Shangri-La at the Shard is one of London’s most hotly anticipated hotel developments, with its location at the top of Western Europe’s tallest building providing guests with panoramic views of the London skyline. However, it appears that guests are getting an eyeful of a very different kind– that of their neighbour’s bedroom.
It has emerged that, due to the design of the Shard, some guests have been given a glimpse into surrounding bedrooms in the landmark South Bank tower. Protruding glass panels located at the corners of the building act as external mirrors once internal lights are switched on; something which will undoubtedly concern guests wishing to keep their privacy intact.
Despite the fact that it is reportedly possible to see neighbours’ beds, hotel general manager Darren Gearing believes that this will not pose a huge problem, saying; “In some rooms, due to the unique shape of the Shard, guests may be able to glimpse into a neighbour’s room. For this, blinds are available for guest privacy.”
Unfortunately, this amusing revelation may serve to draw attention to more serious problems facing the Shard. Despite recently being named “Best Commercial Building 2014” by RIBA, only around 50 per cent of the Shard’s office space is currently let. Although insiders insist that this figure is in line with expectations, it compares unfavourably with that of the Walkie-Talkie where take-up stands at 87 per cent.
In addition, all ten of the Shard’s “ultra-prime” apartments remain on the market and visitor numbers to the viewing platform have not hit projected targets.
Even the official opening of the Shangri La failed to pass without incident, after a protest by black cab drivers about the lack of taxi ranks outside the property brought traffic to a standstill. Although this is an issue for TfL, not the Shard’s management, it was surely an unwelcome distraction from the main event.
The latest blot on the Shard’s copybook may be easily fixed and guests will be able to look past the mirror images of their neighbours’ suites towards the view beyond – although couples on their honeymoon may wish to remember to close the blinds!
But, together with the other reported issues, it could easily lead to the perception that the £1.5 billion building is beset by problems at a time when it should be benefitting from the rising popularity of the London Bridge Quarter.
Previous Post
End in sight for M27 Corridor shortage
