This month, we begin by wishing happy birthday to the London Hilton on Park Lane, the first Hilton hotel to open in the UK, which turns 50 this week.

New Hotels

As spring arrives, so does a bumper crop of new London hotels. Here are London’s hottest new hotels:

Great Northern Hotel – Relive the romantic age of train travel at the Great Northern Hotel, which re-opened this month. The hotel, which was London’s first railway hotel, has undergone a £40 million refurbishment and offers a quiet oasis in the hub of King’s Cross and St Pancras. The 91-bedroom hotel has been refurbished to exude “timeless elegance with a hint of modernity”. Room rates from £250

The Apartments by The Sloane Club – For stays of seven days or more, try a luxury serviced apartment in the exclusive neighbourhood of Sloane Gardens. Apartments are set in two beautiful late 19th century buildings and guests have access to a 24-hour concierge. Rates from £220 per night excluding VAT. Opens this week

One Leicester Street – A new boutique hotel comes to London on 1 May. One Leicester Street is the first hotel from the Unlisted Collection to open in the capital. Opening on the site of the former St John’s Hotel on the edge of Chinatown, the property will feature 15 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar. The restaurant will be headed by Michelin-starred chef Tom Harris. Opens 1 May

Nadler Soho – Boutique hotel brand base2stay is becoming Nadler Hotels, and opening a new property in London. The Nadler Soho promises “affordable luxury” with stylish rooms and Local Ambassadors on the front desk providing an introduction to the best bars and restaurants nearby. Opens late May

Xenia – Coming to South Kensington next month is Xenia hotel, situated in a restored Victorian building with contemporary interiors. The boutique hotel includes 99 bedrooms, an Italian restaurant, and a bar with a herb garden terrace. Opens in May, room rates from £160

Chelsea Flower Show

Even if you haven’t got tickets to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, you can still be there in spirit thanks to London’s hotels.

Belgraves – A Thompson Hotel in Knightsbridge will be transforming its terrace into an edible garden for the duration of the show (21-25 May), with edible flower cocktails, and food and flower pairing classes. Both the Landmark London and the Royal Garden Hotel are offering floral-themed afternoon teas during Chelsea Flower Show week – reservations recommended.

Extra, extra

• The Goring hotel has received the Tea Guild’s Top London Afternoon Tea Award 2013
• The Berkeley has launched new balcony rooms which include luxury wooden birdhouses on the terraces!
• In its 175th anniversary year, Brown’s Hotel is celebrating with a Victorian menu at HIX from 20 May and welcoming British nail brand Ciaté to its spa

This month, we’ve got the latest hotel openings, hotel deals and news of how London’s hotels are preparing for the fashion crowd to hit town.

Don’t forget, if you’re planning a (very) last-minute Valentine’s break in London, check out the capital’s romantic hotels.

New openings

First up, the ibis Styles London Excel (formerly Custom House Hotel) has re-opened following extensive refurbishment of its bedrooms and public spaces. The hotel is handy if you’re in London for a conference, as it’s located next to ExCeL Exhibition and Convention Centre. It’s also an easy journey to The O2, Westfield Stratford City, the Olympic Park and Greenwich.

Luxury hotel ME London opens next month in Marconi House, the original home of BBC Radio. The hotel features 157 guest rooms, including 16 suites and a two-storey penthouse. The hotel’s hotspot will be the Radio Rooftop Bar and Restaurant, offering panoramic views over London.

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is on its way and official hotel partner The May Fair is sporting illustrations by designer Manolo Blahnik on its façade from today until 19 February to celebrate.

St James’s Hotel and Club are launching a gluten-free afternoon tea in time for Fashion Week. Indulge for £19 (or £34 with a glass of champagne). Available from 15 February.

Special offers

Last chance to book a two-for-one Detox Spa Day at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall. The deal includes use of the hotel’s gym and a 60-minute power plate session; access to the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room; plus a 60-minute Dr Murad treatment. £125 for two people. Offer available until 28 February, for reservations call +44 (0)20 7902 8023 or email mhrs.lonch.theclub@marriotthotels.com

Apex City of London Hotel is offering two complimentary travelcards with their London Unlimited package on stays before 14 April. Rooms from £131 per night. Find out more

Enjoy a free airport transfer from Heathrow or Gatwick for stays before 15 March with onefinestay. The company offers holidaymakers the chance to live like a local by staying in a Londoner’s home while they’re out of town.

Extra, extra

Cheval Residences will be opening a new set of serviced and non-serviced apartments, Cheval Three Quays, in 2014. The apartments will be within walking distance of Tower Bridge, the Tower of London and The Shard.

More hotels in London

Find out more about Chinese New Year in London including tomorrow’s parade and festival in Trafalgar Square.

In one of the tastier celebrations of the Tube’s 150th birthday, The Park Lane Hotel’s pastry chef has created a London Underground-themed afternoon tea.

