The best hotels in London

Everyone should visit London at least once. Like New York, Paris and Beijing, London is a historical metropolis with iconic sights at almost every turn. Those of us who love it and don't live there have to keep returning again and again, which is why the best places to stay in London are also some of the best places to stay in the whole world, with something for most tastes and most budgets. We’ve tried to reflect that in our pick of London hotels, and our full list of all the places our Gurus recommend in London is extensive from iconic Grand Dames for once-in-a-lifetime stays to cosy pubs with rooms and everything in between!

Some of our London Collections:

• Top Luxury London Hotels
• Best London Apartment Hotels
• The Most Romantic London Hotels
• Best Hotels in London with a Balcony
• Cool London Hotels on a Budget
• Best London B&Bs
• Best Pubs with Rooms in London
• London's Best Boutique Hotels
• Top London Chic Hotels
• Great Value London Hotels
• London's Best Character Hotels
• Top Cosy London Boltholes
• Top London Hotels with Hot Tubs
• Best Family Hotels in London
• London Hotels with a View
• Cool Hotels in London
• Quirky and Unusual Hotels in London
• Best Business Hotels in London
• Quiet and Secluded Hotels in London
• Pet Friendly Hotels London
• Best Hotels in London for Groups

Aside from where to stay (and we’ve tried to answer the question of which part of town you might like to base yourself in our neighbourhoods guide), the real question is which of London’s attractions do you want to see most? The V&A? The Natural History Museum? The Science Museum? The British Museum, the Royal Academy? The Tate Modern or Britain? Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street? Knightsbridge, Kensington? The Royal Albert Hall? The Southbank? The Globe? The Thames? Hyde Park? Battersea Park, St. James’s Park, Richmond Park, Kew Gardens? And these are just the headliners, but choosing which you want to see most will be a huge help in deciding which is the best place to stay in London for you.

From clean, but basic, youth hostels to the world's grandest properties, the list of the best places to stay in London is long. For most of us price comes into the equation, just like location, so here are some of our Gurus' top picks by price bracket and neighbourhood, and then our top picks by types of hotels.

The Best Places to Stay in London

London’s Top Hotels

• Claridge’s is an Art Deco darling and London institution, it’s pretty universally considered one of the best hotels in London and is arguably one of the most beautiful too, with its red brick facade, and sweeping black and white marble entrance and tea lounge. Claridge’s recent refurbishment was sympathetic to the beauty of the original, and it’s helped make the restaurant and the top floor spa just as popular as afternoon tea in the foyer. There are more Art Deco features here than you can spot on a visit of less than a week, and old fashioned charms, like manned lifts complete with a sofa and the sort of service that’s really a pleasure.
• In a fantastic Knightsbridge position opposite Hyde Park, The Berkeley is another stunning, luxurious grande dame, and one with London’s few rooftop pools. Its showstopper entrance is a relatively recent addition, and there are some new build rooms with lots of glass and steel, in addition to the more turn of the century original rooms. All have had a makeover, though, and the interiors are extremely elegant and comfortable. The food, in Marcus Wareing's eponymous restaurant, is fantastic and the service impeccable. Plus, if you haven’t quite packed properly they’ll lend you a Burberry trench. And there’s a Dyson hairdryer in every room.
• The Dorchester is another London landmark and institution, the kind of place to stay in if you want the royal treatment, even if you can’t afford to shop in the Chopard concession in the lobby. Its ritzy-yet-comfortable rooms and suites, many with splendid views of Hyde Park, are models of understated luxury, adorned with elegant drapery and recherché ornaments. And overall the feeling is traditional and formal, without being stuffy.
• Or, for something just as glamorous, but a bit more glossy, less fussy, try The Dorchester's sleeker, younger, more masculine brother hotel, 45 Park Lane, which has an Art Deco flavour adored by the smart set, and Wolfgang Puck's highly recommended in-house steak restaurant, CUT. The hotel’s 45 rooms and suites, all with views over Hyde Park, boast a colour palette of rich earth tones and sensuous fabrics that ooze retro-chic appeal, plus gleaming, marble bathrooms and all the jiggery-gadgetty-pokery you can imagine.

