The Best London Hotels
- Nick, Editor
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Our top 10 luxury 5-Star hotels in London in 2025
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The Best Hotels In London
Top 10 London Hotels
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Raffles London at The OWO
Some hotels refurbish a building; Raffles London at The OWO resurrects an era. Within the former Old War Office on Whitehall, corridors once paced by statesmen and spymasters, the mood is grand yet newly luminous: sweeping staircases, marble enfilades, light pooling on polished stone, contemporary art punctuating Edwardian pomp. Rooms and suites are hushed and handsome, with panelled walls, cloud-soft beds, and marble bathrooms, offering views that catch Horse Guards, St James’s Park, or the Thames.
Amenities are suitably imperial. A destination spa and pool sink beneath the courtyard like a modern Roman bath; the fitness and wellness program is serious without severity. Dining reads like a cosmopolitan address book: a signature restaurant for ceremonious evenings, buzzy brasseries and bars for the rest, plus salons where afternoon tea feels appropriately theatrical. Service is classic Raffles, unruffled, anticipatory, quietly personal.
The vibe is power meeting pleasure: cabinet-room gravitas softened by velvet banquettes and candlelight. You’ll spot diplomats and fashion folk sharing lift rides; couples drift from martinis to midnight wanders along the river.
Location is in the centre of London. Step out to Whitehall, St James’s Park, the National Gallery, the West End, all within a stroll. Return through those monumental doors, and the city hushes, as if bowing to a new chapter in its own history.
The Chancery Rosewood
Some addresses are born grand; The Chancery Rosewood makes grandeur feel intimate. Set on Grosvenor Square in Eero Saarinen’s former U.S. Embassy, the reborn landmark swaps protocol for pleasure, travertine and bronze warmed by low light, modern art, and the quiet choreography of staff who greet you like a regular. Inside, suites are mid-century edited: walnut, stone and supple leather, cloud-soft beds, beautifully calibrated lighting, marble bathrooms with deep tubs and showers that behave. Many look at plane trees and the measured geometry of the square; a few add terraces made for breakfast in the open air.
Amenities are designed for a day lived on property: a cocooning spa with pool and thermal circuit; a discreet fitness studio; salons for afternoon tea; a residents’ library for espresso and emails. Dining ranges from a produce-led main restaurant and intimate grill to a jewel-box cocktail bar and a patisserie that treats viennoiserie as small art.
The vibe is elegant ease, Mayfair polish without starch, where fashion folk, art advisors, and celebrants blur happily at golden hour. And the location is a gift: steps to Mount Street, a stroll to Bond Street and Hyde Park, with the West End’s theatres a swift cab away.
The Lanesborough
Some London hotels are grand; The Lanesborough makes grandeur feel intimate. Poised at Hyde Park Corner, this Regency mansion slips you from traffic into silk-lined calm, marble halls, fresh flowers, crystal chandeliers, and staff who materialise precisely when needed. Bedrooms are jewel boxes of hand-painted panelling and silk damask; technology hides discreetly behind period poise. Marble bathrooms gleam; windows catch green flashes of Hyde Park.
Every room comes with butler service, the hotel’s signature sleight of hand, tea arrives on silver, a jacket returns pressed, and shoes reappear reborn. Mornings unfold beneath Céleste’s pale-blue dome, flaky viennoiserie, satin-soft eggs- while The Library Bar mixes benchmark martinis and rare whiskies. On the terrace-like Garden Room, cigars and nightcaps linger under heaters and low light. Below, the Lanesborough Club & Spa is a true urban sanctuary: a 20-metre pool, thermal suites, results-driven treatments, and a polished gym that makes good intentions feel effortless
The vibe is ceremonious yet warm, Mayfair meetings sliding into Belgravia romance, suited to celebrations, discreet business, or a solo Negroni with a book. And the location is faultless: steps to Hyde Park, a stroll to Harrods and Knightsbridge, minutes to Mayfair galleries and St James’s institutions, with the West End’s theatres a swift cab away.
The Connaught
Some grand hotels impress; The Connaught seduces. On Carlos Place in Mayfair, its red-brick façade and canopied entrance give way to wood-panelled halls, hand-painted walls and a staircase that seems to remember a century of footsteps. Rooms mix townhouse elegance with modern ease, silk wall coverings, cloud-soft beds, precise lighting, marble bathrooms with soaking tubs, while contemporary rooms in the newer wing dial things lighter and airier.
