The Hilton, Park Lane

London, UK

Boasting panoramic views of Hyde Park and the surrounding district of Mayfair, the Hilton Park Lane in London is famed for its prestigious location and unparalleled five star luxury. Its close proximity to the city's main attractions, designer shops and underground tube stations, makes it the perfect base from which to explore all that the vibrant city has to offer.

Internally guests can take their pick of the well-known bars and restaurants which include the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows on the 28th floor and uber trendy celebrity nightspot Whisky Mist at Zeta, where champagne and cocktails flow into the small hours. The hotel also boasts an impressive onsite gym for guests wanting to work off the day's stresses, a luxury spa offering the latest beauty treatments and a range of meeting and event spaces to suit all manner of occasions from a small business meeting to a grand wedding.

In 2009 the hotel chain decided to redevelop their front-of-house appearance using designs by architects The Manser Practice, who specified and designed a polished stainless steel canopy. The canopy was required to incorporate a fiber optic star ceiling with the stars becoming larger in size and the distribution of them less dense, the closer they got to the entrance of the building.

We were able to fulfil the star ceiling element of the project using three different types of UFO end fittings and various sizes of polymer fiber. The small stars, which were furthest away from the entrance of the hotel, were made from 1.5mm polymer fiber that had been fed into the canopy and fitted with our mushroom lenses. The medium sized stars used 2mm fiber fitted with our P4G paver fittings, whilst the largest star points which were located closest to the hotel entrance and were least densely distributed, used 4.3mm fiber together with our P17T paver fittings. Frosted glass was also applied to the outside of the medium and large stars to improve viewing angles and create a larger point of light.

Once the project had been completed the stars could be seen running 24 hours a day by drivers on Park Lane. The overall effect created by the near and far star points is welcoming and inviting and perfectly suited to the charming hotel.