London hotels for under £300 per night

• Converted from a row of three Georgian townhouses in the heart of Soho, Hazlitt’s is a great choice if you’re looking for character and a lively, central location. And it’s got some great literary associations. The hotel has 30 rooms and suites, all of them individually, and quite splendidly decorated, with wood panelled walls, considered collections of antiques, art and rugs. They do a great breakfast, have an elegant bar, and you’re in a wonderful position for eating out of an evening. It’s so stylish and classic that it’s always cool.
• The Rookery is a stunningly converted row of three 18th century houses in trendy Clerkenwell, which is on the opposite side of London from many of the museums and galleries, but it’s still well connected. Inside ithe property is filled with antiques, art, wood panelling, and original copper and brass plumbing. Downstairs are flagstone floors and open fires. There’s no restaurant, but there are plenty in the area. And with just 33 rooms it’s intimate enough to call romantic.

For around £100 per night

• The citizenM brand is a trendy, contemporary 'lux for less' option, and they now have three branches to choose from: citizenM Shoreditch, citizenM Tower of London or the original, citizenM Bankside. All of them feature iconic art and furniture throughout, plus their trademark floor to ceiling windows and up to the minute gadgetry.

The Ultimate London City Break

• Just above Shaftesbury Avenue, and around the corner from The British Museum, The Bloomsbury is a grand hotel which really says ‘London’, tastefully blending British traditions with contemporary style. There are 153 rooms and suites, smartly designed with contemporary furniture, soft patterns and luxurious bathrooms. There’s a glamorous bar with plenty of local appeal and a great atmosphere. You’re close to the shops, the museums and galleries and the theatres.
• The Charlotte Street Hotel is a fashionable media hangout with stylish interiors, buzzy public areas and its own private cinema. It’s hip and happening and just above Oxford Street and Soho in the West End. It’s got its own brasserie, as well as a bar, and both are popular with locals as well as visitors.

Some of the Most Romantic Hotels in London

• The Corinthia Hotel is a beautifully restored, grand London hotel which hits just the right notes to make it both glamorous and elegant — this hotel is a ‘class act’. The original features of the building, built in the 1880s, are magnificent and the modern luxuries, like the marble bathrooms complete with built in televisions at the end of each bath, are just the sorts of things most of us find luxurious and special. Plus there’s a wonderful choice of bars and restaurants to match. It’s a real treat.
• Opulent, sumptuous and quirky, Batty Langley's is a relative newcomer to the London hotel scene, but it’s quickly becoming a popular romantic bolthole because of its great location, old fashioned feeling of luxury and cosy scale. The 29 rooms and suites here are a world away from the minimalist trend, instead they’re crammed with antiques and period features, from wood panelling, fireplaces, and heavy silk drapes to canopied four poster beds and period artworks on the walls. There's an honesty bar in the Tapestry Room, and the welcome bonus of a pretty courtyard for sitting out when the weather allows. There's no in-house restaurant, but the 24 hour room service offers sustenance for those who can't bear to leave this luxurious cocoon.
• We couldn’t create a list of hotel recommendations for London and leave The Ritz off the list: it is one of London’s most iconic hotels, known for its glitz and glamour, from the dapper doorman to the wonderful neoclassical details and the incredible Art Deco Tivoli bar. The decor is luxurious in the classical sense of the word, Louis XVI style with a touch of the Belle Époque about it, with impressive original art and truly fantastic public spaces. It’s world famous for a reason.

