One Night at the Four Seasons London at Tower Bridge Taught Me 24 Hours Is Enough to Uplevel Your Whole Life

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I believe that every soul chooses a body in this life that it wants to reincarnate within, and that it is our job to help our souls fulfill their karmic journeys through deep, deep listening. 

In my case, “answering the call” took the form of responding to an email inviting me to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge for one night only.

Signing on was easy enough: the hotel was 20-30 minutes from my apartment by tube, located in Central London, and I could manage a small carry-on suitcase without worrying about too many milliliters in my moisturizer. I’d go after my morning Barry’s class, refusing to change any part of my day for “another place for me to watch Next Gen NYC for the evening.” 

When I showed up in basically soiled athletic wear and running sneakers at 10 Trinity Square, which is litchrally (as the British say) next to Tower Bridge (the really famous one from the Spice Girls movie), I realized I had forgotten that the Four Seasons—like the Real Housewives of Salt Lakes’ Meredith Marks after one too many drinks—never misses.

My only other experience at a Four Seasons thus far was when I stayed at Sensei Lanai back in 2024, so I didn’t have enough data to proclaim, “We’re a Four Seasons family,” like my LA neighbors often do. However, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge proved that its legacy and reputation of 5-star service, unfathomable luxury, local authenticity, and beautiful attention to detail is forever foundational to the hotel group.

Hysterical Is Historical

London’s ancient history isn’t hard to feel when you’re walking through the city streets. Even with cosmopolitan additions and modern-day updates, the city prioritizes preservation above all else. The Four Seasons’ Tower Bridge location is no exception.

When I entered the hotel, I felt like I was going through a time warp, given that the hotel’s interior has managed to uphold core thematics and structures from the original building, which has been through it. It was as if I had entered into an old bank vault-meets-dating-hub from the 1920s.

This comes as no surprise since the five-sided, neoclassical Parisian Beaux-Arts-style building, built between 1912 and 1922, used to be the Port of London Authority until it was blitzed in World War II by the Germans. Even after the original central domed rotunda (which remains a focal point of the property) was destroyed, the 1946 inaugural reception and United Nations General Assembly meetings were still hosted there. The building was then turned into a functional corporate office hub for the financial sector in the 1970s until the Four Seasons transformed it into a luxury hotel in 2017.

Make It a Double

There are fewer words in this life that make me as happy as “Ms. Goodman, we’ve upgraded you to a two-bedroom residence suite.”

When I was led to my let’s not even call it a room, I was taken down one of the hallways off the core rotunda through a private, very exclusive set of doors for the resident suites. My room number felt especially prescient because it was the same number as my pre-birthday age, next to my post-birthday age, just one week before my birthday. Signs!

My two—count ‘em, two—bedroom residence suite was anywhere from 2,200 to 2,500 square feet, with a fully decked out Gaggenau and Miele kitchen (Nespresso included), dining room, laundry room, separate living room, foyer, two bedrooms, three bathrooms (one was just for kicks in the hallway!), and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the courtyard. 

I very quickly unpacked, moved in, took one of the best showers of my life next to a standing tub with its own television, and wondered if I could astral project myself into the second bedroom for the evening, so I could feel like I made use of the whole space. I never managed to “meet myself on the hill,” as they say in the astral projecting world, so I instead did slow inhale-exhales, imagining myself with rich friends and a private chef, hosting my birthday party surrounding the marble kitchen island while cheersing to me with our pinkies up.

When I was checking out, I asked the front desk, “Who is staying in these suites?” and they assured me that many families leverage the suites during tourist season, but there are also short and long-term rentals at the hotel for actual living. 

Starting room rates: £500–£650/night

Mei Ume Es Su Ume

British dining is where British sophistication shows up, and if you’re familiar with the London scene, you’ll also know that the city is one of the most diverse in the world, which is also represented in its gastronomy.

The hotel has two core restaurants—Cooper’s Cut, a premium steakhouse, and Mei Ume, a five-star Chinese-Japanese restaurant, run by chef Peter Ho. Almost all of the dishes on the menu are at once recognizable, but Ho’s innovative take on these pan-Asian classics feel personal, tastefully informed, and highly technical.

I got to experience a 9-course tasting menu that celebrated all of Mei Ume’s signature dishes, including unbelievably flavorful Crispy Aubergine, Scallop Dumplings and Octopus Shao Mai, Dan Dan Soup Noodles, Roasted Peking Duck, Iberico Pork Char Siu, and a Banana Fritter—most of which, might I add, was created tableside.

Everything was delivered beautifully, and the ambiance made me feel as if I had been transported—once again—to another time and place (and palate!).

Take It All In

In the 2006 version of Dream Girls, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson sang competing versions of “One Night Only,” which—while incredibly different—landed on these unified lyrics:

I have no doubt

That I could love you, forever

The only trouble is

I really don't have the time

Even though I really didn’t have the time, I still managed to the Four Seasons with my single rollie, loving it forever. 

Not even 24 hours later, I felt as though something in me had changed just experiencing life at that level of luxury. I haven’t quite figured out how I’ll end up in that two-bedroom suite again, but I do have intense manifesting to do to eventually become a “Four Seasons Family” down the line.  

For One Night in Paradise

There’s something olympic about knowing you only have one night to make the most of something. I decided my luxurious sleepover would be the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on all of the self-care my anxiety has not let me participate in over recent months!

Here’s everything I brought in my overnight “trolley,” as they say in the UK: