Best Design Hotels in London

Standing like a sleek glass-fronted sentinel in the City of London, Pan Pacific London offers a striking departure from the familiar stately bastions of Mayfair and Knightsbridge. Since opening, it’s brought refined, contemporary Singaporean hospitality to the Square Mile, where high urban energy outside combines with a zen-like calm inside. Offering 237 rooms and suites, a two AA-rosette restaurant, an afternoon tea lounge and an entire floor dedicated to wellness, complete with an 18.5m infinity pool offering a meditative vantage point over the city buzz below.

Pan Pacific London’s commitment to excellence has been further cemented by their retention of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star status, its fifth consecutive win in less than five years of operation.

Punctuating the skyline within the former Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, The Stratford, Autograph Collection, offers a fresh approach to contemporary luxury in East London. Part of Manhattan Loft Gardens, an ambitious mixed-use vertical community. Inside Scandinavian-inspired interiors, curated artwork and multiple dining concepts offer a cool, refined retreat, combined with excellent transport connections, and you have the ideal base for design-conscious travellers and urban explorers.

Following an extensive two-year renovation, Montcalm Mayfair, Autograph Collection brings a fresh vision of “Sensitive Luxury” to the capital. Located in the prestigious district of Mayfair on Wallenberg Place, this flagship hotel from the Montcalm Collection redefines contemporary hospitality with a restorative approach rooted in sustainability, elegance, and wellbeing.

Designed by award-winning architectural firm Holland Harvey and interiors teams Studio Est and Studio Mica, the 151-room hotel merges Georgian heritage with refined, modern British aesthetics. From the meticulously restored façade to interiors inspired by historic garden salons, the hotel blends artistry with comfort. Signature suites include the Botanical Suite, complete with a private entrance and immersive artworks, and the Presidential Suite, adorned with works by Joan Miró.

Guests can dine at Lilli by Akira Back, where the Michelin-starred chef brings his signature East-meets-West flair to seasonal British ingredients. The Yatra Signature Spa offers Ayurvedic-inspired rituals, a serene plunge pool, and treatments developed with Mauli Rituals and QMS Medicosmetics. Public spaces include a 400 sqm Grand Ballroom, the Bloom private dining room, and a lounge adorned with hand-painted murals and bespoke chandeliers.

Occupying a beautifully restored Edwardian building in the heart of Bethnal Green, Town Hall Hotel offers 97 rooms, studios, and suites that blend heritage architecture with modern craftsmanship. Once the local council chambers, the building retains original marble staircases, ornate mouldings, and Art Deco details. Interiors feature clean lines, bespoke furniture, and carefully curated artwork, creating a balance between London’s historic soul and cutting-edge style.

Dine at Corner Room, a neighbourhood restaurant serving refined seasonal British cuisine, or unwind in the elegant cocktail bar. Facilities include an indoor pool with skylight ceiling, a 24-hour fitness suite, and versatile event spaces that celebrate the building’s civic past.

With the City, Shoreditch, and Spitalfields all nearby, Town Hall Hotel provides an inspired base for those seeking culture, creativity, and understated luxury in East London.

The Chancery Rosewood in London is an all-suite sanctuary where heritage architecture and modern design converge on Grosvenor Square. Comprising 144 suites crafted by French architect Joseph Dirand, this extraordinary property occupies the restored former U.S. Embassy, originally designed by Eero Saarinen and meticulously reimagined by Sir David Chipperfield. Interiors reflect timeless sophistication through warm tones, bespoke furnishings, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing Mayfair’s skyline.

Eight distinctive restaurants and bars include Carbone, the cult New York import, Serra, celebrating Mediterranean warmth, Tobi Masa, marking Chef Masayoshi Takayama’s London debut, and Jacqueline, a tea and dessert salon by Marius Dufay. The expansive Asaya Spa by Yabu Pushelberg features a 25-metre pool, The Taktouk Clinic, MoodsPro treatments, and EviDenS de Beauté rituals. Guests enjoy flexible check-in and use of a chauffeur-driven House Car, with private butlers for suite guests.

This is an example of modern luxury, being part of the famous Shard building that towers above London. The building was completed in 2012 and was the tallest structure in Europe at the time. The multi-award-winning hotel takes up floors 34-52. It offers stunning panoramic views across the capital from its 202 rooms, decorated in plush silks, satins and cut-pile velvets. The Hong Kong-based multinational hotelier brand is a favourite with business travellers, providing excellent meeting spaces and proximity to the city’s commercial centre. The Shard is now firmly on the London map, so visitors who prefer a sleek, modern Asian influenced style flock to stay at Shangri-La, to swim in the infinity sky pool and dine with a view at TING. There are also packages for wellness, honeymoons and weddings, as well as two funky bars, babysitting, butler and limousine services.

