rare chance “to create a truly bespoke property to suit the lifestyle and needs of prospective buyers”. What needs exactly? Is this the start of a trend? With agents pitching water-based locations for would-be Blofelds, Diary’s law-abiding lifestyle and Bromley two-bed are starting to look pretty boring.
Saving the Silkmen
Being a devoted football fan, Diary is well aware of the miseries faced by the lower league clubs. While it remains to be seen whether “Project Big Picture” or something similar will save the beautiful game (Diary has its doubts), we are glad to see a smaller-scale initiative reap swift dividends. Enter property adviser Christie & Co, which assisted receivers in connection with the sale of Macclesfield Town FC’s Moss Rose ground. Following a competitive bidding process, the new owner is local businessman Rob Smethurst, who aims to preserve and rejuvenate the beleaguered club, which was wound up by the High Court last month. Jon Patrick, director and head of leisure and development at Christie & Co, told us: “From our initial appointment to completion the sale took a mere 16 working days, which is a phenomenal turnaround.” Back of the net.
