Best Historical Hotels in London

Another historical landmark hotel, the Great Northern sits adjacent to Kings Cross station and juxtaposed against the Renaissance Hotel. This Grande II listed building opened in 1854 during the golden age of steam. The property has been skillfully renovated and is one of London’s finest boutique luxury hotels. Rooms feature beautifully handcrafted furniture and original decor set against Farrow & Ball shades with beautiful Lefroy-Brooks bathroom and free wifi, ideal for anyone arriving and departing from Kings Cross Station.

The first JW Marriott branded hotel in the UK, this elegant townhouse overlooking Hyde Park, was once home to the Grosvenor family/Dukes of Westminster. While its heritage stems back to the Roaring Twenties, the interiors display a classic contemporary panache. Bedrooms boast king-sized beds, fully stocked minibars, marble bathrooms and Aromatherapy Associates toiletries. It has an American-style steakhouse on the ground floor and a fine dining restaurant by chef Richard Corrigan, as well as two additional eateries and bars. Do stop by The Great Room – now a meeting hall, it was once an ice rink, where none other than our monarch, Queen Elizabeth, learned to skate.

A hotel that needs little introduction. Since opening in 1931, it’s had its own TV docu-series, hosted the Foyles Literary Luncheons as well as the inaugural Pride of Britain Awards and was declared to be one of the safest buildings in the city, during the WWII bombings. Stars such as Barbra Streisand, Edith Sitwell and Alfred Hitchcock have dined here. The Dorchester has five restaurants in total, The Grill, The Spatisserie, The Promenade, China Tang and Alain Ducasse – the latter being one of the few eateries to hold three Michelin stars. And its famed two-course silver-service afternoon tea is unmissable (the hotel went as far as creating its own Dorchester Blend cuppa). Its opulent spa is another highlight, as are the amazing displays by florist-in-residence Philip Hammond. 

The Landmark London in Marylebone is a magnificent five-star Grande Dame hotel and has, since its debut over 125 years ago, remained an icon of quintessential and elegant London charm. The space offers guests an oasis of luxury and serenity in the heart of the capital. One of the oldest railway hotels in London, The Landmark London was born in the romantic era of train travel, combining the opulence, grandeur and timeless service and design of those times with contemporary flair and five-star amenities. This is best represented in its iconic and soaring eight-storey-high glass atrium that has been at the centre of the hotel since its opening. Centrally located in Marylebone, there are a plethora of shops, restaurants and London landmarks to explore, and the helpful concierge is always happy to guide guests and make recommendations. There really is no need to leave the hotel with the fantastic amenities on offer, the hotel is home to a sensuous spa featuring a health club, four treatment rooms and a sublime 15-metre chlorine-free indoor swimming pool, one of the only five-star hotels in the capital to have one.

Stay in an elegant heritage hotel opposite Hyde Park and Kensington Palace. The Milestone offers 43 deluxe rooms, 13 individually designed suites and six two and three-bedroom residences, your home-from-home in the city. Go to Cheneston’s restaurant for fine English cuisine by Executive Chef Daniel Putz, the Stable’s Bar for hand-made cocktails and the Park Lounge, for a refined daily British afternoon tea service. Additionally, The Milestone has its own chapel, The Oratory, catering for small private events. Below ground, you’ll find a fitness centre, treatment rooms and a resistance pool.

Bringing Big Apple attitude to Bow Street, this NoMad Hotel is housed in a grade II-listed that once served as a Magistrates’ Court and Police Station. Design studio Roman and Williams was enlisted to overhaul the 19th-century building in Covent Garden. And Ricari Studios and Katie England were brought on board as spa partners. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in a glass conservatory with a soaring triple-height ceiling. Drink in Side Hustle (once the Bow Street Police Station); The Library; and Common Decency cocktail bar. Book a Signature Suite for a clawfoot tub, entertaining spaces and views of the Royal Opera House.

One of the most famous hotels in London, if not the world, the Savoy opened in 1889 on The Strand, as the first luxury hotel in Britain. It quickly became a byword for elegance and grace, with interiors designed by Collinson & Locke. Now owned by the Fairmont group, it has an illustrious history – Frank Sinatra, Geroge Gershwin and Noel Coward all entertained here, while Oscar Wilde, Laurence Olivier, Edward VII, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, The Beatles and many other legends have counted among its guests. Hosting royalty and a wide variety of celebrities is all in a day’s work for this titan of the hotel industry. Many of the 268 rooms provide stunning views across the nearby River Thames, and the hotel also has 7 restaurants for a wide variety of fine dining options. As an English icon, The Savoy is very popular with tourists seeking a quintessentially classic British stay.

This Grade II-listed property (formerly a bank) places you within walking distance of major sights, such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Theatreland. Grand inside and out, high ceilings, polished marble floors and period features are complemented by dramatic flower arrangements, antiques and Persian rugs. Enter your room and you’ll notice a step-change; these evoke a more midcentury feel as designed by Pierre Yves-Rochon, plus there’s funky artwork, Nespresso machines and Diptyque amenities. Pay a visit to the Sofitel’s Michelin-star restaurant Wild Honey St James by Chef Anthony Demetre, the Rose Lounge for afternoon tea, a vintage style bar and the spa.

You’ll find the Corinthia London where Northumberland Avenue meets Whitehall Place. Positioned on a landmark triangular site, it’s between Trafalgar Square and the Thames Embankment. The building once served as British Government offices and as the Hotel Metropole in the 19th century. Nowadays it’s home to the award-winning ESPA Life at Corinthia, a new 1920’s inspired theatrical cocktail bar named Velvet, The Northall restaurant with its designer dining room, Michelin-starred celebrity chef Tom Kerridge’s Bar & Grill and a glittering lounge, where 1,001 Baccarat crystals provide chandelier lighting for your afternoon tea. Corinthia London accommodates 283 bedrooms including 51 suites and seven penthouses.

Two red brick Victorian townhouses combine as one, to form The Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge. 28 plush bedrooms come with Savoir beds, bespoke handpicked furnishings, Floris toiletries, 200 thread-count Belgian linens, Belu mineral water, fresh fruit and flowers. Of these, the four-poster suites add espresso coffee machines and views over Egerton Gardens. Forbes Five Star rated since 2012, the hotel presents an award-winning afternoon tea and a famous signature martini. You’ll find original artworks by the likes of Toulouse-Lautrec and Erte, and cartoons by Charles M. Schulz, JAK and Sem.

Come here to sample two-Michelin-starred French cuisine by Alex Dilling in the restaurant, or to stay in a suite formerly occupied by legends like Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill and David Bowie. Michelin-starred chef Albert Adrià (believed to be the world’s finest pastry chef) also chose Hotel Café Royal as his only non-Spanish endeavour, where you can order sweet treats and champers. As soon as you arrive into the lobby, you’ll be dazzled by a 700-pound Murano glass chandelier. And the holistic well-being centre provides sound healing and Watsu water therapy.

Grade II-listed Georgian townhouses in swanky Sloane Street provide the setting for this art-filled boutique hotel, a sister property to the Beaverbrook Hotel in Surrey. Inside is a gem of a destination restaurant, the Japanese Fuji Grill. Sample the 12-course omakase tasting menu, or take a leather seat at the sushi bar for some of the best sashimi in the capital. Meanwhile, 14 bohemian bedrooms follow a theatrical West End theme, with fringed and canopied beds. Guests also have their own Chromecast, Roberts radio, a complimentary minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, East India Company teas and Bamford bath products.