Latest news with #Marylebone
South China Morning Post
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Lock into one London area for a more immersive visit to the British capital
You love London but are done with watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and gawking at the crown jewels in the Tower of London? Here's an idea. Pick your main interest – literary immersion, theatre, museum-hopping, history – then pick your neighbourhood and, finally, your accommodation. Design your next visit around that one area; indulge in all it offers and create a richer, more immersive London experience. Marylebone: a village atmosphere In what was once a leafy village, now sandwiched between bustling Oxford Street and Regent's Park, the traditional and the trendy go hand in hand. Marylebone High Street in London. The area retains a village feel despite its location near the centre of the city. Photo: Shutterstock Literary lovers Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning married in the village church; Sherlock Holmes solved crimes from his fictional residence at 221b Baker Street; and many of London's criminals met their fate at Tyburn, once the city's main site for public executions. Today's experiences are decidedly more pleasant than an encounter with Professor Moriarty or a date with the hangman's noose. Book a room at The Marylebone Hotel and enjoy a stay in this charming 'village'. The interior of Daunt Books in Marylebone. Photo: Shutterstock Take the hotel's Friday afternoon walking tour, where a Blue Badge guide leads you through hidden gardens and past off-the-beaten-path public art to speciality shops such as La Fromagerie and Daunt Books, whose Edwardian decor is the perfect backdrop for its collection of tomes.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'The arancini are decent and the fritto misto is OK. Will I be coming back? No': TOM PARKER BOWLES
'The food tells a story, the cocktails keep it interesting, the vibe is effortlessly relaxed yet unmistakably electric.' Now, I'm all for letting the food do the talking, but do I really want to hear a dreary tale of its hopes, aspirations and dreams? As to the 'vibe'? I'll be the judge of that, old boy. But this is 'our story', according to Nina, a perfectly decent Marylebone Italian that's apparently massive on social media. Hey-ho. I'm lunching with Fay Maschler, not so much the doyenne of food critics as the Queen Empress, and we agree that the room is unremarkable, the atmosphere more battery-powered than 'electric'. Service is professional enough but can verge on the intrusive. We're endlessly interrupted mid-conversation, asking if we're ready to order. You get the feeling that this is a place where tables are expected to turn quickly. Which never makes for a civilised long lunch. Empty plates, too, tend to linger disconsolately as the new mains are plonked down beside them. But it's early days, and these things can be ironed out. Arancini are densely decent, filled with stringily oozing taleggio, with a crisp, grease-free crust. Focaccia, oily, charred and airily light, is better still, topped with intensely sweet tomato and draped with good anchovies. Beef carpaccio tonnato is equally fine, the paper-thin slices of beef hewn from a superior beast, and smothered in a flurry of parmesan. The tonnato, though, is more dressing than sauce, slathered over an excess of rocket hidden within. Fritto misto is OK, the fish spankingly fresh, but the batter a touch dense. Spaghetti, taut and properly cooked, has a tomato sauce with just the right balance of sweetness and acidity. Rigatoni cacio e pepe is authentically, stridently salty, a whole egg yolk adding lustre and holding the dish in a softly concupiscent embrace. Pecorino adds its usual sheepy sharpness, and there's a good blast of pepper, too. This is a kitchen that knows its cipolle. But would we come back? No. What Nina lacks is that all-essential, oh-so-elusive heart and soul. A quality that is made, not bought. Lunch is a joy not because of the food but the company. We skip pudding, gulp an espresso and make haste out the door. Nina is not a place for those who want to linger.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
How home of Sherlock Holmes is centre of cybercrime mystery with scam packages being sent to Baker St address every day
HE is the pipe-puffing sleuth who has solved the most complex of murders and snared international criminal masterminds. But it seems even Sherlock Holmes is not safe from Britain's cyber crime epidemic. 