As regular readers of mine know, your hotel reporter's strength is not actually staying up to the early hours, so we will have to take Virgilio's word on this one.

What we can say is this is truly one of Europe's most fun luxury hotels. Imagine Italian design transported into London tradition and this is what you have. The five-floor brick building may look its century-age outside but, once inside, you are in a different world. Black and gold are the colors that permeate the lobby that reaches round, so to speak, to the bar - which has black Murano chandeliers overhead - and, continuing in a right wheel movement, to Brunello restaurant, and, weather permitting, back out to the terrace, looking across Hyde Park Gate to the Gardens. Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived, is about two hundred yards north across the parkland.

There are 66 rooms and suites, decorated - uniquely - by Gilles Dez. Room 208, looking out over a side street, De Vere Gardens, has a wooden floor painted shiny mole-color, ragged-grey walls and ceiling, and a big four-poster bed. Fabrics are fruit-colored stripes, dark raspberry and blueberry. Either side of that bed are gold vases rising to a height of nearly two metres, with gold twigs protruding from the top. Phones are the latest Bang & Olufsen, the flat-screen television is Philips, the coffee machine Illy. There is Moët in the minibar. Bathroom toiletries are Ice Dimension. On my last visit, I was in suite 407, also facing De Vere Gardens, and I particularly noted the good shower, the heated electric towel rail and an excellent range of glossy magazines and art books.

I went back down to the ground floor, past an interior-illuminated day-glo pink plastic chair, and down into the Caroli Spa and gym. I thought about dining in my room, from the private dining Cinema paradiso menus, say Menu Via Veneta, ciabatta with roasted vegetables followed by tiramisu, and a glass of wine. In fact I joined a friend for dinner in the bar-restaurant,

so popular not only with hotel guests but with the affluent local Knightsbridge dwellers. Black linen cloths bore cream napkins, glass display plates, a white rose in a glass vase. Tall folding screens near us showed collages of recognisable show-business personalities. There is a seven course tasting menu, but I ate more simply, lavender-scented foie gras and salad, and linguine with Portobello mushrooms and a side order of spinach.

There are several other things not to miss at Baglioni London, by the way. The basement gym is a good alternative if typical English weather prevents you running in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park (a total circuit of the two adjacent parks takes about 50 minutes). The concierges are incredibly helpful (like all the 120 staff, they are dressed top to toe in black, probably - like the GM - in Ermenegildo Zegna. Breakfast must be the best, and freshest, European-style buffet in the whole of England: the just-squeezed juice is accompanied by coffee in antique silver pots, the hams, cheese and other cuts are irresistible, and the ciabatta is addictive.

It was pouring yet again as I left but the lovely concierge had booked me the complimentary town car, for guests' immediate use - normally it is requested for trips to Brown's or Harvey Nichols but today it was taking me to the train station. I was escorted out, under a giant umbrella, to the car, to find no ordinary little vehicle but something Italian (of course), namely a black Maserati Quattroporte. As we glided away I vowed that next time I would try to stay up later to experience the hotel's night club, too.