A Battersea resident is taking up gloves and a clipboard this month after being selected to inspect two top London hotels.

Alister Morgan, 39, a former journalist with The Independent, won a competition run by Marriott to get behind the scenes at two of its branches.

The Reform Street resident said: “When I was at the newspaper I got to travel around the world. You end up becoming a bit obsessed with hotels.”

Mr Morgan, who now works for AOL, will begin with the Regents Park branch this Saturday.