6 6 6 The 19th Century fictional detective's London base, at 221B Baker Street, is at the centre of its very own mystery, after a Sun investigation found it is being bombarded with rogue packages almost daily. The posh Marylebone address — now a museum dedicated to writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's greatest creation — is being targeted as a fake returns hub for junk products from Chinese and Indian web retailers. Staff revealed drivers from Evri, Parcelforce and Amazon have been rocking up for a year now with packages labelled for internet firms that don't have a British address. The dodge saves shady overseas internet sellers from stumping up high shipping fees for faulty or unwanted returns to warehouses across the globe. It also means some companies can claim they do not need to refund customers as they did not get the item back, even though they gave a deliberately fake address. When The Sun visited 221B Baker Street this week, we saw Parcelforce try to deliver two packages after tricksters had them routed there. A female driver attempted to hand over a cardboard box, which staff inspected before rejecting it. The parcel, which weighed only 100 grams, had been dispatched from an address in Beauvais, northern France, and was supposed to be returned to Indian firm Mandasa Technologies. The web tech company claims to help small firms 'establish, market, optimise and develop their e-commerce businesses'. But it has no London office and is based in India's Madhya Pradesh region — some 4,500 miles away. Fraud website run in UK used to fleece up to 70,000 Brits taken down by cops in huge operation at 37 arrested We have asked the firm to comment on their use of the UK address. There is no suggestion the courier firms are doing anything wrong. The baffled Parcelforce worker we saw try to make the delivery told us: 'It seems bizarre people would return it here. 'I noticed the address was 221B Baker Street, but I assumed there's maybe another company works here. 6 6 'They told me they wouldn't take the delivery, so now it will just be held at a warehouse or sent off for donation or auction.' 'Obviously fake' Museum gift shop manager Mohamed Ahmed, who has worked there for seven years, revealed the rate of fake deliveries had soared in the past six months. He told The Sun: 'The first time we got a parcel, we opened it and it was just some cables, so we realised quickly it wasn't for us. "Now all our staff know to just reject them. "It is annoying and confusing, but this is the best-known address in London. 'It needs someone like Sherlock Holmes to solve where they are all coming from and what we can do to stop it. 'We have tried to ask Amazon and eBay for help, but they say it's difficult to stop each one.' Worker Luc Grant, who poses as a Victorian copper with Sherlock fans outside the museum, added: 'I see the vans try to deliver things quite often when I'm here. 'This is such a well-known address, but none of the packages has anything to do with us.' Exasperated museum staff have been driven to ask Royal Mail to stop delivering items not addressed directly to the museum. Daniel Thackray, 43, spotted Sherlock's address on product return details from a China-based seller last week. The dad-of-one, from Portsmouth, flagged the ploy to eBay after making his purchase through their site. But he said they told him he still had to follow the seller's instructions if he wanted his money back. Daniel explained: 'I ordered a gift for my son, but it arrived broken and was obviously fake. 'When they sent over information to send the product back, my wife laughed and told me that was Sherlock's address. "She'd just finished watching the TV series last week. 6 'When I called the museum, the staff knew straight away what I was talking about. "They sounded like it was the bane of their lives. "These scammers could have chosen any random address, but they had to choose Sherlock's house. 'It might be the only British address they know. 'They actually don't want to get these returns back, so it's easier to send them there.' Both eBay and Amazon told The Sun they would urgently investigate the use of 221B Baker Street as a returns address. An eBay spokesman added it would give Daniel a full refund, insisting: 'We expect our sellers to provide a high standard of customer service.' An Amazon spokesman said: 'We are investigating, and if anyone has incorrectly listed this address for returns, we will take immediate action. "We apologise for any inconvenience and will be arranging the collection of the packages.' PLOY IS SO HARD TO STOP By Thomas Godfrey FOREIGN companies use false UK return addresses to avoid having to ship broken, faulty or fake goods to warehouses halfway around the world. Most do not want dodgy products back anyway, and this saves cash, time and space. But the ploy means innocent Brits, including staff at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, are being caught in the crossfire of the cyber-fraud epidemic. In some cases, customers have been told by web retailers that they will not get a refund unless they package up their product and send it off, even if the return address is obviously fraudulent, fake or a nationally recognised landmark. Professor Mark Button, director of the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime at the University of Portsmouth (above), said: 'The scale at which online shopping fraud now operates is so big, not even Sherlock Holmes could solve it. 'There's been a 33 per cent increase in fraud cases and the biggest driver is cyber fraud. 'In cases like this, there are two victims – the customer, who loses out, and the museum, who have to deal with a huge amount of hassle. 'There will be other addresses used by these companies which aren't notable, and in those cases it might be a family or a small business being harassed.' Professor Button warned that if UK firms tried the same scam, they would likely have cops at their door. But he admitted: 'When foreign companies are involved, nobody really has the power to stop them.'
