Marriott announced September 21 that its landmark hotel at St Pancras station in London will open in May 2011, after two years of delays.

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel has taken more than ten years to reconstruct, with its doors remaining firmly closed as the renovated St Pancras opened its doors to Eurostar traffic in 2007.

It will finally reopen exactly 138 years after the original hotel on the site, the Midland Grand Hotel, opened its doors in 1873.

UK-based department store chain Selfridges has unveiled the world’s biggest shoe department (35,000 sq ft) named Selfridges Shoe Galleries in London, designed by Canadian architect Jamie Fobert.

The Shoe Galleries houses more than 5,000 shoes from 120 brands, including 35 new labels and more than 30 exclusive styles designed just for the retailer.

The space includes 11 “apartment” boutiques for the department’s premiere labels – including, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Dior, Prada, and Gucci – which were each designed in accordance with the labels’ distinct looks.

Maltese luxury brand Corinthia has released further details on its forthcoming flagship property, which will open early next year.

The Corinthia London will be the ninth hotel for the brand and its highest-profile property so far, with the firm promising a “true grand hotel for the 21st century.”

Although Corinthia currently operates properties in Hungary, Prague, St Petersburg and Lisbon, the London property will be the brand’s first in a major global city and one of the major London openings of 2011.

A luxury penthouse in London has sold for a record-breaking £140 million ($220 million), as the market for “trophy homes” bucks the wider property slump.

The two-floor apartment at the One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge features bullet-proof windows, an air purifying system and a panic room.

The new owners will have access to 24-hour room service from the neighbouring Mandarin Oriental hotel, and protection from SAS-trained security guards.

Pablo Picasso‘s largest-ever painting, a 10.4 metre-by-11.7 metre cloth used in a performance of the Ballets Russes in 1924, went on exhibition for the first time in London on Thursday.

The canvas, designed and signed by Picasso but finished by seven other artists, was used in a performance of the one-act ballet “Le train bleu” (The Blue Train) by Bronislava Nijinska.

The piece, which is to be a star exhibition in a show at the V&A Museum dedicated to the Russian ballet company, was bought by the museum in 1968 but never previously exhibited.

McLaren has confirmed its flagship London dealership will be based at One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge.

Strategically located between Harvey Nichols and Harrods, the landmark development is due to be completed at the end of the year.

Jardine Motors Group, McLaren Automotive’s London dealer, has secured the largest ground floor retail unit for a high-profile showroom.