London’s Best Family Hotels

• It’s very grand but No.11 Cadogan Gardens, the eclectically styled, lavishly decorated luxury boutique hotel just behind Chelsea's Sloane Square, is a really great London hotel recommendation for families. The family suites are lovely and big, with huge windows, and expansive marble bathrooms, and the hotel, which has been converted from several red brick townhouses, is an exciting warren of secret-feeling passages and surprise public spaces. There’s a library, a drawing room and a terrace, and the restaurant is excellent.

For Mayfair

• The Mayfair Townhouse is one of Mayfair's newest offerings. It's a stunning conversion of fifteen townhouses on Half Moon Street, which have been transformed into a sophisticated lifestyle hotel. Interiors are sultry and sexy with luxury touches everywhere you look, yet accommodation ranges from the distinctly affordable to the over-the-top decadent. Don't miss cocktails and partying till late in the Dandy Bar!
• The Connaught Hotel is one of the discreet and understated grande dames of Mayfair, the epitome of old world Britishness, but updated to meet the needs of modern life and design. The service is incredible; there’s a veritable fleet of butlers, providing you with the ultimate in traditional comforts. And it's the same in the bars and restaurants: the conservatory does a fantastic breakfast, the two bars attract a friendly, interesting crowd, and there are two restaurants, one with two Michelin stars.

For Kensington

• Blakes is the granddaddy of all boutique hotels, a wonderfully theatrical creation with 45 individually decorated decadent, themed rooms crammed full of wonderful antiques, interesting artwork and beautiful fabrics. Plus, of course, the restaurant is excellent and you’re peacefully, but well located, on the edge of Chelsea.

For Knightsbridge

• One of London's first design hotels, COMO The Halkin is a sophisticated property in a quiet location just minutes from Hyde Park corner. its 41 rooms and suites are contemporary and chic and ooze understated luxury. The service here is top-notch. A luxury hideaway in a great area.

For London’s West End

• Designed by Philippe Starck, St. Martins Lane is a design classic, perfectly positioned for seeing London - you’re between Covent Garden and Leicester Square. Fashion types and rock stars love it, and it’s famous for its light effects, buzzy bar, nightclub and restaurant.

Prefer a self-catering flat or apartment?

• If you’d prefer to stay in an apartment or private flat we recommend you visit our online partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Heathrow is the UK’s main International Airport and the second busiest in the world. It’s 23kms out from the centre of town, a tube, bus, train or cab journey away. Gatwick, the UK’s second largest airport is a bit further out of town - 47kms, and best connected to the rest of London by train. London Stansted is 48kms out of town, and best connected by the Stansted Express. London City Airport is closest to the physical centre, with planes flying all the way into the Royal Docks close to Canary Wharf, but it’s a smaller airport, so not everyone will be able to fly right into the centre of town like this. You can get to the rest of London from City Airport using the tube or DLR. London Luton Airport is called 'London', but it's quite far north of town, above Watford and St. Albans, and about an hour outside of central London by rail. London is also easily reached by train, by catching the Eurostar to Kings Cross/St. Pancras if you’re travelling from the continent.
• If you want to hire a car during your stay in London or the UK we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• London isn’t visited for its weather, so choosing the best time to visit for you is going to be more based on why you’re visiting. Summer tends to be the busiest month, and it might be warm, and or sunny, or it might just be humid and grey; the best thing to do is just to enjoy what you get, that’s what Londoners will do. Christmas is lovely when all the lights are up and decorations in the windows. And spring and autumn are a mixed bag of showers and sunshine. If there’s a hint of an ‘Indian Summer’ where it’s warm into September and even October, then that will make a particularly nice backdrop to your visit.

Still not sure which to book?

• You could refine your search to just the 10 best hotels in Mayfair, our recommendations for 6 great Covent Garden Hotels, the 12 Best Hotels in The City of London or the best hotels on London's South Bank.
• Or you could refine by the sort of hotel you want to stay in, and check our our recommendations for London's 10 Best Boutique Hotels, 20 Cool London Hotels on a Budget, 13 of the Best Family Hotels in London or our recommendations for the Top 5 Luxury London Hotels.
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.