ELLE (UK)
An ELLE Editor's List Of The Best Luxury London Hotels To Book In 2024
Posted: 26 March 2024 | Last updated: 26 March 2024
Staycations have quickly become one of our favourite ways to holiday in 2024. And it's never been a better time to treat yourself by booking into a luxury hotel and reminding yourself of all that our bustling capital city London has to offer.
Known as the Staycation Nation, the UK – and London specifically – has a plethora of hotels on offer for holidaymakers in need of a break, whether you like to cosy up with a hot chocolate and watch Netflix, or you're a hedonist wanting to party all night long in a subterranean members' bar. With travel overseas often stretching the pennies and the cost of living crisis now an all too real reality, value for money has never been more important this year.
From cosy central bolt holes reminding you of being in the countryside, through to thoroughly modern, sharp-edged open-plan spaces that scream capital city, here is a list of some of our favourite five-star luxury London hotels.
1) The Standard, London
The Skinny:
If you've ever been to New York City, you'll know that The Standard high line hotel is one of the most famous in Manhattan, with its prime location in Chelsea (views looking out over the Hudson river) and quirky-chic interiors. So it's nothing short of utterly delightful to know that The Standard has now opened a London franchise, in King's Cross.
Calling itself the 'upside down' hotel, the London location takes quirk to grand, new levels, with elevators that feel like something out of Stranger Things, a library stocked with all sorts of wondrous and weird literary fare and space age, but retro capsule-like rooms.
Top Tip:
If you like space to stretch out and enjoy the fresh air, then book yourself a King's Terrace room on the 8th floor. The terrace rooms come complete with mini-bar, lounge area, access to the outdoor terrace and even a bathtub on your balcony for those that like to bathe al fresco.
The Bar:
The cocktails at The Standard London's 'Double Standard' bar are nothing short of sublime - try their signature twist on the margarita, we dare you. The lime and ginger foam topping is quite special.
The Restaurant:
Way up on the 10th floor and accessible by The Standard's now famous red-pill lift, Decimo is the perfect place if you want views across the capital and exquisite food. Inspired by Spanish and Mexican cuisine, prepare your stomach for a menu including historra tacos with black bean, marinated red peppers, Spanish tortilla and seafood cooked over open fire (yes, really). Grab yourself a cocktail (we recommend the punchy Xue Sour with Barsol Quebranta pisco) and this will be a night to remember, trust us.
2) The Trafalgar St. James, London
The Skinny:
It’s often said that you can’t buy happiness. But when you can book a night’s stay at a hotel situated a hop, skip and a shimmy away from Soho and the West End in the heart of London, we’d argue bliss isn’t far off. Located on the corner of St James Park and Trafalgar Square – yes, that’s right, a stone’s throw away from Nelson’s Statue – you’ll find it hard to beat a hotel with this much flair and finesse slap bang in the middle of the capital. With rooms decorated with artwork inspired by London’s music scene and a subterranean living room called Biblio, a night's stay at The Trafalgar St. James is a must in our eyes.
Top Tip:
This summer the hotel introduced its Tipple Tea, an afternoon tea designed for cocktail and food-lovers. Book yourself in for an afternoon and tuck into everything from a crab roll with Bloody Mary sauce to mini choux buns, banana brûlée, scotch cream and butter shortbread. Non-alcoholic drinks are on offer, in addition to the bar's signature London-inspired tipples (think the Victoria and Twelve Buckingham Street), Laurent-Perrier champagne and an abundance of teas.
The bar:
Stepping into The Rockwell feels like you’ve stepped into Alice and Wonderland, so inviting are the luscious green fauna that lines the bar’s ceiling and plush red velvet seating. In addition to the aforementioned Tipple Tea, The Rockwell’s cocktail menu is a celebration of all things luxury, pleasure and party.
The Restaurant:
Trafalgar, St. James Hotel is also home to The Rooftop restaurant, which is situated atop the seventh-floor and boasts views across Trafalgar Square, over to Embankment where you’ll spot the London Eye, and Big Ben. Choose from small plates, including beef carpaccio and crispy prawns, sharers and mains (like the artisan cheeses and rib of beef burger), before tucking into a quarter of desserts, ranging from a tiramisu slice and gluten-free chocolate cake, to a selection of sorbets (you have to try the strawberry and yuzu) and rum glazed BBQ pineapple. Don’t forget to order one of The Rooftop’s signature cocktails, too. We suggest the gin fizz or Banana Republic. You can thank us later…
3) Home House, Marylebone
The Skinny:
You’d be forgiven for walking straight past these three Georgian townhouses, located in the heart of Marylebone, and not blinking an eye. But behind its understated door is one of the most beautiful and sophisticated private members’ club we’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Designed by George III’s architect, James Wyatt, this 18th century building has received a modern makeover and is now home to 23 bedrooms, several restaurants and bars, The Vaults, a garden, gym and more.
