14 of the best hotels in central London, from period stays to budget boutiques

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A number of landmark hotels have actually opened in main London just recently, shining a spotlight on a currently dynamic lodging scene, with choices varying from characterful Edwardian town-houses to slick high-end pads.

Released December 18, 2023

15 minutes checked out

This short article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)

It’s been a hectic year for the capital’s high-end hotel scene. A string of prominent, and frequently costly, openings was crowned this fall when the long-anticipated Raffles London at the OWO flung open its doors, taking control of the structure that as soon as housed the Old War Office. Beyond such headline-grabbing launches, the lodging offering in the city stays in impolite health, with lots of character offered for tourists looking beyond the extremely leading end of the marketplace. There are store hotels squirrelled away in Georgian townhouses, spending plan pads in the middle of Piccadilly and big complexes using a world of bars, dining establishments and home entertainment throughout numerous floorings.

1. Raffles London at The OWO

Best for: luxury and heritage
After a seven-year, ₤ 1.3-billion remediation, the Old War Office on Whitehall has actually been born-again, and it can currently declare to be among London’s finest hotels. Countless craftspeople dealt with the change of the 1906 structure, reviving architectural components that consist of the show-stopping main staircase, total with bespoke chandelier, and wood-panelled corridors lined with mosaic floor covering. Previous residents, such as Winston Churchill and author Ian Fleming, are referenced throughout, from the subtle theming in the Heritage Suites to a covert bar on a flooring that when housed secret service workplaces. Welcoming social areas consist of Mediterranean dining establishment Saison in the old library, and the cosy Guards Bar, which serves a ‘London sling’, a variation of the mixed drink made well-known by the initial Raffles in Singapore. Spaces: From ₤ 940.

2. The Peninsula London

Best for: contemporary high-end
The long-anticipated opening of The Peninsula London lastly took place in September 2023, the UK station of the Hong Kong-based hotel group being numerous years in the preparation. The ₤ 1 billion new-build home, in a prime Belgravia position near Buckingham Palace and Harrods, is as luxurious as they come. The 190 spaces and suites, beginning at a rather generous 550sq feet, deal bespoke home furnishings, fabrics and fittings from British craftspeople. The dining alternatives consist of Claude Bosi’s delightful Brooklands on the 8th flooring and the signature Cantonese dining establishment Canton Blue, while the bars, medspa centers and fleet of automobiles– consisting of a 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom Sedanca de Ville– use all the high-end you ‘d anticipate. Service levels are, obviously, a provided. Spaces: From ₤ 1,300, consisting of breakfast.

3. The Hari

Best for: downplayed elegance
Stashed in leafy Belgravia, just recently refurbished The Hari has an extremely easygoing and individual feel with simply 85 spaces and suites. Rich materials, such as leather and velour, deep tones of maroon and sapphire blue, and contrasting textures of fluffy stack carpets and steel-frame furnishings are blended throughout the hotel to produce a bohemian ambiance– improved by the meaningful postmodern art showed throughout. The unwinded ambiance reaches the king spaces, which have customized linens and walk-in rain forest showers, while the Studio King suites have bay window tubs with views over the London horizon. Sit at one of the curved, green cubicles for a night meal at internal Italian Il Pampero. Homemade pastas and mains of smoked porchetta, spatchcock chicken and tuna steak are simply a few of the choices. Conserve area for the signature tiramisu– ready tableside with your option of spirit from a big wood cart, wheeled from table to table. Spaces: From ₤ 550.

4. Great Scotland Yard

Best for: distinct dining
In a good-looking Edwardian structure on a peaceful backstreet off Whitehall lies the Great Scotland Yard Hotel. In the 19th century, the website was home to the very first HQ of the Metropolitan Police and the 152-room hotel draws playfully on that heritage, with numerous cops-and-robbers stuffs such as cops helmets and Victorian bottles of toxin on display screen in the typical locations, together with an excellent collection of art. Spaces are comfy, peaceful locations to retire to after a night invested in the bars and dining establishments on the ground flooring. Select of the lot is Ekstedt at the Yard; the London station of Swedish star chef Niklas Ekstedt, the dining establishment is a cosy, candle-lit area with exposed brickwork and mid-century furnishing. The emphasize is the wine-paired tasting menu, with Nordic meals such as juniper-smoked wild duck or buckwheat waffles prepared over the fire and coming to table with a lot of natural theatre. Spaces: From ₤ 319.

