Discovery, it’s always about Discovery and Sharing. An appetizer post on my recent stay at the newly opened five-star Raffles London at The OWO. Day nineteen of travel and an extremely early Venice departure return to London didn’t prevent me from relishing several meals, spa sojourn, property site inspection and a late night covert visit to the Secret Spy Room at Raffles! Yes, it’s work, sleuthing, sipping and eventually collapsing at a five star spa!

When I travel, there are often little surprises at almost every turn, I’ve mentioned the underground Silver Vaults in London, and who knew that deep in the bowels of a new hotel and down a secret passageway there is a SPY BAR? It’s Classified!

In a previous post, I shared my extraordinary experience at the stunning Raffles OWO in London, the property brimming with charm, history, and an urban sanctuary, a Guerlain Spa.

Located in the secret corridors, so secret, a guest must be transported by hotel staff to the private door marked 007. Multiple hotel elevators to specific destinations, the ethereal spa, famed restaurant Kioku by Endo and the speakeasy Spy Bar. As a Special Request, our clients enjoyed cocktails at the Spy Bar and a celebratory dinner at Kioku, which is sold out months in advance – London city views from the terrace are sensational and the exclusive dining in the private tower is phenomenal, Chef’s Table, why yes!

Deeply atmospheric with a hint of the illicit, a former interrogation room, The Spy Bar pays homage to the plethora of spies whose secrets were guarded by the walls of the Old War Office. It is in two former rooms that were numbered 006 and 007 in the early 20th century and functioned as top secret interview rooms  of the Special Operations Executives of MI5 and MI6 agents.

The entrance lobby to The Spy Bar was once a guard room while other rooms along this corridor were used for briefing, debriefing and interrogating spies before and after going into the ‘field’. The history is palpable.

Raise a cocktail to the spies who once occupied these corridors, the clandestine and tiny bar is as appropriate, quite dark, cloaked in red velvet banquettes and underscored with half of a gleaming silver DB5 Bond car mounted on the wall, see No Time To Die for a prompt.