Top Tip:
If you’re still peckish after brunch (this is unlikely given the feast on offer, but you never know) then wait a couple of hours – either on the patio in the summer or underneath the Raj Tent in cold climes - until midday to tuck into the BBQ weekend menu. Serving everything from buttermilk fried chicken to the Home House cheeseburger, followed up with a Stay With Me cocktail (gin, cherry Heering, Benedictine, orange, lemon and Kaffir lime bitters), a one-night stay at Home House will leave you feeling well rested and well fed, trust us.
The Bar:
There’s not one but six bars to choose from to order a tipple in Home House. Our favourites? The multicoloured House Lounge and The House Bar, with its fuchsia and salmon pink hues and contrasting navy blue leather bar stools. Later in the evening we suggest heading to The Vaults – a hub of activity with a DJ booth and two karaoke pods that’ll help you party until closing time at 5am.
The Restaurant:
The Drawing Room serves everything, from breakfast to afternoon tea, The Gloucester Lounge is the go-to place for light snacks (think beef nuggets and squid and prawn doughnuts), but the pièce de résistance when it comes to dining, in our opinion, is The Garden. Enclosed in the courtyard and decorated with flowers and twinkling lights, we couldn’t think of a more perfect place to enjoy dishes like Dorset Rock oysters and vegetable thai curry.
4) The Courthouse Hotel, Shoreditch
The Skinny:
The former Old Street Magistrate's Court re-opened its doors in 2016 as a fantastic boutique hotel. Once the place where Reggie and Ronnie Kray were detained, now a grand and immaculately decorated place to stay right in the heart of Shoreditch - for a bit of London flavour on the East side of the city, the Courthouse is a must visit.
For the usually aloof Shoreditch, the staff are surprisingly friendly and meet you at the concierge desk in front of the gloriously grand, sprawling staircase in the atrium, ready to attend to all whims. Room service is prompt, the breakfast is delicious and the clientele is refreshingly diverse, unlike in some of the other more central hotels.
Top tip:
Not satisfied simply with a comfy place to rest your head, if you head down to the basement at The Courthouse, you'll find one of their two secret weapons and, by weapons, we mean delightful places to hang out. The bowling alley!
The Bar:
If basement bowling alleys aren't enough for you, The Courthouse also has a rooftop bar with a stunning view over East London.
5) The Charlotte Street Hotel, Fitzrovia
The Skinny:
If you like your hotels to feel like a slice of home - if your home is an impossibly plush, grand, but cosily decorated town house - then you should take a peek inside The Charlotte Street Hotel.
A favourite London lunch spot for the media, with plenty of magazine offices in the nearby surrounds, but also with the theatre-going crowd, as it is walking distance from all major West End stages.
The Rooms:
Plush, warm, cosy, but stately and well maintained rooms make them the perfect kind of stay for those that want to feel like a welcome guest in someone's home, rather than anything more impersonal.
The Restaurant:
The Oscar Bar and Grill serves a famous (and British) afternoon tea. Teacakes, scones and clotted cream perched on a tiered stand arrive as you sit surrounded by original artwork.
6) The NoMad, Covent Garden
The Skinny
The NoMad London, after a groundswell of anticipation, finally opened its doors in 2021, and it has immediately shot to the top of everyone's list of London's best and most luxurious hotels. Nestled discreetly within the grand stone building that was once the Bow Street Magistrates' Court, don't let the formal façade unnerve you, because the hotel behind the walls is utterly modern, brilliantly appointed, cool and full of delicious pieces of art, all conceived of by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of interior design masters Roman and Williams. The place blends everything you love about Shoreditch's sporadic asceticism, with the loud clash of extreme opulence and grandeur of the West End. The result is marvellous.
The Restaurant:
You can't stay at The NoMad without at least taking a gander, if not partaking in the dining, at the hotel's chief restaurant, which is housed in an interior courtyard, presided over by a soaring glass conservatory. You'll be amazed at the sheer, unexpected scale of it.
