The Rosewood - London
- Nick, Editor
- Aug 15
- 7 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Rosewood London: A Grand Hotel That Feels (Surprisingly) Personal
Article summary>>
In this article, you will get our unbiased, independent review and thoughts on The Rosewood London
Rooms & suites
Food & Drink
Amenities
Service
Vibe
Location
Thoughts
Booking
There is a particular hush that falls when you turn off High Holborn and slip beneath Rosewood London’s wrought-iron gates. The traffic recedes; the city pares back to a courtyard framed by Edwardian stone and box trees, and you step into a hotel that has mastered two difficult things at once: being properly grand and genuinely warm.
The building dates to 1914, reborn as Rosewood’s London flagship in 2013; inside, a residential sensibility tempers the pomp, marble staircases are softened by books and art, lacquer and leather set against light and flowers. It reads as an address as much as a hotel, which is either a neat trick or, more likely, the point.
I checked in just after lunch and was met with that specific Rosewood choreography: a smile before the desk, a “welcome back” (even if it’s your first time), the feeling that someone’s been expecting you. The porter whisked my bags away and pointed me toward the gallery, a moody, mirror-panelled antechamber that acts as a decompression chamber between Holborn’s bustle and the quieter world within. If you know the brand, you know the ethos: “a sense of place” as a through-line. In London, the sense happens to be: old money with a modern library card. Check availability and start planning your trip here.
The Rooms: Residential, Not Museum-Piece:
Rosewood London is large by central-city standards but calibrated to feel intimate. Officially, there are 264 rooms and 44 suites, including seven handsome “houses” and the Grand Manor House Wing, the latter a seven-bedroom residence with the distinction of being the only hotel suite in the world to have its own postcode. That’s a parlour trick, sure, but it’s also a clue to how seriously the property takes the idea of private London living.
My room leaned into that. The palette skewed caramel and charcoal; the bathroom was dressed in marble with hammered-metal sinks. Drawers hid a well-stocked minibar; lamps were intuitive; the desk was actually usable. It’s a small thing, but the ergonomics matter. You get the sense that whoever designed it had lived in hotel rooms and knew which corners to round off. If you like soaring ceilings, some executive rooms do have them, worth requesting when you book.
The houses are where it gets theatrical. The Manor House Wing has its own private entrance off High Holborn and is the kind of London fantasy that lets you play duke or duchess without the fuss of actually inheriting an estate. It is extravagant, of course, but not gauche, more book-lined townhouse than bottle service.
The Vibe: Clubbable, Art-Literate, Unstuffy:
Plenty of London five-stars deliver opulence; fewer deliver warmth. Rosewood London does both. The public spaces are designed for lingering: Scarfes Bar glows like a gentleman’s study after hours; the Mirror Room catches and multiplies light with its fractured panels; Holborn Dining Room hums with that brasserie energy London does so well.
The atmosphere ticks along from weekdays (suited, sleek) into weekends (couples in from the country, families leaning into the city). You’ll see locals as well as hotel guests, a healthy sign in any urban luxury property.
Service is more “of course” than “certainly, madam,” and the staff have good radar: present when you need them, invisible when you don’t. There’s a reason the hotel pulls in serious accolades. It holds Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star rating and a Five-Star (AA) classification, plus a MICHELIN Key distinction, useful shorthand for travellers who speak fluent awards.
Eating & Drinking: Properly London:
Scarfes Bar is the heartbeat at night: a wood-and-velvet living room scattered with Gerald Scarfe’s satirical caricatures, guitars and saxophones warming the corners. Live music threads through the evenings seven nights a week, rare these days, and a best-seat-in-the-house martini culture coexists happily with theatrical, seasonally shifting signature cocktails. If you’re the sort who plans days around nightcaps, plan one here.
Holborn Dining Room is the brasserie you wish were yours: clubby red leather, green marble columns, and a menu that makes persuasive arguments for British classics. Come on a Sunday if you can, the roast arrives properly trussed with Yorkshire pudding and too much gravy (which is to say, just enough). Weeknights, the “Welly Wednesday” brings a golden Beef Wellington with a sense of ceremony.
The Pie Room is both a working kitchen and a little culinary theatre, a love letter to the British pie that turns private dining in the evening (ten seats, all swagger). It’s a charmingly specific thing to have in a five-star hotel, and that specificity is exactly the point.
Mornings and afternoons belong to the Mirror Room. Breakfast is civilised without being fussy; afternoon tea is where the hotel flexes its creative streak. The Art Afternoon Tea changes its muse (recently, Hokusai), translating paintings and motifs into jewel-box patisserie. It’s a fine-grained London experience that never feels rote, and a strong play for entertaining visiting parents, clients, or simply yourself.
Wellness & Little Luxuries:
Downstairs, Sense, A Rosewood Spa is a hushed warren of treatment rooms and a relaxation lounge. You won’t find a swimming pool here, but you will find an excellent massage and a team that knows its modalities. The separate changing areas include sauna and steam; there are seven treatment rooms in total, which keep wait times reasonable even on busy weekends. A compact fitness suite rounds out the wellness offer, and valet parking makes late-night returns painless.
Families are well catered for (treasure-hunt-style touches, babysitting on request), and animals are part of the household here; cats and dogs are welcomed free of charge, with bowls and beds to match. It shouldn’t be radical for a luxury hotel to be genuinely pet-friendly, but it sometimes is; here, it feels natural.