Downstairs is where the mythology lives. The Connaught Bar (graphite, mirrors, perfect martinis) is an ode to cocktail craft; the Coburg Bar purrs with clubby warmth. Jean-Georges at The Connaught keeps daylight, salads, crudos and truffle pizza in easy conversation, while Hélène Darroze at The Connaught delivers a Michelin-star ceremony with heartfelt finesse. Afternoon tea glows beneath crystal; the Aman Spa lowers the city’s volume with a slate-dark pool, steam and restorative rituals; the gym is compact and impeccably kitted.
The vibe is Mayfair at its most intimate, art advisers and fashion folk by day, celebrants and discreet regulars by night, held together by service that’s polished, witty and instinctively kind. And the location is a gift: moments to Mount Street boutiques and galleries, a short stroll to Hyde Park, Bond Street and Savile Row, with the West End’s theatres and St James’s clubs an elegant amble or swift cab away.
The Berkeley
Some hotels do classic Mayfair pomp; The Berkeley does Knightsbridge cool. Tucked at Wilton Place on the cusp of Belgravia, it’s a study in contemporary London glamour, sleek lines, glossy marble, and bouquets with a fashion editor’s eye. Bedrooms are calm, light-filled sanctuaries in hushed neutrals with tailored upholstery, clever lighting and marble bathrooms made for unhurried rituals; suites add spacious salons and terrace views over Hyde Park’s treetops and Belgravia’s rooftops.
Upstairs, the rooftop pool steals the scene, an all-weather, glass-roofed aerie with loungers and skyline views, paired with a serene spa and gym for laps, steam, and results-driven treatments. Downstairs, hospitality has its own catwalk: the Collins Room hosts the witty, fashion-themed Prêt-à-Portea afternoon tea; the jewel-box Blue Bar (a David Collins icon) shakes pitch-perfect martinis; and the cedar-clad Berkeley Bar & Terrace is a low-lit rendezvous for nightcaps. A dedicated patisserie brings couture precision to breakfast brioche and show-stopping cakes.
The vibe is polished, playful, and unmistakably urban: shoppers drifting in with glossy bags, art-world lunches sliding into cocktail hour, couples disappearing to the pool at dusk. And the location is spot-on, moments from Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Sloane Street’s boutiques, a stroll to Hyde Park, and a swift cab to Mayfair galleries or the West End, London’s best within easy reach, with a chic retreat to return to.
The Dorchester
Some hotels are addresses; The Dorchester is a stage. Grand on Park Lane with Hyde Park spread like a private lawn, this 1930s icon marries Art Deco glamour with fresh polish, gleaming marbles, lacquered woods, vast bouquets, and corridors that hum with history. Bedrooms are plush and cosseting: silk wall coverings, cloud-soft beds, proper writing desks, and marble bathrooms with deep tubs; suites add Hyde Park panoramas and quietly theatrical dressing rooms.
Days here unfurl by ritual. The Promenade is London’s living room, breakfast that lingers, afternoon tea served beneath chandeliers, a civilised rustle of newspapers. The hotel’s dining spans glitter to comfort: a contemporary grill with Mayfair swagger; a haute dining room for ceremonious evenings; a pâtisserie that could moonlight as couture. Cocktails glint in jewel-box bars, while the Dorchester Spa lowers the volume with an ethereal relaxation lounge, treatments that blend science and scent, and a discreetly kitted gym. In summer, a leafy rooftop perches above the plane trees for golden-hour spritzes.
The vibe is starched-collar pedigree softened by charm, society lunches, fashion fittings, proposal dinners, and discreet regulars who glide as if the carpet remembers them. And the location is faultless: footsteps to Hyde Park, a stroll to Mayfair galleries and Bond Street, with Knightsbridge and the West End a swift cab away.
The Cadogan
Some hotels whisper history; The Cadogan purrs it. On the corner of Sloane Street and Pont Street, this restored Belmond townhouse links five Victorian buildings into one elegant Chelsea hideaway, with chequerboard marble, velvet banquettes, original fireplaces, and a wink to its legends, Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde. Rooms feel serenely residential: panelled walls, cloud-soft beds, curated books, and marble bathrooms with deep tubs; several suites keep working fireplaces for winter-cocktail cosiness.
Amenities are quietly rare. Guests have private key access to Cadogan Place Gardens, tennis courts, lawns, and leafy meanders five minutes from Harrods, plus a compact, well-equipped gym and intimate treatment rooms that bring the spa experience upstairs. Downstairs, The LaLee serves a European grand-tour menu (silky pastas, grill classics, beautiful desserts) from breakfast to nightcap; the Tea Lounge does a refined, modern afternoon tea; the discreet bar pours classic martinis with Chelsea poise.