Among the treats on offer are a London Bridge roll, Circle and District Line roulade and Royal Oak smoked salmon bagel. The sweet offerings include Limehouse curd and Victoria plum jam and clotted cream, a white chocolate Oreo Swiss roll Cottage and a selection of London Underground pastries.

The London Underground Afternoon Tea at The Park Lane Hotel costs £41 per person and is available until 10 February. The tea is served from 3pm to 6pm weekdays and 2pm to 6pm at weekends. Bookings must be made in advance. To book, call The Palm Court on +44 (0)20 7290 7328 or visit www.palmcourtlondon.co.uk

London Transport Museum

Your first stop for any transport-related tourism. At the London Transport Museum you can find out all about the world’s first underground railway, learn about its famous roundel logo and pick up Tube merchandise in the shop, from Tube map iPad covers to books about the Tube.

The museum is great for kids, with plenty of interactive exhibits, including vintage buses to climb on and a simulator giving you the chance to drive a Tube train. This year, the museum is hosting a special anniversary exhibition about poster art on the Tube and has a programme of special events to mark the 150th anniversary.

London Transport Museum Depot at Acton

If the London Transport Museum whets your appetite, head to the museum’s store in West London where you can see the rest of the collection which is not in display in the main museum. There are more than 370,000 objects here, including vehicles, signs, posters, uniforms and photographs. The depot is not open every day and can only be visited on a guided tour or during open weekends. This year’s open weekends are in April and October.

Brunel Museum

The Tube isn’t the only London icon celebrating a big birthday this year; the Thames Tunnel, which connects Rotherhithe and Wapping, turns 170. Built by Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this is the oldest tunnel in London.

It was designed to carry cargo from one side of the river to the other, but that proved too expensive and so the tunnel opened instead as a tourist attraction in 1843, with visitors paying a penny to walk beneath the river.

In 1869, the first passenger trains ran through the tunnel. It was later used as part of the East London Underground line and is now part of the London Overground. Take one of the Brunel Museum’s excellent guided tours, where you can enter the Grand Entrance Hall of the tunnel.

Museum of London and Museum of London Docklands

At these two museums, you can learn about the Tube’s construction and how it affected a growing city. At the Museum of London’s People’s City gallery, which looks at the rapid expansion of the city between the 1850s and 1950s, you can find out how the Tube and new technologies in transport transformed the way people navigated the city.

Over at the Museum of London Docklands, the New Port, New City gallery examines how the docklands area has boomed in the past few decades, including the building of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). You can also see part of a DLR carriage on display.

Have we missed anything? Let us know where else you can learn about the Tube

Have you seen The Snowman in London? He’s been melting the hearts of both children and adults for 30 years and this Christmas, he’ll be visiting the capital in more ways than one.

On Christmas Eve, The Snowman will enjoy some spectacular views of London as he returns in Channel 4′s sequel to the much-loved animated film. In The Snowman and the Snowdog, The Snowman and friends swoop past some of London’s most famous sites, including the London Eye, Big Ben and the OXO Tower. 24 Dec, 8pm

You can also see the original animated version of Raymond Brigg’s The Snowman at the Barbican, with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera providing extra magic with a live accompaniment to the film. The family double-bill also includes a screening of Peter and the Wolf, with narration by Tamsin Greig. 22-23 Dec

Finally, clocking up its 15th year at the Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells is the dance production of The Snowman. This family treat includes an orchestra, dancing penguins and of course, the magical flying sequence, all created live on stage.

Which is your favourite version of The Snowman?

London isn’t often described as quiet, but Christmas Day is the one day of the year when the capital can feel that way. But there’s actually no shortage of things to do and Christmas Day is a rare chance to explore and experience a different side of London.

There’s no public transport on Christmas Day, but you could opt for a Boris bike to explore Central London with much less traffic around. There will also be a few taxis and mini-cabs for hire.

With limited transport options, and thousands of Christmas calories consumed, walking might be your best bet. You’ll have London’s beautiful architecture, street art and Christmas lights largely to yourself, and walking is the best way to experience it. Take a look at these photos of London on Christmas morning by IanVisits, which include Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Hyde Park Corner.

Tours

You can even go on a guided walking tour. London Walks hosts two walks on Christmas Day: The London of Samuel Pepys at 1pm and Charles Dickens’ London Walk at 2pm. Both walks start at the big Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square and last for two hours.

Westminster guide Peter Berthoud is offering three walking tours on Christmas Day, with the first at 6am for anyone who wants to experience an eerie 28 Days Later-style London! If you’re keen on a Christmas lie-in, you can opt for a post-lunch walk at 4pm.

Fancy a more relaxing tour? Push the boat out and have your Christmas dinner on the Thames, enjoying the sights of the river on a cruise. Or take a luxury coach tour of London with a professional guide.

Activities

Almost all of London’s attractions are closed on Christmas Day, but the weird and wonderful world of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not is open all year round. Ripley’s is open from 10am with last admission at 8.30pm on Christmas Day (closing time subject to change so check in advance).

Or, for a different kind of weird and wonderful, head to The Serpentine (lake) at Hyde Park where the hardy members of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the annual Peter Pan Cup swimming race. The race starts at 9am.

