The luxury hotel business is doing a roaring trade in the British capital.

Indeed, such is the demand for high-end accommodation that not a day passes without a new hotel seemingly popping up or at least one being added to the pipeline.

BT Tower is just the latest London edifice set to receive the luxury hotel treatment over the next few years.

Before then, at least six luxury outfits will open in 2024, following hot on the heels of the half dozen or so that welcomed their first guests last year – not least Raffles at the OWO and The Peninsula in Belgravia, both of which feature on our list.

In addition to those two new kids on the block, our picks feature some classics and ‘grand dames’. It goes without saying that our list features exclusively five-starred establishments situated in the selectest parts of London.

But we have also sought out hotels with rich histories, exceptional levels of service, and those that play host to some of the plushest pads anywhere in the world.

1. The Savoy

The Savoy has earned a coveted spot amongst The World’s 50 Best Hotels for 2023 🌎️

This achievement celebrates the dedication of our incredible team, with special thanks to our valued guests.

Thank you for being part of The Savoy’s journey!#Worlds50BestHotels #50BestHotels pic.twitter.com/O26pZEChtP

— The Savoy (@TheSavoyLondon) September 20, 2023

The Savoy in the Strand can lay claim to being the place where luxury hospitality started in the UK.

It was here that London’s hotel business introduced the first electric-powered lift (an import from across the Pond). Guests being shuttled rapidly between floors in an electric-powered conveyance was not just novel but revolutionary. It turned the hotel business on its head and transformed its upper floors from a storage space into a penthouse that could be rented at a premium.

It is a testament to the hotel’s staying power that over 100 years later, it remains the go-to destination for well-heeled visitors to London.

High on the list of the hotel’s many attractions is its location, a real draw for out-of-towners looking to do a spot of high-end shopping (Mayfair and Knightsbridge are close by) or take in a show (the West End, too, is on its doorstep).

The aesthetic of the Savoy’s rooms and suites – there are 267 of them all told – is informed by two approaches: classic Edwardian and funky Art Deco.

The level of service on offer is second to none. The attentiveness of the staff, from the top-hatted doormen to the solicitous porters that beaver away in the background, is unrivalled.

For modest budgets the Superior Queen is the hotel’s cheapest room offering – prices start at £635 a night.

The cheapest suite starts at £1,355, but if you want to drink in views of the Thames during your stay, the hotel also boasts 26 River View suites, each of which, as the name suggests, overlooks London’s famous waterway.

However, if you’re feeling flush for around £15,000 you can rent out the hotel’s most exclusive suite, Royal Suite, which occupies the riverside on the building’s fifth floor, affording epic panoramic views of the London skyline and the Thames.

If still water is more your thing, the hotel has a 33-foot swimming pool where you can practise your breaststroke.

The hotel plays host to three restaurants, including Gordon Ramsay’s Grill, and a tearoom that serves up some of the most refined tea-taking in the world, with guests invited to indulge in infusions while a pianist tickles the ivories on Thames Foyer’s grand piano.

Freebies

• Wifi
• Penhaligon beauty products in the bathrooms.
• Gym, spa, and sauna.
• Champagne, private car and butler service for the more expensive suites.

Contact Info

Address:

Strand

London

WC2R 0EZ

Tel: +44 (0)20 7836 4343

Fax: +44 (0)20 7240 6040

Email: savoy@fairmont.com

Website: https://www.fairmont.com/savoy-london/

2. Shangri-La The Shard

If stunning skyline views are your thing, then look no further than the Shangri-La at the Shard, London’s loftiest edifice.

The hotel’s 202 rooms occupy floors 34-52 of the famous plate-glass pyramidic tower, which means you are guaranteed a wonderful vantage point from which to take in London’s skyscape whichever room you’re allocated.

So confident are the hotel’s owners that you’ll be taken with the vistas that they have kitted out each room with a pair of binoculars so you can soak up the views while you soak in the bathtub.

If you go for a suite, the binoculars will be replaced with a telescope to give you even more up-close and personal views of the capital’s famous skyline.

And if you prefer to take in the city while basking in Western Europe’s most elevated swimming pool, the Skypool is the place to be.

