"What's that?" the taxi driver said, frowning. "London? Never heard of it." We gave him the exact address of The London NYC and the hotel's old name, the Rihga Royal, and he brightened considerably. "Oh, the Rihga!"

His confusion was understandable, because the 54-story, 564-unit London NYC opened with its new branding only last Nov. 16 after a thorough renovation supervised by the acclaimed London designer David Collins.

Collins had spruced up the entrance area with touches of green topiary, but the cabby still recognized the place. "So it's The London now. I see."