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Going Eco Benefits Planet And This Hotel's Bottom Line
Medical and other curios on display in the Welbeck Hotel's lobby, Marylebone, London. The recent refurbishment and rebranding of a 120-year-old central London hotel enabled the new owners to incorporate sustainable features, such as occupancy-based controls and reduced-flow showers, measures that may not be noticeable to guests but which reduce CO2 emissions and costs. In short, doing well by the planet saves money. The refurb 'wasn't just some new wallpaper and a lick of fresh paint,' said Simon Hall, the general manager of the Welbeck Hotel near Carnaby Street, Marylebone. 'The hotel has been completely rewired, with every bedroom replumbed. We've got new showers, new bathrooms; everything within the building has been renewed and refurbished.' Welbeck Street is within London's "medical quarter." The Edwardian-era, 164-bedroom hotel was previously a lackluster midmarket Holiday Inn. It's now independently owned and pitched as a four-star-plus lifestyle boutique hotel. It's in London's medical quarter, close to Harley Street and several leading medical institutions; Welbeck Street also has medical history of its own—curios in the lobby flag this medical connection and today's association with wellness. 'The refurbishment meant we were able to look at how we could bring in newer, greener technologies,' continued Hall. 'Even simple things—such as occupancy-based controls like passive infrared sensors in the corridors so that the lights aren't on all day—make us more sustainable. Our upgraded building management system enables us to control ventilation, air handling, heating, and cooling all centrally. The new plumbing has allowed us to have reduced flow showers, which don't affect the guest experience but use a lot less water.' The strip-back to the studs 'allowed us to look at all sorts of ways that we can be more sustainable within the confines of what is a 120-year-old building,' said Hall. The property dates back to the early 1900s when it opened as the Welbeck Place Hotel. Exterior of the Welbeck Hotel, London. Welbeck Street has a two-hundred-year history of housing physicians, hospitals, and wellness practices. Physician—and polymath—Thomas Young established his surgery in 1799 at Number 48 Welbeck Street and went on to research the mechanics of the eye, and much else. In a different era, tropical medicine expert Sir Patrick Manson lived at Number 50. The street has also housed institutions such as the Welbeck Street Hospital for Diseases of the Nervous System and the British Institute of Radiology; nearby, there is the Edwardian-era building housing the Royal Society of Medicine, constructed not long after the Welbeck Place Hotel. Part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts group, today's Welbeck Hotel supports local wildlife with the use of wildflower planters. It has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating for its energy efficiency, waste reduction, and environmentally responsible operations. A partnership with The Felix Project, London's largest food redistribution charity, is part of the hotel's dedication to social responsibility. Being green and a caring neighour is 'good business,' said Hall. 'It's win/win for the guests, win/win for the planet, and win/win for our bottom line.' And working with the Felix Project is also mutually beneficial. 'Aside from food donation, we've also donated non-food items, things like toiletries and crockery for people that don't have it,' said Hall. 'Many of our staff also volunteer for the project, helping at depots or collecting food from local businesses. There are so many ways we can work with them as a business; it's not just about writing a check—we can get involved. That's a real driver of our team's engagement and purpose, knowing that they're supporting their local community.' Sustainability is being incorporated into the wider hospitality industry's overarching strategies and day-to-day operations. And well it might because hotels—most especially luxury hotels—are significant users of finite resources, and those hotels that go green often quickly see financial returns. According to Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark data, hotels have the highest energy intensity at 293 kWh/sqm compared to sectors such as office (181 kWh/sqm), retail (152 kWh/sqm) and residential (124 kWh/sqm). Most industries, organizations, and investors are committing to sustainability not out of supposed 'wokeness' but because it can generate significant cost savings and lead to a greater longer-term valuation of assets. Travelers are also increasingly seeking sustainable practices and expect hotels to pay more than lip service to environmental factors. Tiny shampoo bottles are no longer seen as cute freebies by many travelers but as profligate waste when refillable larger containers make more environmental sense. When planning trips, more and more travelers prioritize eco factors. A recent Virtuoso survey found that nearly 60% of tourists are willing to pay more for hotels that have sustainability goals. But with a sector flooded with messages such as 'certified green' and 'climate positive,' how can travelers discern which hotels are genuinely committed to responsible practices? Benchmarking, that's how. But there are many competing schemes, and it's tough to know which ones are independently audited and which are self-certified greenwashing. Hotels are businesses, and the biggest are usually owned—or operated—by groups. Traditionally, hotel management agreements, or HMAs, lead on financial performance, but hotel owners and operators increasingly use new, greener HMAs to hold each other accountable to ESG targets. Some of these targets are set internationally via legislation. For instance, the European Union's new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) now requires travel-related businesses of a certain size operating within the EU to publish environmental and social impact reports. These will unlikely be consumer-friendly so hotels will prefer to use benchmarking badges in their front-of-house promotions. To increase access to consistent sustainability data and support the certifications industry, Travalyst, a non-profit founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, has a list of 49 certifications, standards, and schemes that it says will make the sustainability certifications space more straightforward to navigate. Internal and third-party green benchmarking schemes have increased in recent years, with some offering little more than pretty