All the hotel’s rooms and 17 suites are tastefully appointed, with a modern aesthetic relieved by a chinoiserie vibe. And given that the tower is constructed from glass you won’t be surprised to learn that all the accommodation features ceiling-to-wall windows.

The largest of the hotel’s signature suites is the Shangri La Suite, a vast 2,000-plus square feet space that boasts stunning views of the skyscrapers in Canary Wharf and a stand-alone dining area capable of hosting ten guests – the price tag is around £14,000 a night.

In the hotels’ bathrooms, you’ll find Jo Loves toiletries, underfloor heating and mirror-embedded televisions.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Jo Loves toiletries.
• Gym, spa, and infinity pool.
• Breakfast in the TĪNG restaurant or the comfort of your room.
• Champagne on arrival (suites).
• Butler service and airport transport for some suites.

Contact Info

Address:

31 St Thomas Street

London

SE1 9QU.

Tel: +44 20 7234 8000

E-mail: london@shangri-la.com

Website: shangri-la.com/london/shangrila

3. The Mandarin Oriental

In 1887, when plans were announced to convert the building that would become the Mandarin from a gentleman’s club into a hotel, planning permission was snarled up when locals quibbled over the would-be hotel’s height – at 100 feet they suspected it would cast a shadow over the nearby Serpentine.

The NIMBYs failed and the generously turreted hotel has cast a shadow not just physically but metaphorically over London’s luxury hotel scene ever since. It remains a benchmark against which others measure themselves.

The hotel’s 168 rooms and 26 suites have recently undergone a major renovation after a fire gutted much of the building in 2018.

Designer Joyce Wang was enlisted to redo the decor and bring some of the natural beauty of nearby Hyde Park into the hotel’s interior. This explains why the hotel’s decor sports acorn-shaped light fittings, carpets patterned to suggest autumn leaves, tree bark-effect wallpaper and horsehair wall sconces.

Prices start at around £1,000 a night for a standard room. But for the true luxury experience look no further than the Oriental Penthouse, which will set you back £34,900 a night.

For that princely sum, you will enjoy the use of three en suite bedrooms, two salons (each with a dining space for eight), two kitchens and a circumferential terrace space, which provides unrivalled, 360-degree views of London’s skyline.

The Mandarin’s restaurant and bar are destinations in their own right. The former is Heston Blumenthal’s only London restaurant and French chef Daniel Boulud is the brains behind the hotel’s bar, Bar Boulud.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Diptyque toiletries.
• Pool, gym, and spa.
• Premium (non-alcohol) minibar in the suites.

Contact Info

Address:

66 Knightsbridge

SW1X 7LA

London

Tel: +44 (0)20 7235 2000

Email: molon-reservations@mohg.com

Website: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/en/london/hyde-park

4. The Langham

If you fancy following in the footsteps of some of the 19th and 20th centuries’ most famous figures, the Langham in Marylebone is the place for you. The hotel opened in 1865 as Europe’s first grand hotel and everyone who was anyone quickly flocked there.

Most notably, wits Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde have bedded down here and so too have Napoleon III and Finnish composer Sibelius.

Today, the hotel is owned by a group headquartered in Hong Kong, which answers for the oriental theme employed to inflect the hotel’s decor – cherry blossoms and decorative orchids can be found throughout.

The place is not quite as close to the capital’s shopping districts as some of the hotels on this list, but Oxford Circus Tube station is handily hard by, so guests have easy access to the city’s must-visit locations.

The hotel houses 380 rooms and suites and has the most stunning lobby-cum-reception area you will find in any London hotel. It features a colonnade of Greek pillars and a pendulous chandelier that really drips with bling.

As far as dining is concerned, the hotel hosts several eateries, notably  Chez Roux featuring British-French cuisine prepared by British-French chef Michel Roux and Palm Court, which serves afternoon tea, a tradition it claims to have birthed back in the hotel’s early days, and the Artesian Bar, a cocktail lounge.

Room prices start at around £600 a night, but for real luxury, the Sterling Suite is the place to be – it measures a palatial 4,800 square feet and comes with a price tag to match (£24,000 a night).