The Rooms:
A blending of traditionally masculine tropes - mahogany tables, dark leather headboards, a whiskey bar - with serious feminine energy - ornate glass chandeliers, freestanding bath tubs and so much glorious modern art.
Top Tip:
Don't leave without snatching up a pair of the hotel's bespoke mismatching velveteen slippers. What a souvenir!
7) Rosewood Hotel, Holborn
The Skinny:
For those feeling boujee and in need of a dark corner, this is the luxury London hotel to tick that box. As hotel fronts go, it doesn't get much grander than the Rosewood's. Through a grand arch in the Grade II listed, Edwardian building, you'll reach the hotel's tranquil courtyard and pass into the monochrome floored atrium. This hotel exudes London's more formal history. For grandeur, reading nooks and an excellent spa experience, you can't beat it.
The Rooms:
The Rosewood's interior doesn't have as much of the modern art feel of the Sanderson's, but nevertheless brings a contemporary touch to the stately majesty of London's more traditional luxury venues.
The Top Tip: the Grand Manor House Wing, accessed via a private elevator and its own street entrance, it is the only hotel suite in the world to have its own postcode (as well as six bedrooms and its own library).
8) Kimpton Fitzroy
The Skinny :
Seeking a stay with a touch of old-world opulence and charm, but with all the contemporary comforts of a newly opened hotel, look no further than Kimpton Fitzroy in London.
Built in Virginia Woolf's Bloomsbury in 1898, this Grade II-listed building is steeped in history. But following a recent revamp in 2018, led by designer Tara Bernerd & Partners, this legacy hotel has a modern boutique feel on a grand scale.
The Restaurant:
Designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll in 1898, Galvin Bar & Grill is a celebration of all things British grill and cuisine, offering diners everything from a tender sirloin steak to a dish of grilled Faroe Island salmon with Bois Boudran sauce. Galvin also creates some of our favourite deserts in the capital, including the apple tarte tatin (paired with clotted cream ice-cream' and a chocolate praline Paris-Brest which is lip-smackingly good.
Top Tip:
Upgrade yourself to a corner suite, and not only will you get a complimentary personal training session. You will also have a stand alone bath in the corner of your bedroom looking out over Russell Square to wind down in after you've sweated it out in the gym.
In addition, all Kimpton hotels and restaurants are pet-friendly and offer a ‘social hour’ between 5-6pm for guests with a complimentary drink.
10) The Biltmore, Mayfair
The Skinny:
Set in one of London's most exclusive residential areas, Grosvenor Square, The Biltmore has the feel of a classic luxury city hotel with clean white and cream interiors decorated with an abundance of bouquets of pink peonies and freesias.
With decadent rooms, a ballroom, outdoor terrace and concierge services ranging from dedicated walking tours to the chauffer-driven Bentley tours, it's the ultimate dose of luxury.
The Rooms:
The Biltmore is home to 250 rooms and 57 suites, with 12 categories of room type - one of which includes the 'signature suites' like the Biltmore Penthouse which comes with a private terrace at the London townhouse. The rooms are spacious, airy and luxurious with chez lounges lined at the bottom of the king size beds adorned with white crisp sheets. The bathrooms feature waterfall showers and marble sinks to enhance the presidential feel of the rooms - many of which overlook the gardens in the centre of the square which are ideal for people walking..
The restaurants:
The newly opened Cafe Biltmore restaurant, the second to be overseen by chef Jason Atherton, is the relaxed sister restaurant to the hotel's Betterment restaurant.
With a large terrace perfect for summery Al-Fresco dinners (paired expertly with wine chosen by the sommelier), you'll forget you're in central London thanks to the leafy, garden decor. Dishes include an elegant take on casual classics like pasta and wood-fired pizza, burgers and seafood dishes like grilled Dover Sole and steamed south coast mussels.
Top tip: Start off with one of the Biltmore's signature twist cocktails like The Biltmore Spritz.
11) The Hoxton Shepherd’s Bush
The Skinny: The Hoxton is to London what Bloomingdales is to New York – an institution. Which is why we couldn’t be more thrilled that the hotel chain has opened its fourth hotel in the capital, located right next to O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in the heart of west London. Designed by creatives from AIME Studios, the hotel features 237 of the coolest Seventies-inspired retro-inspired bedrooms that ooze luxury and comfort, as well as a terrace, vintage-decorated lobby and The Apartment meeting and events space.