The vibe is townhouse chic: polished but intimate, with staff who read the room, efficient with business travellers, conspiratorial with celebrants, indulgent with solo readers by the fire. Location is a gift: the boutiques of Sloane Street, Duke of York Square, the Saatchi Gallery, and Belgravia are a stroll; Hyde Park and Knightsbridge sit moments north; the West End is a swift cab away. Chelsea, distilled, stylish, storied, and sweetly self-possessed.
Claridge's
Some hotels do service; Claridge’s does ceremony. On Brook Street in Mayfair, this Art Deco grande dame opens with lacquered panelling, a chequerboard floor and a sweep of flowers that changes with the season. Rooms are serenely glamorous, silk and lacquer, bespoke cabinetry, cloud-soft beds, and marble bathrooms that turn a shower into theatre; suites add drawing rooms and (in some) terraces that catch Mayfair’s rooftops.
Rituals define the day. The Foyer & Reading Room stages London’s most polished afternoon tea beneath a Dale Chihuly chandelier; Claridge’s Restaurant serves impeccably classic dishes with a modern lilt. After dark, choose your mood: the jewel-box Fumoir for martinis, the luminous Claridge’s Bar for Champagne, or the artful Painter’s Room for aperitivi. Below stairs, the Claridge’s Spa is a tranquil, Japanese-inflected sanctuary with a serene pool, steam, sauna and deft, results-driven treatments; the gym is compact, private and beautifully kitted.
The vibe is Mayfair at perfect pitch: society lunches and fashion castings by day; proposals, anniversaries and discreet regulars by night. Staff move with that famed Claridge’s poise, witty, unflappable, instinctively kind.
Location is a gift: steps to Bond Street and Mount Street boutiques, a stroll to Hyde Park, with Savile Row, the Royal Academy and the West End’s theatres, an elegant amble, or a swift cab away.
The Egerton House Hotel
Some London stays feel like addresses; The Egerton House Hotel feels like being given the keys to a friend’s exquisite Knightsbridge townhouse. Tucked along a quiet, red-brick terrace near Brompton Cross, this Red Carnation gem is all oil paintings, silk stripes, and bouquets that look freshly plucked from an English garden. Step inside and the city hushes: a crackle of the fire, polished antiques, a tray appearing with tea before you think to ask.
Bedrooms are serenely old-school, canopied beds, rich textiles, well-chosen books, balanced by marble bathrooms with deep tubs and proper water pressure. Thoughtful touches abound: a pillow menu, hot-water bottles on chill nights, hand-written notes that make arrivals feel personal. Downstairs, the petite Drawing Room and Bar are London in miniature, afternoon tea done properly and a famously exacting martini trolley that could convert teetotalers. There’s 24-hour room service, a concierge, and a warmly pet-friendly welcome.
The vibe is intimate, residential, quietly glamorous, more salon than scene, where staff remember names, preferences, and the day’s plans as if they were their own. And the location is great: moments to the V&A, Harrods, and Sloane Avenue’s boutiques; a stroll to Hyde Park; Chelsea and South Kensington within easy amble; the West End a swift cab away. Knightsbridge, distilled.
The Londoner
The Londoner on Leicester Square. This 16-storey “super-boutique” towers above the West End with glassy poise, then slips you into a world of velvet, sculpture and flattering, low light. Rooms and suites are cocoon-like, cool blues, pale oak, bespoke art, cloud-soft beds, and marble bathrooms with rainfall showers that behave; many look onto the cinematic thrum below while feeling whisper-quiet within.
Amenities unfold vertically. The Residence lounges serve complimentary bites and nightcap nooks. The Retreat spa sinks several floors to a dimly serene pool, hydropool, steam and sauna, plus a well-equipped gym for pre-theatre endorphins. Dining is a small constellation: Whitcomb’s for bright, Mediterranean plates; 8 at The Londoner, a rooftop izakaya, for Japanese small plates and skyline cocktails; Joshua’s Tavern for artisan gins and hearty comfort; a patisserie-slick café for morning fixes.
The vibe is decisively modern London, international, creative, a touch theatrical, but curated, not chaotic: theatre folk drifting through after curtain call, couples orbiting the rooftop at golden hour, shoppers refuelling, headphones off.
And the location is pure centre-stage: step out to Leicester Square cinemas, Covent Garden’s lanes, Soho’s restaurants and bars, the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square, then return to a sanctuary that feels engineered for exhale.
Top 10 luxury 5-Star hotels in London - Article 2025
The Best London Hotels
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