London Town...

While I was in London in the summer we went to the Shard for dinner. That's not news to most and I'm sorry to those who attempt to follow my ramblings on here who do not know me on real life, but I don't really keep much of a linear personal account on here. So you know the script, glistening iceberg in London town with a Shangri-la at the top. Now, I know it's novel in London but here in Honkers, where Shangri-la Group is from, it's pretty standard to have a gaudy hotel at the top of a towerblock. I didn't expect to, but we both totally noticed, the difference between the Hong Kong personnel that had been imported to instill the Shangri-la 'standard' and the local people that had been employed on the ground. I can easily say I preferred the friendly relaxed personable local service over the stand-off-ish dithering, unhelpful Hong Kong 'service' which we endure every day here. It's obvious that a few things need ironing out and it'll be interesting to see if it becomes a London institution or just a hotel that caters to the Chinese tourist. Time will tell. They could do with a few more semiliers (our lady was wonderful but rushed off her feet) and a few less people standing about feeling important (the GM only shaking my husbands hand before getting concerned about not stading in the exact possition at the entrance, guess who was from where. Staffing asside, the views are amazing because of the perfect scale of the building within Londons skyline. And although it is very nicely deigned by Andry Fu and very nicely finished, it is exactly like all the other Shangri-la's, even down to the smell, so I got my mother-in-law a candel at the shop.

Anyway, enough, if you want to read about my holidays you can always access my other blog. No doubt, this week, you are only thinking about the announcment recently that the newley refurbished Everymans Thetre in Liverpool beat the Shard to the Stirling Prize this year. I can not say I'm shocked, more thrillingly and plesently surprised that it did in fact beat the, literatlly, shiniest most in your face building of these past few years, amoung other attention seeking buildings.

“Haworth Tompkins have struck the perfect balance between continuity and change to win the hearts and minds of the people of Liverpool with the vibrant new Everyman,” Hodder said, at the prize giving ceremoney.

It really is great to see a project so considered getting reconistion over other more flashy builds. A good day for desgin.