Top tip: The Hoxton is one of our favourite London hotels for many reasons (mainly for its impeccable service, serving of endless interiors inspiration and cocktails), but its Shepherd’s Bush offers a breakfast that's worth being late for work. Following a night’s stay, hold fire before rushing off to work and tuck into Chet’s Bodega Sandwich, Chicken ‘n’ Waffles and avocado toast (with a side serving of salmon). You can thank us later.
The bar: To the right of the lobby and directly in front of the entrance sits an open bar decorated in a mix of mid-century and 1970s furniture in hues of cream, burnt orange/dusty pink and dark brown that have us transported straight to Miami Beach (if only in spirit). Bar stools line the marble-topped bar, with fauna spilling over from shelves above and around the more plush seating areas to the side. The lychee Martini is a must – expect to see staff wandering around with trays full of the deliciously fresh tipple from noon to midnight given its popularity.
The restaurant: Kris Yenbamroong is the genius behind Thai-Americana diner Chet’s, located at the back of The Hoxton, behind the bar. However, the space is less diner dive, more retro resto, with its leather banquette seats, mirrors and metal tables. The mix of Thai – American might surprise at first, but dishes like sticky wings, buttery roti and beef tartare are sure to delight. We suggest ordering a mix of Chef Specials, like the delectable fried chicken Khao Soi and coconut and lemongrass fish curry, with a healthy portion of wok fried greens, followed by an apple-strudel-esque apple pie that will have you closing your eyes in pure bliss with each bite.
12) Hart Shoreditch
The skinny:
Unveiled in 2020 the Hart Shoreditch is the perfect base for East London exploration since it's nestled in the heart (pun intended) of Shoreditch. Only a 5-minute walk from Old Street Underground and Shoreditch Overground Stations, the Hart (part of the Curio Collection by Hilton) is a buzzy hub by day, with creative guests sat with their laptops at the cozy sofas, and moody haunt at night. And with rooms starting at £189 a night, what's not to love?
The restaurant:
Arguably the best part of this tucked-away hotel is the Argentinian restaurant and bar, Mostrador, on the ground floor. Filled with leafy interior trees and plush banquettes, the decor is almost as impressive as the colourful and delicious food (the bountiful salads being our favourites). With world-renowned Argentinian chef and restaurateur Fernando Trocca at the helm, you're in for a treat.
13) The Marylebone Hotel
The Skinny: We don’t say this lightly when we describe The Marylebone Hotel as as true gem in the heart of London. Offering guests 257 bedrooms and suites, some with private terraces and views across 'The Big Smoke', the property also has direct access to the A-list leisure club Third Space, has a glorious 18-metre pool, as well as a luxurious spa and its own restaurant, 108 Brasserie, which celebrates the best of modern British cuisine (try the 108 Caesar salad and black cod fillet, and thank us later).
Top Tip: Book a staycation at The Marylebone Hotel, dump your suitcases in your room, and immediately start exploring Marylebone Village, which is undeniably our new favourite go-to shopping destination in the city. Whether you’re a foodie on the search for treats – check out chocolatiers’ favourite Rococo Chocolates and the maturing cellar and walk-in cheese room at La Fromagerie – before shopping at The Conran Shop for boujie furniture and home gifts, and tucking into afternoon tea back at the hotel for the hotel’s afternoon tea.
The Bar: 108 Brasserie’s Cocktail Bar has one of the best cocktail menus you’ll find in the capital. One of our favourites is 'The Athlete', made of Hendrick’s Flora Adora and Grapes and Green Tea Shrub and 'Emerald', made of Sauvelle Vodka and Melon Liqueur. A short walk down the road you’ll also find 28-50 By Night, a 1920s-inspired jazz bar underground boasting oak and velvet interiors which will transport you to the era of the speakeasies.
The Restaurant: Set at the back of the hotel along Marylebone, 180 Brasserie is the perfect place if you want tasty modern food without the frills and fuss. Tuck into dishes like Belgian Waffles in the morning at breakfast, Fresh Linguine with Portland crab at lunch, and a lip-smacking Asparagus and pear risotto at dinner over a bottle of vino. Alternatively, head to Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver’s ST JOHN Marylebone (yes, the original site was Anthony Bourdain’s favourite in London) which has a changing menu featuring the likes of Anchovy Toast and parsley salad, Globe Artichoke Vinaigrette, and Plaice and Tartare sauce.
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