The 15 Best Hotels in London, Where Fresh Openings Are Challenging the Old Guard
Next to New York, no city in the world can claim to have produced better hotels than London.
Stalwarts like the Savoy, the Ritz, the Lanesborough and the Connaught are all synonyms for London itself. But today, a new guard of magnificent 5-star hotels is aiming to create their own traditions. Last year alone, seven luxury hotels cut the red ribbon.
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But competition is the true mother of invention, and in response to this latest crop of world-renowned, brand-named inns, the old guard is raising standards to new heights. It’s a matter of major renovations and services upgrades or off with their heads.
“London’s hotel scene is hitting an all-time high, and the buzz is certainly palpable,” says Henrietta Loyd, co-owner and founder of London-based luxury travel agency cazenove+loyd. “It’s wonderful to see brands that haven’t had any significant presence here open. And although London’s scene is without doubt one of the best in the world, it’s only getting better with more competition.”
So where should you stay on your next trip to the metro? Are the new openings worth the hype? Are the gilded-icons still shimmering? Robb Report weighed them up and narrowed them down to find the 15 best in London.
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Best Overall: Claridge’s
If Claridge’s walls could talk, you’d hear the King’s English. Arguably London’s most exquisite grand dame—and Robb Report’s No. 1 hotel of the year, two years running—its top-hatted doormen have welcomed everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Mick Jagger. Opened in 1856, its latest refurbishment, which finished last year, oozes Art Deco elegance. Additions include a new penthouse featuring the world’s largest Damien Hirst private collection and 79 mod suites and rooms added to its 190 key roster. Andre Fu had a big role in the hotel’s redesign, creating the Residence Suite by Andre Fu, a 3,200-square-foot, multi-level glass suite and the ultra-Zen spa with seven treatment rooms and a sublime subterranean pool. But the hotel’s beloved character is still there, including the city’s most coveted afternoon tea and beck-and-call service that makes you feel like royalty.
Doubles from $1,158.
Best New Hotel: Raffles London at the OWO
They say war is a dirty business, but everything at the Raffles London at the Old War Office is pristine. From the oak-paneled walls to the original mosaic tiles to the Piastracchia Italian marble on the grand staircase, this eight-year, $1.6 billion renovation produced one of London’s most stunning and opulent hotels. Its handsome aesthetic and maze-like interiors reflect its 1900s history as the place where Winston Churchill won WWII, spies ducked in and out, and James Bond was invented. Its speakeasy Spy Bar shakes and stirs the best martinis in town, while its signature Mauro Colagreco and rooftop Kioku by Endo are heading for a Michelin star. Hidden beneath is Raffles’s subterranean Guerlain Spa, with nine treatment rooms and a startlingly grand swimming pool. Choose from 120 rooms and suites—perhaps the Haldane Suite, where the most important decisions of the war were made, or the Turret Suite with knockout views of Big Ben.
Doubles from $1,179.
Best for Couples: The Chelsea Townhouse
Like staying in the townhouse of your well-heeled great aunt, Chelsea’s newest city escape offers prim and proper pampering. Opened in September 2023, it’s a quick jaunt to its sister property, 11 Cadogan Gardens—where you can also use its facilities. Its 36 rooms and suites are situated inside three stately Victorian townhouses formerly known as the Draycott Hotel. The interiors are as British as the flag flying above its entrance. Crown molding, gilded mirrors and chandeliers, 18th-century British artwork, and custom-made curtains decorate its bedrooms, outfitted with Harrison Spinks beds that are hard to leave. But when the English Breakfast tea comes calling, the dining salon and intimate library are the place to sit and sip. Both lounge areas have a marble gas fireplace, velvet furniture, stylish antiques, and loads of natural light. And once you’ve polished off the poached eggs and toast, go through the back door private entrance to beautiful Cadogan Place Gardens.
Doubles from $435.
Best Location: The Peninsula London
They say good things come to those who wait, and considering it took 30 years for the Peninsula to find its London location in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, it better be up to snuff. Opened in September 2023, its 190 Peter Marino–designed rooms and suites are the latest to join Peninsula Hotels, and just like its Hong Kong-sister hotel, it has envy-inducing views. Floor-to-ceiling views of Hyde Park Corner and Wellington Arch mean central London is easy to explore with the hotel’s complimentary Peninsula Pashley and Brompton bikes. Its fleet of luxury electric cars is at your beck, and thanks to “Peninsula Time,” you can check out whenever you like. That makes it all too tempting to get one more massage at its seven-room holistic spa, a few more laps in its 82-foot swimming pool, or another dim sum lunch at Canton Blue.
Doubles from $1,650.
