Three women have been attacked with a hammer after they disturbed a man who had broken into their hotel room in the middle of the night.
The victims, all from the United Arab Emirates and aged in their 30s, were staying at the Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch in London's West End when they were injured at around 1.50am yesterday.
They all suffered head and face injuries, and one is now in a critical but stable condition in hospital, while the other two were seriously hurt but their conditions are not life-threatening.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Chalmers said: "This was an unusually violent attack on three women and I am very keen to speak with anyone who was in or around the hotel between 1am and 2am on Sunday morning.
"Did you see or hear anything that could be of use to my officers? If so, we would like to hear from you as soon as possible."
Police said they believe the single male suspect went into the bedroom on the seventh floor of the hotel, where the three women and three children were asleep in adjoining rooms.
The attacks are being treated as attempted murder.
The four-star Cumberland Hotel is near Europe's busiest shopping street, Oxford Street, and has 1,000 rooms including a Jimi Hendrix suite.
A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said: "We were called to reports of an assault at Great Cumberland Place. We sent a responder in a car and three ambulance crews. Staff treated three patients, all women, and two were
reported to be in their 30s.
"All patients were taken as priorities to hospital."