Christmas Services

Most London churches will have Christmas Day services. It’s best to check with the individual church in advance but Central London churches with Christmas Day services include:

• St Martin-in-the-Fields
• Southwark Cathedral (closes at 1pm)
• St Paul’s Cathedral (arrive early and be prepared to queue)

Eating and Drinking

Many restaurants close on Christmas Day but check our blog post for Christmas dinner options in London.

Some pubs open for a few hours around lunchtime but most will be closed or ticketed in the evening. Make sure you check in advance for opening hours. Hotel bars are a good bet for a drink on Christmas Day, but again, check with the hotel in advance.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for spending Christmas Day in London?

The latest news from the London hotel scene, including openings, refurbishments and more.

New Openings

The new DoubleTree by Hilton London – Marble Arch hotel has opened just in time for anyone planning a Christmas shopping trip to London. Situated behind Marble Arch Tube station, the 121-bedroom hotel is just a few steps from the shops of Oxford Street. If the hotel looks familiar, that’s because it was formerly the Best Western Premier Mostyn Hotel and is also home to the famous Texture restaurant and champagne bar.

Hotel Xanadu opened this month, offering boutique accommodation from £150 a night in Bond Street – Bond Street Ealing, that is! The stylish hotel’s West London location makes it an easy journey to and from Heathrow Airport, and to attractions including Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and Wembley Stadium. There’s also a restaurant, Koobla, offering Asian cuisine.

Drink, Dine, Play

The Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill hotel is opening a new venue, The Churchill Bar and Terrace at the end of November. As the name suggests, the bar pays homage to Winston Churchill, including a life-sized bronze statue. The bar will serve classic cocktails, liquors, spirits and fine cigars, and has an outside heated terrace. Opens 29 November.

Get into the festive spirit at the Andaz Liverpool Street’s Andaz Lounge, which is installing a jukebox next month. Guests can choose a Christmas song for 50p, with proceeds going to London homeless charity Providence Row. Available from 1 to 28 December.

Film fans can indulge at 51 Buckingham Gate’s new Cinema Suite, a huge two-bedroom suite with décor inspired by iconic movie stars and an 85-inch plasma screen TV and 3D sound system. If you fancy a bit of A-list treatment, the suite is available from £5,100.

Extra, Extra

Free, unlimited Wi-Fi is now available at Guoman’s luxury hotels including The Tower, The Cumberland, The Royal Horseguards and The Charing Cross Hotel.

The dungeon has been terrifying visitors in its current location at London Bridge for almost 40 years. But it will close at the end of January and re-open in the underground vaults of County Hall on the South Bank in March.

Owners Merlin Entertainments promise the new dungeon will be “bigger, bolder and better”. Some of the attractions’ favourite characters, including Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, will be making the move to County Hall. They’ll be joined by new villains, including a murderous Henry VIII “virtually played” by actor Brian Blessed; and gunpowder plotter Guy Fawkes.

Rides at the new London Dungeon will take visitors condemned to execution on a turbulent journey along the Thames; provide a “deadly drop” of three storeys; and a disorientating journey through Bazelgette’s Victorian sewer system.

Fans of The London Dungeon will be pleased to know that the usual band of torturers, plague victims, giant cockroaches and rats will be providing live shows and scares at the new venue.

The London Dungeon, Tooley Street is open until 31 January 2012. The new London Dungeon at County Hall opens 1 March. Prices for the new venue remain same same. Book tickets

This morning, the Royal Academy of Arts announced its exhibition programme for 2013. With such a remarkable year behind it, including the blockbuster David Hockney exhibition, expectations for the coming year’s exhibitions are high. So what can art lovers look forward to?

The 2013 programme will be a world tour of art, with exhibitions by artists from Japan, France, USA, Mexico  and Australia, as well as the UK. Upcoming exhibitions include:

• Constable, Gainsborough, Turner and the Making of Landscape: Explore the development of British landscape painting through work by three of the greatest British landscape painters. 8 Dec-17 Feb
• Mariko Mori: Rebirth: A solo exhibition of work by New York-based Japanese artist Mariko Mori, showing sequential work centred on the death and birth of a star. Includes photography, sound work, sculpture and immersive installations.13 Dec-17 Feb
• Manet: Portraying Life: A major exhibition of Edouard Manet’s portraiture, examining the relationship between his portrait painting and themes of modern life. 26 Jan-14 Apr
• George Bellows (1882-1925): The first ever retrospective of American realist painter George Bellows. Although not well known in the UK, at the time of his death he was considered to be one of the greatest American artists. 16 Mar- 9 Jun
• Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910-1940: An exhibition examining the intense 30 year period of artist creativity that took place in Mexico at the beginning of the 20th Century. 6 Jul-29 Sep
• Australia: A survey covering 200 years of Australian art, including more than 180 paintings, prints, drawings, watercolours, photographs and multimedia works. 21 Sep- 8 Dec

Find out more about the exhibitions