Jostling for 2010 supremacy are The Arch and Rafayel.

In central London it’s all about The Arch, the elegant London townhouse hotel on Great Cumberland Place comprising seven Georgian Grade II listed buildings and two mews houses.

The Arch’s 82 individually designed guest rooms are spread over six floors and feature nine suites and outdoor terraces complete with all the mod cons including complimentary Sky HD sports and movie packages, iPod docking station, wireless internet and Nespresso machine. And even better, the mini bar dispenses complimentary soft drinks so no more £1.50 Diet Coke breaks.

The former Georgian coal vaults on the lower ground floor now house a state-of-the-art gym with personal trainers and yoga instructors on tap.

Artwork on display throughout the space showcases the best of emerging British talent. In homage to the hotel’s location amidst retail Meccas Marylebone High Street and Oxford Street, artist, Vincent Poole has designed an installation for the lobby entitled New Shoes - a 2m tall technicolour silhouette of a lady made up of thousands of iconic images of the surrounding area.

Then there’s HUNter 486 Bar and Restaurant, taking its name from the 1950s district dialling code for Marylebone and boasting a dining room with a modern British menu where pizzas meet Fish Pie, cocktail bar with Philippe Starck bar stools and Salon de Champagne - a semi circular floor to ceiling banquette beneath a ceiling hand painted by award winning illustrator, Sara Fanelli. But we know where we’ll be hanging out: The Martini Library where Earl Grey MarTEAnis are mixed and served by your armchair – not to mention homemade sweet and savoury éclairs including Valrhona dark chocolate and and foie gras and sauterne.

Over on Battersea’s newly coined ‘Left Bank’ – so Parisian, don’t you know, it’s the Rafayel eco hotel, perfect for jet-setters looking to reverse that carbon karma or Londoners with an electricity consumption that’s playing havoc with the national grid.

The Rafayel’s 65 room offering complete with two restaurants, gym, spa and pool, is headed up by forward thinking developer, Iqbal Latif, who plans to roll out the concept into a branded chain, one embracing technology yet ethically aware.

The average London hotel guest notches up a colossal carbon footprint of 70kg per night but at Rafayel this is set to be reduced to 17kg achieved via a combination of technological initiatives including the hotel’s low energy LED lighting plus floor-to-ceiling windows maximizing on natural daylight, Vivreau water bottling system, air-conditioning which allows the transfer of excess heat to areas where it is needed and rain-water irrigation system for all fountains and landscaped zones.

Jet setters won’t feel the pinch though – especially with the latest Philips jetlag recovery technology within the hotel’s premium suites, electronic newspapers (no more inky fingers or paper recycling), the Banyan Riverside restaurant and a roof terrace with 360° views of the capital.

Even the caviar served is sustainable – the Mottra brand is certified by the United Nations Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species and ethically milked from sturgeon in a non-harmful manner so that the little fishies can continue to spawn.

Just like The Arch, The Rafayel features art works throughout its private and public spaces and a series of exhibitions are also planned. First up is Italian painter/sculptor, Max Viccardi. And the Rive Gauche response to martinis and éclairs? MyChelle’s Baketique of course (check out our blog), the glamorous bakery meets fashion boutique from native New Yorker, Michelle Husserl, London’s new princess of patisserie, serving loaded cupcakes, cupcake cones and even frosting shots.

This is a fight that’s way too close to call.

The Arch, 50 Great Cumberland Place, London W1H 7FD 020 7724 4700, www.thearchlondon.com
Rafayel, Falcon Wharf, 34 Lombard Road, London SW11 3RF, 020 7801 3630, www.hotelrafayel.com