Best for Arts Obsessives: Beaverbrook Town House
The pastel-pink pineapples catch your eye first. Then, the turquoise walls, chessboard floors, and blue Art Deco tiles. There’s a lot of color at Beaverbrook Town House. The bright blend of decor is just the right amount of kitsch, fun, and whimsy for a new 14-room townhouse in swank and swish Chelsea. It’s the sister property to the award-winning Beaverbrook Hotel in Surrey, with each suite named after one of London’s famous theaters, which explains, well, the theatrics. They’re decorated with rare vintage play posters, black and white photos from the theater, a mish-mash of furniture patterns, tasseled pillows, and bold shower tiles that somehow work together like the perfect ensemble. Its bar and restaurant spotlight Japan with sake-inspired cocktails, truffle-dotted sushi, and dozens of vintage Mount Fuji artwork.
Doubles from $722.
Best for Young Creatives: The Twenty Two
London is undoubtedly a cool kid’s club, and The Twenty Two fits right in. This new Mayfair boutique hotel (opening a New York outpost this year) has 31 rooms and suites that occupy an opulent white-stone Edwardian mansion at the corner of Grosvenor Square. The grandeur carries inside with its maximalist Parisian design, including leopard print carpet, taffeta curtains, statement Pierre Frey wallpaper, and mirrored ceilings. The decor here feels delightfully over the top, but the vibes are discreet and private, perfect for its members-only library and red velvet–clad basement club frequented by A-listers. Warm and genuine service carries into its restaurant (called the Restaurant), where signature pasta and beef Wellington are served in one of London’s poshest new hangouts.
Doubles from $810.
Best for Sustainability: 1 Hotel Mayfair
Directly across from the Ritz, the new kid on the block drops British grandeur for a more serene So-Cal atmosphere. Opened last year, 1 Hotel Mayfair feels like a tranquil oasis separate from the city grit. You’re welcomed at check-in at a repurposed 200-year-old fallen oak tree in front of a vertically stacked stone wall. Earthy, sustainably sourced materials are carried throughout its Tom Sellers–run Dovetale restaurant and Dover Yard bar, where petrified wood tables and linen couches add to the hotel’s laid-back vibe. Inside its 181 rooms and suits, rope-woven furniture, soft timber, succulents. and white furniture keep things chill. In tune with its eco-friendly theme, each room has its own filtered water tap inside a vertical green wall, and you’ll have access to daily chauffeured electric Audi cars on a first-come-first-serve basis. For comatose levels of Zen, head to the hotel’s Bamford Spa for a stress-melting massage.
Doubles from $623.
Best for Imbibing: The Londoner
In the heart of Leicester Square and the West End, you’ll find a buzzing design-centric gem. The sprawling lobby is sprinkled with Champagne- and rosé-colored furniture centered around its Champagne bar, with 65 different varietals, and a stage where crooners play post-theater shows. Trademarking itself as the world’s first “super-boutique hotel,” the property has 350 homey yet stylish rooms and suites that are already over 16 stories. The good times roll throughout the locale, from the rooftop bar focusing on Japanese whiskey and beer to the speakeasy-style British pub to the hidden whiskey room, where you can have a dram of 1938 Macallan. And when you’re nursing a hangover the next morning, they offer an in-room IV drip hydration. Cheers to that!
Doubles from $503.
Best for Design Enthusiasts: Broadwick Soho
Stepping inside Broadwick Soho’s lobby feels like an Alice In Wonderland acid trip—but in the best way possible. The pastel green and pink walls are painted with parrots and hung with vintage artwork. Tasseled elephant lamps sit on pink marble as the staff check you in wearing head-to-toe leopard print suites. Hand-stitched French silk line the elevator for this Martin Brudnizki–designed hotel, which opened in Soho in late 2023. Its 57 rooms and suites are an expert mix of whimsical and eclectic touches without being an overload for the eyes: herringbone timber floors, floral rugs, bed feet that are actually golden hands, and blue leopard-print wallpaper in the bathroom, not to mention the mirrored furniture, light pastel colors, and a Toucan-shaped handle for the mini-bar. Its Wes Anderson–esque rooftop bar, Flute, and basement restaurant, Dear Jackie, are the place to be on a Saturday night. Dress to impress; you never know who you’ll spot.
Doubles from $740.
Best for Old-School British Elegance: Brown’s Hotel
Known as London’s first luxury hotel, opening in 1832, this Rocco Forte hotel has welcomed just about every dignitary and debutante in Europe. But with the hotel’s gradual room refurb, due to be completed this year, its 115 rooms and suites don’t feel or look their age. Its Sir Paul Smith Suite, a collaboration with the designer on nearby Savile Row, was finished last year with stripe-filled creations from Smith’s home collection and vintage furniture. A Mayfair go-to for power lunches and afternoon tea, Charlie’s serves British classics by Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt, and the Drawing Room serves a cracking good cucumber sandwich—both spaces have had a facelift in the past year. Speaking of, its three-treatment room spa has a huge variety of treatments, including an Irene Forte facial or massage for people living with or recovering from cancer.
Doubles from $989.
