Best Luxury Hotels in London

One Aldwych is a five-star hotel located about 5 minutes from The Covent Garden. This location makes it ideal for people who are visiting the city for the first time. It also makes it great for pre-theatre drinks. The building has an Edwardian style as it was constructed in the 1900s. It is still noted for being one of the earliest buildings to be constructed using steel in London. The hotel has 105 rooms and suites, and each of these has a Nespresso machine, Hypnos mattress, and free Wi-Fi.

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.

This boutique hotel is five minutes away from Sloane Square if you are going by foot. The luxurious bedrooms have marble bathrooms, and you get access to free Wi-Fi so that you stay connected to the rest of the world. The interior design of this hotel leaves a lasting impression on anyone that stays. For interior décor, the hotel has been furnished with antiques collected from all over the world, paintings, as well as classical furniture. All the rooms are air-conditioned to ensure you enjoy comfort and excellent air quality. The Penhaligon’s toiletries and bathrobes provided in every room make you feel at home.

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.

The Athenaeum Hotel is a five-star hotel and residences with a five-star history. Dating back to the 1800’s the building has taken many forms; from a popular Gentlemen’s Club, a luxurious Art Deco apartment block and a prestigious hotel – The Athenaeum Hotel has become synonymous with the important, the rich and the famous. The Athenaeum has made a name for itself not just as a hotel but also as a dining destination on its own merit. As the name suggests, Galvin at The Athenaeum is the hotel restaurant by Michelin-starred chef brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, known for the French-inspired menus the brothers have developed a menu for this restaurant that champions classic British produce. The cosy bar is also a firm favourite with hotel residents and non-residents alike, with a carefully curated cocktail menu it’s well worth a visit.

One of Britain’s most important and finest Neo-Gothic buildings is home to the incredible St Pancras London, Autograph Collection. Originally designed in 1873 at the Midland Grand, the hotel is now a 5-star powerhouse combining modern conveniences with the elegance of yesterday’s grand accommodation offerings. Relax in spacious luxury guest rooms, unwind in the spa and pool and dine and drink in the hotel’s excellent restaurants and bar options. This is one of our favourite hotels in London!

Established by celebrity designer Anouska Hempel, Blakes was the capital’s first five-star boutique residence. Its exclusivity and privacy make it popular with celebrities evading the limelight (Princess Margaret, Sarah Ferguson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lindsay Lohan and Kate Moss are all said to have stayed here). The decor is inspired by exotic lands – each bedroom reflecting a different pocket of the globe. Its urban garden was created by Matthew Williamson, is open for daytime meals, early evening drinks and boasts a glass birdcage like dining pod. While by night, dining takes place in the venue’s organic Mediterranean eatery. Guests at Blakes Hotel have access to the South Kensington Club, with its traditional Russian bathhouse, or can request in-room spa treatments. 

This was the first ever Hoxton hotel to be launched, landing in Shoreditch in 2006, at a point when the district was beginning to emerge as one of the hippest haunts in the capital. Beyond the brick and glass exterior is the kind of decor that typifies modern East London; a blend of urban, industrial and retro chic. There are 210 bedrooms with design features like parquet floors, accent headboards, distressed-effect rugs, leather Chesterfield wingback armchairs and backlit mirrors. Guests can hang out in the rooftop restaurant and bar, on a lounging sofa by the fire in the lobby, or at the Hoxton Grill.

Walking distance from the poshest landmarks in the city, The Hari is an exclusive pad for distinguished travellers. Its 85 bedrooms include 14 suites, draped in velvet and marble with contemporary artworks on the wall (the hotel hosts its own annual art prize). Dine in-house at the refined Italian restaurant, il Pampero, drink in the Hari Bar, and relax with a cocktail on the Garden Terrace during warmer months. The Hari’s fitness room includes a Peloton bike and you can book personal training sessions. The hotel has strong eco-credentials too, having received Silver Accreditation from EarthCheck.

Staying at the Hoxton puts you in easy reach of the River Thames and South Bank’s best galleries and food markets as well as easy access to central London’s other attractions. Arrived to work, rest or play? Relax for this four-star hotel has 192 creatively designed guest rooms with comfy beds, concrete ceilings and marble surfaces. There’s a choice of restaurants as Seabird offers panoramic views from the rooftop with a menu presenting Portuguese and Spanish influence from sea to table. Or opt for oysters with fizz, martinis or your choice of cocktail. Then there is Albie, an all-day lobby spot offering proper breakfasts, modern dishes and a killer wine and cocktail list. For parties, the ideal spot is the hotel’s Apartment, a fresh and airy space with a wraparound balcony. It has six useful rooms available separately for team away days and brainstorming sessions or combined for a network event or product launch. It also has The Pantry, an open plan kitchen providing a communal help-yourself space stocked with tea, coffee, snacks and fruit that can flip to a private bar in the evening.

This recently launched 16-storey establishment on the corner of Leicester Square is defined in a new category of accommodation: super boutique. While large in size, the hotel is intimate in nature. Operated by the privately owned Edwardian Hotels London group, it blends style with sustainability and high-end facilities. Guests unable to sleep – or those who like to socialise into the night – can frequent The Y Bar, The Drawing Room, and The Whisky Room.  A Japanese restaurant, bar and terrace are found on the eighth floor. While below ground, lies The Retreat, a wellness sanctuary with holistic therapies for body and mind, as well as a soothing hydro pool.

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.