5. The Londoner

Best for: whatever under one roofing
Enter the Londoner and all ideas fade of loud Leicester Square, on which the hotel sits. A sense of hushed calm reigns over the 16 floorings, half of which lie listed below ground. You’ll wish to invest a long time checking out– this is less a hotel than a whole city. Start at the roof bar, which has views over London and 8 floorings down through a remarkable atrium, then work your method to the basement health spa, total with jewel-bright swimming pool. In between are a range of dining establishments and bars, a locals’ lounge, movie theater and even a ballroom, each hung with a turning display screen of art work. Whitcomb’s, where you’ll likewise have breakfast, serves advanced French Mediterranean meals; for more casual little plates, attempt Joshua’s Tavern. Expeditions done, retire to among the peaceful, wood-panelled spaces with extremely comfortable beds (thanks to the handmade Vispring bed mattress), user-friendly lighting and hi-tech Japanese toilets. Spaces: From ₤ 471.

6. The Mandrake

Best for: wild dreams
Styles of light and dark are at play at the Mandrake, called for a kind of nightshade generally utilized in medication and magic. A tunnel-like entryway takes you from the streets of Fitzrovia to a vision of South America, where fantastical, mythological monsters prowl in the typical locations, the noises of the jungles fill the lift and foliage drapes down through a main yard. DJs and live bands dip into night, supplying a rollicking soundtrack to supper at high end Yopo or mixed drinks at Jurema. It’s just when you kip down for the night that you’ll remember you’re in fact in London: the light-filled bed rooms are all English beauty, with 4 posters and marble restrooms. You can take things down another notch by scheduling a spiritual workshop, from noise recovery to meditation. Spaces: From ₤ 347.

7. The BoTree

Best for: personalized service
On arrival at recently opened The BoTree, visitors are welcomed to sit with a glass of red wine or Champagne while they check-in– the very first indication that this is a hotel that provides the slickest service without a tip of stuffiness or rule. Each flooring has a devoted host, too, who’ll ensure you have whatever you require over your stay, whether that’s an in-room mixed drink or some regional ideas. The hotel itself is a design-magazine vision of marble floor covering, blonde wood panelling, opulent foliage and abundant pops of colour in the home furnishings. Make certain to call into the vibrant ground-floor bar before heading to the internal Italian dining establishment, Lavo. Spread over 2 floorings, with a vertical garden adding the atrium wall in between them, it provides advanced sharing plates such as grilled octopus and veal slice Milanese. The big spaces are serene cocoons to retire to later on, using every center you might think about plus the perk of a turn-down service. Spaces: From ₤ 349.

8. Wanderer London

Best for: conversion
It’s simple to get lost in the history of the NoMad London. The previous Bow Street Magistrates’ Court goes back to 1740, however the genuine story is the amazing improvement of the Grade-II noted structure into a hotel in 2021. It’s loyal to the initial values of the NoMad brand name, with wood panelling, dark drapes, black lacquer furnishings, stand-alone baths and Chinese screens. The character of the structure has actually been affectionately maintained, with the courtroom now a ballroom, the police headquarters now among 3 bars and, the emphasize of the hotel, a sensational three-storey glass atrium where the dining establishment’s menu amounts to its surrounds. While it may be in the heart of Covent Garden, opposite the Royal Opera House, with the level of service, decoration, food, beverage and convenience available, you’ll never ever wish to leave. Spaces: From ₤ 445.