Hotelier Ian Schrager designed this one-of-a-kind Fitzrovia hotel, set in a row of Georgian townhouses. It’s ideal for those who want to stay in true luxury but with West End and Soho nightlife on the doorstep. Past and present are blended in this boutique space, where period features are complemented by forward-thinking innovative furnishings and decor. Step inside one of the 172 rooms and suites, and you could imagine you’re aboard a private yacht. Dine at Berners Tavern hosted by Michelin-starred Executive Chef Jason Atherton and drink in the Punch Room. Many guests visit for the ‘happenings’, a programme of events for adults and families, including immersive gong sound meditation retreats and cocktail masterclasses. But the pièce de résistance has to be the 2098 square foot Penthouse with wraparound landscaped terrace and 360-degree views of the capital.

With 203 rooms including 34 suites, Park Hyatt London River Thames marks the arrival of the Park Hyatt brand in the United Kingdom. Located within the evolving Nine Elms district, between Battersea Power Station and Westminster, the hotel offers contemporary design and sweeping river views to create a calm yet connected retreat in the heart of the capital.

Designed as a modern interpretation of classic English style, interiors feature William Morris-inspired wallcoverings, soft leather and brass accents, and curated artworks by British and international artists including Ian Rayer-Smith and Jo Taylor. The entrance is defined by Charlie Whinney’s sculptural installation Ebb and Flow, evoking the movement of the Thames, while neutral tones and bespoke furnishings bring warmth and serenity throughout.

Dining is led by Executive Chef Fabrice Lasnon, whose 35 years of culinary expertise shape an impressive selection of restaurants and bars. Nine Elms Kitchen & Terrace celebrates seasonal British ingredients, Yú Gé offers refined Cantonese cuisine, while The Nine Elms Bar & Lounge provides a stylish space for cocktails and light bites.

Wellness is central to the experience, with an entire floor devoted to relaxation and renewal. The spa includes a 20-metre indoor pool with natural light and river views, six treatment rooms, a sauna, steam rooms, a serene relaxation lounge, and a 1,550-square-foot fitness centre equipped with Technogym technology.

Bright and bold with a neon interactive veil-like façade, the W London’s commanding positioning on the most prominent corner of Leicester Square crowns it as one of London’s most visually striking hotels.

The hotel opened in 2011 and since then nothing quite like it has been built in London – the hotel embraces a minimalist futuristic look using curved glass panels to soften its imposing form whilst simultaneously reflecting the pulsating lights of Soho and the West End. Inside, the W London continues its bold, contemporary aesthetic with interiors designed to evoke the brand’s signature mix of ultra-contemporary detailing and playfulness. Each of the 192 guest rooms and suites features modern furnishings, smart technology through their DigiValet tablet system, generously sized W MixBar, disco ball and floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing you to soak in the atmosphere of Soho below, think of this as your own private party pad.

Head down to level one where you can mix and mingle over a playful brunch, dinner or afternoon tea in the W Lounge and enjoy an innovative cocktail at The Perception. Break a sweat at FIT, then recharge at AWAY Spa before premiering a blockbuster in their Screening Room and use the hotel’s Whatever/Whenever® service to take care of everything else.

A contemporary landmark in King’s Cross, combining bold design with a vibrant social scene. This 266-room hotel occupies a former Brutalist building overlooking St Pancras Station, providing an energetic base for exploring the capital. Inside, eclectic interiors feature retro-futuristic furnishings and playful details, creating a lively yet stylish atmosphere.

Enjoy a diverse dining experience with Double Standard, an all-day bar and restaurant; Isla, a relaxed indoor-outdoor space with seasonal dishes; and Decimo, a high-rise restaurant offering Spanish-Mexican flavours alongside panoramic city views. The rooftop bar provides a lively setting for evening drinks with sweeping vistas.

A well-equipped gym caters to fitness needs, while various event spaces host cultural and social happenings. The hotel is within walking distance of major transport links, Regent’s Canal, and vibrant neighbourhoods filled with galleries, boutiques, and nightlife, making it an ideal choice for modern urban explorers.

The five-star Bulgari Hotel, built by the Sir Robert McAlpine construction company between 2010 and 2012, had the distinction of being London’s most expensive hotel when it was first opened and remains one of the most prestigious places to stay in the capital. The hotel contains 85 rooms and suites as well as a ballroom, cigar shop, cinema, fitness centre and gymnasium while the Rivea restaurant offers some of the best French and Italian cuisine to the hotel’s patrons. The bedrooms are separated into Superior, Deluxe and Executive rooms while the apartments are divided into Junior, Studio, Deluxe, Knightsbridge and Bulgari suites.

With 143 rooms, Hotel Indigo London Clerkenwell brings neighbourhood-inspired charm and IHG’s boutique flair to one of the capital’s most creative districts. Located on Clerkenwell Road, just five minutes from Farringdon Station, the hotel draws on the area’s heritage of clockmakers, goldsmiths and architects, with interiors layered in textured finishes, playful patterns and local design motifs.

Rooms come with espresso machines, Urban Apothecary toiletries and comfortable workspaces. Dining includes Wilderness Kitchen, offering Mediterranean-inspired, vegetarian-friendly dishes crafted from seasonal British produce, Sabini Bar serving signature cocktails and curated wines, and the Grade II-listed Hat and Feathers pub for classic British fare and local ales.