Location: Walkable London, With a Side of Culture
The address is 252 High Holborn, practically central casting for central London. Holborn Underground (Central and Piccadilly lines) is around the corner; Covent Garden, The British Museum, Somerset House, and The Royal Opera House are all an easy walk. If you’re the type who equates a city with its museums, make time for Sir John Soane’s Museum, a five-minute stroll to an eccentric time capsule of plaster casts, paintings, and skylit ingenuity.
The hotel sometimes hosts behind-the-scenes tours that are absolutely worth your hour.
I spent an afternoon doing the precise London loop Rosewood’s concierge loves to recommend: tea in the Mirror Room, a meander through Lincoln’s Inn Fields to Soane’s atmospheric townhouse museum, then back via Lamb’s Conduit Street for a little shopping. It sounds curated because it is, but curated in the way that locals actually spend their Saturdays.
Who It’s For:
If you want London delivered with polish, art, good lighting, live jazz, and quietly excellent service, this is your place. Business travellers will appreciate the easy access to the City and West End; couples will enjoy the romance of the building and the energy of Scarfes bar; families will appreciate the space and kindness; and pet owners will receive a warm welcome. If your non-negotiables include a major spa complex with a pool, or if you insist on river views, look elsewhere. Here, the drama is interior.
Practicalities & Value:
This is unambiguously a luxury hotel and priced accordingly. Rooms commonly start around £600 per night (and climbing during peak weeks). There are value-adds if you book through preferred partners, and seasonal offers that can work out cheaper for you.
If you’re debating room categories, my rule of thumb here: step up once. The difference between an entry-level room and a Grand Executive, or a junior suite, is often the difference between “very nice” and “I could happily live here.” The architecture rewards a little more square footage.
A Few Insider Notes:
Reserve Scarfes bar if your evening is time-sensitive. Otherwise, you can often slide in at the bar or a small table without fuss. Live music can fill the room late on; so come early if you’re conversation-forward.
Sunday Roast at Holborn Dining Room is a local favourite, book it as a late lunch, wander the West End, and return for a nightcap.
Art Afternoon Tea sells out on weekends; mid-week is calmer and just as charming. Menus evolve seasonally (and sometimes thematically), which keeps it fresh even if you’ve done it before.
Soane’s Museum limits capacity; if you’re tight on time, go right at opening or an hour before closing. (Or ask the concierge about that behind-the-scenes option.)
Pets are welcome in F&B outlets (on a leash), which makes breakfast with a well-behaved dog not just possible but pleasant.
Verdict:
In a city thick with iconic hotels, Rosewood London stands out because it never forgets the “hotel” part of the equation. The architecture is grand; yes, the service is finely tuned, absolutely, but the thing you remember is how comfortable you felt. It really is a cosy place, and how easy it was to fold London around you and call it home for a few days. That’s a high bar, and they smashed it.
Pros & Cons (Short and Honest)
Pros
A true sense of arrival (courtyard, carriageway) and a residential feel once inside.
Scarfes Bar is one of the city’s great hotel bars, with live music nightly.
Creative, consistently good F&B across Holborn Dining Room, Pie Room, and Mirror Room’s Art Afternoon Tea.
Spa with sauna/steam and a solid treatment menu; pet- and family-friendly policies feel genuinely welcoming.
Walk-everywhere location for culture lovers (Soane, British Museum, Covent Garden).
Cons
No swimming pool; wellness is focused on treatments and a compact gym.
Peak-season pricing reflects its popularity.
Key Details at a Glance:
Location: 252 High Holborn, WC1V 7EN. Holborn Underground (Central/Piccadilly) is a short walk, minutes on foot, to Covent Garden, the British Museum, and Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Hotel Rating: Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2024); AA Five-Star; MICHELIN Key Hotels distinction.
Hotel Vibe: Edwardian grandeur meets private residence; luxurious, friendly atmosphere, nice laidback buzz in the bar.
Food & Drink:
Scarfes Bar, live jazz nightly; destination cocktails and light bites.
Holborn Dining Room, British brasserie; Sunday Roast; “Welly Wednesday.”
The Pie Room, working pie kitchen; intimate private dining for ten.
Mirror Room, breakfast daily; Art Afternoon Tea with seasonal themes.
Hotel Amenities: Sense, A Rosewood Spa (7 treatment rooms; sauna & steam in changing rooms); fitness suite; concierge and butler services; 24-hour in-room dining; valet parking; business centre; pet-friendly (cats/dogs).
How Many Rooms: 264 rooms and 44 suites (including seven “houses”); Grand Manor House Wing with its own postcode.
Pricing: Typical entry-level from £600night, higher in peak periods; Suites from £900/night
Location & Nearby Attractions: Sir John Soane’s Museum (5-minute walk); the Royal Opera House for evening culture; Somerset House for exhibitions; Lamb’s Conduit Street for independent boutiques; and the British Museum for a blockbuster morning.
If you measure a hotel by how well it equips your days and how gracefully it receives your nights, Rosewood London scores high. Book it for an anniversary, a first London trip, a business week that needs elevating, or simply because you like the idea of London being like your neighbourhood. For more information and to book a stay, click here.
The Rosewood London. Review 2025
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