Other than the fact that not much went right upon my arrival in Heathrow – mix-up with transfer and booking – it's been a good first day in London.

I have a room overlooking Kensington Gardens and as I write this, the sun (a very weak version of the one I left behind in Singapore) is valiantly trying to break through the winter sky.

The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington has had a very nice upgrade. The room is a good size and functional, if a trifle draughty. In the lobby is a frighteningly huge statue of the Malaysian hotel owner, Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, who I actually mistook for Mao when I arrived in my jetlagged state. (Do all statues look alike in the dark?)

Logging onto the Internet, a page from Swisscom Hospitality Service, pops up, telling me "the weather at your location", giving me information "around your hotel", "flight status and alerts", "international newspapers", "live radio", "currency converter" and "translator".

Not bad. I found the weather and map quite useful on first arrival and wondering if I should go for a walk to clear the cobwebs from my two seven-plus-hour legs on Qatar Airways to get here.

Full story:

www.webintravel.com//blog/so-whos-sleeping-with-you-tonight_2935