9. Henrietta Hotel

Best for: mixed drink fans
If you’ve ever questioned what a hotel thought up by the owners of a group of mixed drink bars may appear like, book into the Henrietta. Produced by the Experimental Cocktail Company (ECC), which has bars in areas from Paris to New York, along with in London’s dynamic Chinatown, the store hotel is divided throughout 2 townhouses on a good-looking street leading off Covent Garden’s piazza. The structures’ Victorian measurements– all high ceilings and high sash windows– are provided a 1930s spin, with art deco styling in the 40 bed rooms. As you may anticipate, the in-room mini bars are remarkable, with bitters consisted of together with premium spirits and the ECC’s beverages dish book, ought to wannabe mixologists require motivation. The dining establishment, Da Henrietta, is a vibrant, casual location with more of a 1970s ambiance, and a long mixed drink list to accompany the Italian plates. Spaces: From ₤ 252.

10. Hazlitt’s

Best for: Georgian design
Dating from 1718 and called after author William Hazlitt, who lived and passed away here, this duration hotel is formed of 4 townhouses knocked together. The outcome is a warren of warmly lit drawing spaces and libraries in which visitors take pleasure in red wine or G&T s from the sincerity bar, possibly huddling with a book from the cabinet of works signed by authors who have actually remained here, consisting of JK Rowling. Breakfast is given the wood-panelled bed rooms so locals can delight in coffee and Brick Lane bagels in their 4 posters. Spaces: From ₤ 365.

11. Treehouse Hotel London

Best for: lively style
An austere tower block north of business Oxford Street appears a not likely area for among London’s more whimsical hotels. Ascend to the reception desk on the 15th flooring, nevertheless, and you’ll quickly get the step of Treehouse Hotel London. The structure’s concrete bones are on happy display screen throughout however are softened with lively style touches. Pleasant personnel check you in behind a counter filled with sweet containers, while your look skips in between the view of the London horizon and the foliage and cuckoo clocks covering the walls. Cuckoo clocks make a look in the visitor spaces, too– together with sloth-shaped cushions, piggy-bank wall lights and classic Magic 8 Balls. Do not miss out on a meal or beverage here– there’s a scenic roof bar The Nest; contemporary Mexican food one flooring below at Madera; and premium pizza at street-level Mozza. Spaces: From ₤ 378.

12. The Lime Tree

Best for:household feel
The Lime Tree The Lime Tree is an unusual discover in main London: an independent, family-run hideout that’s fairly priced in spite of its place in high end Belgravia. The interiors are more similar to a wise nation home than a city pad. The 26 spaces are separately embellished, with bed tosses, framed Penguin book covers and vintage-style rotary phones contributing to the home-from-home feel. The Buttery serves a traditional breakfast menu and more innovative meals such as kimchi fried chicken at breakfast and lunch. Spaces: From ₤ 170.

13. Zedwell Piccadilly Circus

Best for: solitude
It’s simply 50 lawns from Piccadilly Circus, however there’s no chance of understanding that while snoozing in the depths of Zedwell’s flagship hotel. The complex has 723 spaces it likes to call ‘cocoons’, all however one without any windows, all sharing the pared-back, oak-panelled visual of the lobby and visitor locations. Sleeping here can seem like an experience beyond time, without the lights and noises of Theatreland to interrupt you. Hypnos beds, optimised space temperature level and adjustable lighting colours all contribute to the soporific result. Spaces: From ₤ 120.

14. Zetter Marylebone

Best for: full-on Victoriana
Wicked Uncle Seymour has eccentric taste. He’s the imaginary Victorian owner of the Zetter Marylebone, embeded in a townhouse in a remarkably cultured area behind mad Oxford Street. Amongst the lots of curios of his on display screen are ceramic elephant bookends, sepia household photos and a massive ticking grandpa clock. The 24 spaces are separately styled, with enjoyable touches such as newspaper-print wallpaper, along with Hypnos beds and heavy wood home furnishings. The Zetter Group is understood for its mixed drinks, so you’ll wish to hang around choosing from the creative beverages menu in the elaborately embellished ruby-red Parlour bar. Tipples vary from the fruity twist on the French martini to more daring tastes such as Cocktail No2, which is made with scotch and artichoke. Spaces: From ₤ 322.