The suite boasts its own private media lounge, a marble fireplace, a drawing room with a piano and bespoke furnishings – plus a personal butler is always on hand to attend to your every need.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Chuan Spa toiletries.
• Complimentary digital access to newspapers via PressReader.
• Pool, spa and gym.
• For guests in the executive rooms and suites, access to the amenities of the Langham Club:
• Continental and hot breakfast selection.
• Pressing of up to three garments per stay.
• Taittinger Champagne, cocktails, and evening canapés.
• Two-hour use of The Loft – a fully-equipped space perfect for private meetings.

Contact Info

Address:

1c Portland Place

Regent Street

London

GB W1B 1JA

Tel: 44 (0) 20 7636 1000

Fax: 44 (0) 20 7323 2340

Email: tllon.info@langhamhotels.com

Website: https://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/london/

5. Raffles London at the OWO

This place occupies the pile Londoners know as The Old War Office (OWO) building. Fans of the Bond film franchise will recognise it as the location where 007 comes to flirt with Moneypenny and meet with his spook taskmasters.

The OWO is one of London’s most handsome edifices, built using 25 million bricks and 26,000 tonnes of Portland stone. It sits opposite Horse Guards Parade and the front entrance to Buckingham Palace.

It has taken a painstaking six-year conversion project, led by Frenchman Thierry Despont, to transform the building from a stuffy and functional government office space into the 120-room superbly appointed hotel that stands on the site today.

The offices and staterooms have been converted into scores of lavish suites, most notably the sumptuous quarters where at least four former PMs kept an office and former war secretary John Profumo is believed to have debriefed Christine Keeler.

A stay in the Haldane Suite will set you back £25,000. For that, guests enjoy spectacular views of neighbouring Horse Guards Parade and Whitehall and have access to 24-hour Raffles butler service to boot, as do all the suites.

Raffles’ rooms will appeal to more modest budgets – prices start at £1000 a night.

The hotel plays host to three bars and nine restaurants, including Chef Mauro’s signature restaurant, a one-of-a-kind culinary experience that brings hyper-seasonality to the dining experience.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Azzi Glasser toiletries.
• Guerlain spa, gym & pool.
• For suites, complimentary daily breakfast for two and champagne upon arrival.
• 24-hour raffles butler service (suites).

Contact Info

Address:

57 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2BX.

Tel: (44) 20 3907 7500

Email: London@Raffles.com

Website: https://www.raffles.com/london/

6. The Ritz

The Ritz Hotel may be located in the heart of one of London’s most well-heeled districts (Mayfair to be precise) but there’s something more than a little of ancien regime France about the place.

Not least its dining room, which has been modelled on that of the Palace of Versailles – its handsome marble columns, floor-to-ceiling windows that give onto Green Park and pendulous chandeliers would make Marie Antoinette feel at home.

The gallicism extends to the hotel’s accommodation, including its 23 suites, four of which are styled ‘signature’, where you will find the interiors decked out in a Louis XVI aesthetic.

Fans of romantic comedies will recognise the Trafalgar Suite from the Julia Roberts-Hugh Grant vehicle Notting Hill. The hotel’s most exclusive suite, Green Park, is a superbly appointed two-bedroom hideaway that offers stunning views of nearby namesake park. It is yours for £7,000 a night.

For more modest budgets the rooms start at a smidgen over £800 for a Superior Queen, its cheapest. If the Louis XVI style is not to your taste, head to the seventh floor of the hotel, where you will find a more contemporary aesthetic has been used to decorate the rooms.

The Ritz is famous for its afternoon tea-taking and the hotel is the only one in the UK to have a certified tea master, Giandomenico Scanu, who spends his time scouring the planet for its tastiest tea leaves.

It also hosts a Michelin-starred eatery where top chef John Williams MBE is responsible for the dishes.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Asprey bathroom products.
• 24-hour concierge service.
• Guests occupying the hotel’s signature suites also enjoy champagne on arrival, freshly cut flowers, a full-time Ritz butler service and one-way airport transfer in a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB.