website badges and wall plaques. Others are more stringent, providing trustable certifications. Many online booking platforms now highlight those hotels certified for sustainable tourism. However, some of these paid-for eco-labels are tougher to pass than others. Green Globe and Biosphere Sustainable stress that businesses—and regions—in their schemes must meet the environmental and social standards aligned with frameworks like the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 specific targets outlined by the UN. Green Globe's standards—measured on 44 criteria and 380 indicators—also align with international frameworks such as those curated by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Membership-based Beyond Green steers eco-minded travelers towards high-end hotels that have undergone third-party audits and can demonstrate measurable and positive impact, with hotels vetted for their preservation of natural and cultural heritage, and their impact on the economic and social well-being of local communities, as well as alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. B Corp measures a company's social and environmental footprint. To become certified, companies are scored on categories including employee treatment and 'stewardship of its customers.' Businesses must achieve an assessment score of at least 80 out of 200 points to be approved; most companies fail to reach even a score of 51. Regenerative Travel certifies hotels with a deep commitment to sustainability, continuous improvement, environmental stewardship, and community and economic resilience. A certain percentage of staff must be local, and there's a target for energy generated from clean sources. EarthCheck says it is 'the world's leading certification, consulting and advisory group for sustainable destinations and tourism organizations' and delivers 'science-backed, strategic and sustainable outcomes.' Green Key Global also aligns with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and emphasizes land use, water conservation, indoor air quality, and building infrastructure. Green Key is the eco label used by Welbeck Hotel.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Don't let her death be in vain': Father urges UK to help extradite main suspect in daughter's murder
The father of a woman raped and murdered almost two decades ago has called on the foreign secretary for help extraditing the main suspect from Yemen. Farouk Abdulhak is the only suspect in the killing of Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, whose 'semi-naked' body was discovered in the basement of his flat on Great Portland Street, Marylebone, in March 2008. Abdulhak fled to Yemen via Egypt in the hours after the Norwegian student's death, and despite desperate pleas by Ms Magnussen's family and Scotland Yard, the son of one of the richest men in the Middle East has not returned to Britain to face the charges. Brought up between the US and Egypt, Abdulhak is the son of billionaire drinks tycoon Shaher Abdulhak, known in Yemen as the 'King of Sugar', who was close friends with president Ali Abdullah Saleh before his assassination by the Houthis in 2017. Abdulhak, who is on the Metropolitan Police's most wanted list and is the subject of an international arrest warrant, had never stepped foot in Yemen before the murder. Despite an active Interpol Red Notice, the revocation of his US passport and dual Egyptian citizenship, Abdulhak continues to avoid extradition to Britain with his Yemeni passport, granting him a safe haven for now. But after more than 17 years of negotiations with Yemeni authorities, ambassadors and even Houthi leaders, Ms Magnussen's father is calling on Foreign Secretary David Lammy to help close a loophole that means fugitives can live freely in the country, which has no official extradition policy with the UK. He told The Independent: 'As the father of a young woman brutally raped and murdered, the most ancient and grievous crime, its severity is compounded by the fact that the suspect has remained beyond the reach of justice, shielded by Houthi authorities in Yemen. 'Martine's case illustrates how wealth and regional instability can obstruct justice and, most painfully, how they deny my family closure.' He called on Mr Lammy to intervene and apply pressure on the Houthis to see if his Yemeni passport can be revoked because he is a suspect in a 'high-profile' murder case. He added: 'A just resolution to Martine's case would send a powerful signal to the international criminal community: crossing a border is no longer a guarantee of impunity. 'If her tragic death can contribute to a broader awakening, to a renewed commitment to justice for victims of gender-based violence across borders, then there is some small measure of solace in knowing that her life - and her loss- were not in vain.' And addressing Farouk directly, Ms Magnussen urged him to hand himself in. 'Get sensible, this case is not going away. Your situation is inferior than if you took the courage to go back to the UK and have your case tried in a fair trial,' he said. Mr Magnussen admits to becoming tired of the 'back and forth' of sending letters and arranging meetings with ambassadors and politicians, all promising him progress on Martine's case. In a series of texts with BBC News Arabic Special Correspondent Nawal Al-Maghafi, Abdulhak admitted to moving Martine's body but said her death was a 'sex accident gone wrong' that he 'deeply regrets'. He wrote: "I don't know what happened, it's all a blur". Mr Magnussen disputed that version of events, saying: 'She had more than 40 wounds on her body - this isn't part of a strangling sex act.' Ms Magnussen vanished after a night out with friends celebrating finishing their end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair on 14 March 2008. In 2010, Westminster Coroner's Court heard she was last seen leaving the club with Abdulhak at 3.20am. By the time her body was discovered, he had fled the UK on his father's private jet to Cairo where his family allegedly smuggled him over the border into Yemen. DI Jim Barry, leading Scotland Yard's investigation, issued a direct appeal to Abdulhak in March. 'You have been running and hiding for 17 years. It is time to grow up and face your responsibilities to Martine and her family. 'Come to the UK now and explain all to a court and jury. Our pursuit of you will not stop.' A government spokesperson for the Foreign Office declined to comment on extradition issues. They said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of Martine Magnussen. 'We remain in contact with the family to provide support.'