Best for Spa Lovers: Corinthia London
A stalwart of the London hotel scene since it opened to acclaim in 2011, this Whitehall hotel has 283 rooms and suites, including a whopping seven penthouses. Its Royal Penthouse has unobstructed views of the London Eye from its terrace and comes with a butler, a car service, access to a private wine collection, and a spa suite. Its subterranean spa is arguably the city’s most impressive. Although the Raffles usurped the ESPA Life at Corinthia spa in size, its 17 treatment rooms and more than 40 treatments by specialists from an osteopath to a nutritionist are hard to beat. Facilities include heated Cleopatra beds, a steam room, an all-glass sauna, a vitality pool, and a heated swimming pool. When all that pampering works up an appetite, the Corinthia has three sprawling restaurants ranging from classic British to zingy Italian. But the standout is arguably the Crystal Moon Lounge, where afternoon tea and scones are served under its show-stopping chandelier made up of 1,001 hanging crystal bubbles.
Doubles from $850.
Best for Business Stays: The Ned
Housed inside the former 1920s Midlands Bank headquarters, the Ned is as steeped in London business history as a strong cup of tea. Imposing 26-foot-high ceilings and 92 African Green volcanic stone columns welcome you into the heart of the hotel, called the Banking Hall. Here, there are seemingly endless places to wine and dine, with seven restaurants and bars pumping with the after-work finance crowd and live jazz. This is the original location of the now global Ned hotel brand and Ned’s Club membership; club members get access to a heated rooftop pool and restaurant as well as the Vault bar, hidden behind a 20-ton bank vault door. The hotel’s 250 rooms and suites were inspired by the Art Deco glamour of 1930s transatlantic ocean liners and train travel. Its impressively stocked member’s gym includes a stylish 65-foot marble pool alongside an eight-room spa. Tucked into the vault where they once stored gold, you can get cutting-edge facials that will leave you feeling like a million bucks.
Doubles from $425.
Best for Theatre Lovers: NoMad London
Directly across from the Royal Opera House, this five-story building is was once the Bow Street Magistrates’ Court and police station. Everyone from Oscar Wilde to Britain’s suffragettes were held here, and you can access the Bow Street Police Museum through the hotel. Its 91 rooms and suites have an arresting design with whimsically wallpapered fireplaces, Calacatta gold mosaic tiled bathrooms, vibrant chandeliers, and 1,600 pieces of original artwork spread throughout. Dining is in the towering glass-ceiling all-day Atrium or the moody Side Hustle, where they sling tequila cocktails and tacos with house-made hot sauce. Book the Ultimate Royal Opera Experience for an exclusive evening, which gives you behind-the-scenes access to performance rehearsals, exclusive box seats, a specially catered menu, and a stay in the two-story Royal Opera Suite overlooking the theater itself.
Doubles from $620.
Best Service: The Dorchester
The Dorchester’s doormen have been ushering in the world’s biggest movers, shakers, and policymakers since it opened in 1931. In 2022, the hotel started a head-to-toe transformation of the hotel (its largest in 30 years), including its grand and gilded Promenade, where Liberace’s piano serenades you while you’re sipping on Champagne and topping up scones. Updated and expanded rooms will continue to roll out until next year, with the completion of its penthouse and members-only club. Sprinkled with its signature Dorchester rose, its 241 rooms and suites follow a royal-blue or yellow color scheme with marble bathrooms, hardwood floors, and velvet furniture that feel both palatially luxurious and inexplicably homey. Butlers here will do anything for you, “as long as it’s legal,” and are reserved for those staying in a Hyde Park suite level and up. Services like babysitting are available for when you want to spend an afternoon in its nine-room spa or an evening at the hotel’s Michelin three-star Alain Ducasse restaurant. End the evening in the Martin Brudnizki–designed Vesper Bar, featuring a flight of one-of-a-kind Louis XIII Cognac that comes with an exclusive invite to the family’s estate in France for $15,000.
Doubles from $667.
Best for Exclusivity: The Emory
London’s latest address is also its most expensive. The Emory is undoubtedly eye-watering, but the perks of the city’s first all-suite hotel are undeniably sweet. Each stay in one of its rooms includes a two-way airport transfer, a locally stocked bar, access to Surrenne (the city’s most exclusive new members-only wellness center), an assistant, and use of the hotel’s fleet of luxury electric cars. Floor-to-ceiling windows in its 61 suites illuminate unique designs by various world-famous visionaries such as Andre Fu, Alexandra Champalimaud, Pierre-Yves Rochon, and Patricia Urquiola, who each got two floors worth of rooms to flex their creative muscles. Michelin three-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten helms the U.K.’s first location of his three abc kitchen brands. For a nightcap, head to the sexy-sleek rooftop bar, where each cocktail mixed and stirred is bespoke and recorded in their “little black book” for your next tipple.
Doubles from $2,555.
