Best Luxury Hotels in England

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.

Need some ME time? Mosey on down to The Strand, where you can check into this slick 173-bedroom hotel, designed by Foster + Partners. It was erected on the site formerly home to the Gaiety Theatre and beside the former BBC (Marconi) headquarters. On its 10th floor, the Radio Rooftop bar and restaurant offers far-reaching views of the city’s skyline from Tower Bridge to the Houses of Parliament. STK is the hotel’s refined steakhouse, serving cuts of USDA prime beef, while Luciano is the Italian all day dining destination restaurant headed up by TV chef Gino D’Acampo. And the Marconi Lounge (named after its neighbour) offers a relaxed and chic place to unwind.

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.

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.

The Dutch design firm Concrete has been tasked with creating an eclectic aesthetic that blends retro with modern, while showcasing using natural textiles, at The BoTree. Found where Mayfair meets Marylebone, it has two destination restaurants — one on the rooftop — a live music club, a cinema room and a fitness centre. Each bedroom boasts a reception area, with sliding panels leading to sleeping and lounge spaces; upgrade to a suite for a lounge, a balcony and your own bar and with an integrated cocktail station. The BoTree’s service ethos is described as intuitive and personalised.

An immersive experience as much as a hotel, The Mandrake is a theatrical yet fashionable boutique property in Fitzrovia. Its 34 cocoon-like bedrooms include a penthouse. Ostrich feathers, curtained beds, heavy jewel-coloured fabrics, clawfoot tubs, esoteric paintings and candlelight create an opulent backdrop for your stay. The Mandrake’s unique design approach is thanks to the Beirut-born owner Rami Fustok, himself an art collector and draws more than its fair share of A-listers. Spiritual healing wellness events take place in the basement, there are two bars; Waeska and Jurema serving ethnobotanical cocktails and YOPO, the South American restaurant led by Executive Chef George Scott-Toft.

So named as its bedrooms and terrace are sky high, Treehouse offers panoramic views over the landmarks of London and one of the quirkiest, yet fanciest hotel stays around. It’s designed to engender the same kinds of cosy, adventurous feelings of childhood clubhouses that were built among the branches, with vintage furnishings and pops of colour. But it’s all very upmarket and bang on trend. The Nest is the big event here; a hip, bohemian day and night spot, offering sublime food, mixology, DJ beats, interior foliage trailing from the ceilings and 360-degree skyline views. There’s also a Mexican restaurant, a pizzeria and the Backyard cafe hangout.

If you love all things vintage, you’ll adore the Art Deco interiors at this five-star property. It’s packed with 1920s era antiques, with lashings of mahogany furnishings, over a thousand original artworks (as well as notable modern pieces from Turner prize winners) and literary works from yesteryear. The building itself is a piece of history, built during the previous roaring ‘20s and now carrying a Grade II listing – even the D.R. Harris bath products nod to this heritage. But there are modern amenities too; like a shiny new spa and salons. Set beside Brown Hart gardens, there’s a tranquillity that belies The Beaumont’s central location.

The Chester Grosvenor is a great dame in the city of Chester having been open since 1865. Located in the heart of the city overlooking the famous Eastgate Clock it’s in the perfect spot for a city break in Chester. Rooms in the hotel are beautifully appointed, each individually styled and luxuriously spacious. For something extra special their suite category offers open plan living with separate lounge and bedroom, spacious marble bathrooms with walk-in showers and some suites even have their own entrance foyers. From the chic sophistication of Michelin-starred Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor and the elegance of The Arkle Bar and Lounge to the newly refurbished  2 AA Rosette La Brasserie The Chester Grosvenor offers some of the best dining in the city and at the end of the day exploring soothe the mind and pamper your body at the hotel’s spa, where you can choose from a menu of relaxing spa treatments.

Idiosyncratic, whimsical and charming is what makes Oddfellow Boutique Hotel in Chester so unique. Located in the city centre within the city walls in a former Georgian Townhouse, the hotel offers boutique rooms, a fabulous cocktail bar and a gorgeous restaurant to dine in. Bedrooms are contemporary but warmlu in finish and filled with fun and curious accessories in keeping with the hotel’s name. Beds are luxuriously comfy, some rooms have roll top baths and loft rooms have exposed wood beam ceilings and if you want to go all out head to the Douglas Duplex Suite built in tribute to architect John Douglas who shaped much. The suite is split level, with sitting room, mezzanine bedroom with its own roll top bath in the bedroom. Formality is not the name of the game here so you eat anywhere in the hotel, from the glorious wood panelled cocktail bar to the hotel’s stunning restaurant or outside when the weather is nice.