Contact Info

150 Piccadilly

London

W1J 9BR

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7493 8181

Email: enquire@theritzlondon.com

Website: www.theritzlondon.com

7. The Peninsula

The Peninsula London
by Hopkins Architectshttps://t.co/g493pZLleW

Photo: Airey Spaces pic.twitter.com/2bASvjQWHL

— Archello (@Archello) March 12, 2024

The Peninsula in Belgravia is different from the other hotels on this list in that it is a spanking new-build hotel, located right across from the Wellington Arch and just up the road from its fellow fiver-starrer, The Lanesborough.

The hotel is reported to have cost over a billion pounds to bring to life and take one look at its cavernous interior and stunning modernist decor, and you can believe it.

The hotel’s 190 rooms and suites have been designed by architect Peter Marino, a man known for his association with the high-end fashion brand Louis Vuitton.

Marino has made good use of his materials, especially the mahogany he has used to panel the walls, and honey onyx found in the bathrooms.

All the rooms and suites are kitted out with state-of-the-art technology, including touchscreen controls for room lighting and temperature, TV streaming devices, and PenChat, the hotel’s 24-hour e-concierge service.

Rooms start at £1,300 a night but for real luxury, the Peninsula Suite is the hotel’s swishest. When hooked up to the adjoining six rooms, the suite provides almost 14,000 square feet of space – the largest floorspace on offer at any London hotel.

The suite also includes a private gym, a 13-seat screening room, a baby grand piano, a VIP lift and a terrace perched high above Hyde Park.

The hotel features a host of eateries, including The Lobby and Brooklands, a two-star rooftop eatery, and a cigar-tasting room on the top floor where you can sample cigars and some fine whisky.

Freebies

• Wifi.
• Peninsula brand luxury toiletries.
• Digital reading material.
• For some suites, guests enjoy ‘Peninsula Time’, a flexible check-in and check-out service.
• One-way airport transport (suites).

Contact Info

1 Grosvenor Place

SW1X 7HJ

London

Tel: +44 20 3959 2888

Email: pln@peninsula.com

Website: https://www.peninsula.com/en/london/5-star-luxury-hotel-belgravia

8. Claridge’s

We finish off our list with a hotel that boasts the single-most expensive hotel suite in London.

Clarridge’s has spent six years converting its topmost floor into a suite that cost a small fortune to install and that takes only a slightly smaller one to rent out for the night – around £60,000.

Such was the stir caused by news of the new suite that the BBC dedicated a three-part documentary series to the refurb, which was overseen by Rémi Tessier, a man who learnt his craft designing luxury yachts for the super-rich.

As you might expect, the suite is a stunning addition. It sports four bedrooms, an ornamental lake, a half-acre landscaped garden, a rooftop swimming pool, not one but two glass-sided pavilions (one houses a grand piano, the other a fitness and meditation space) and over 80 art installations by Damien Hirst.

Tessier has an eye for handsome woods – ziricote and Lebanese cedar panel the walls and a rich burl, hewn from an amboyna tree, has been used to fashion the suite’s centrepiece, an adjustable dining table.

A stunning reflecting pool has also been installed above the hotel’s lightwell.  We can’t be sure what this does for the luminosity of the levels below, but it adds to the ethereal ambience penthouse residents enjoy.

In the other parts of the hotel, interiors are decked out in Art Deco style. Prices start at a smidge over £900 a night for the most basic rooms.

On the ground floor, you will find the foyer and a well-stocked reading room, both of which give access to the hotel’s lobby where guests will find afternoon tea served, an institution at the hotel. More potent potables are served in the intimate Fumoir cocktail bar and the slightly less intimate Claridge’s bar, a street-side drinking hole.

Freebies:

• Wifi.
• Bamford Natural and Organic bathroom products.
• Spa, swimming pool and sauna.
• Complimentary soft drinks in suites’ minibars.
• Nespresso coffee machine.
• Complimentary second room (suites).
• Fresh flowers, champagne and use of a Burberry trench coat during the stay (suites).

Contact Info

Brook Street

Mayfair

London

W1K 4HR

Tel: +44 (0)20 7629 8860

Fax: +44 (0)20 7409 6595

Email: info@claridges.co.uk

Website: www.https://www.claridges.co.uk/

We hope this list inspires you to treat yourself to the ultimate luxury experience in London, it’s surely worth it! And before you head home, check out some great hotels near London’s airports!

If you want us to add a suggestion here based on your experience, please get in touch with us!