Ranked hotels in eight cities. None pays to appear.
Where to stay · United Kingdom · Updated 5 October 2026
From rooms above a Spitalfields pub to suites in the former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square. Three ranked editions of eight.
No ceiling on price
A Mayfair institution since 1856, with Art Deco interiors
The afternoon tea is a London ritual with a long history. The spa is a new addition.
On the recordMichelin 3 Keys (GB&I selection, 2024) · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 - no.16
A red-brick Carlos Place landmark built around the Connaught Bar
Opened in 1897. Hélène Darroze has the restaurant, and the spa is by Aman.
On the recordMichelin 3 Keys (GB&I selection, 2024) · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 - no.29
Churchill's Old War Office on Whitehall, now 120 rooms
The late Thierry Despont designed the interiors of the 19th-century building, which opened as a hotel in 2023.
On the recordMichelin 3 Keys (GB&I selection, 2024) · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 - no.31
A palazzo-style new build of 190 rooms on Hyde Park Corner
Hopkins Architects designed the building and Peter Marino did the interiors. It opened in 2023, and its rooms are large by London standards.
On the recordMichelin 3 Keys (GB&I selection, 2024) · Euronews best hotels in London round-up (June 2026)
Maybourne's all-suite RSHP new build above Hyde Park
Champalimaud, André Fu, Pierre-Yves Rochon, Rémi Tessier and Patricia Urquiola each designed floors of the 60-suite building, which opened in April 2024.
On the recordMichelin 1 Key (GB&I selection, 2024) · The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 - no.32
The former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square, now 144 suites
The Grade II listed building opened as a Rosewood in September 2025, with a rooftop bar.
On the recordCondé Nast Traveller Hot List 2026 · Travel + Leisure It List 2026 · Euronews best hotels in London round-up (June 2026)
A century of theatrical history on the Strand
The American Bar and the Beaufort Bar are both here, and the hotel has Thames views. It opened in 1889.
On the recordMichelin 3 Keys (GB&I selection, 2024)
Six Senses' first UK hotel, inside Bayswater's 1911 Whiteleys department store
109 rooms and suites opened in March 2026, with a 2,300 sq m spa. The grand staircase under the glass dome has been restored.
On the recordCondé Nast Traveller Hot List 2026 · Country Life - hotel review (2026)
Smaller hotels
A members' club with bedrooms in a Grosvenor Square Edwardian mansion
Small and independent, it opened in 2022. The richly decorated rooms share the mansion with a restaurant and the private club.
On the recordMichelin 2 Keys (GB&I selection, 2025)
Martin Brudnizki's maximalism, pink elephants included, across 57 Soho rooms
Noel Hayden opened the independent hotel in 2023. Dear Jackie is the restaurant and Flute is the rooftop bar.
On the recordMichelin 1 Key (GB&I selection, 2024) · Condé Nast Traveller - First In review (Nov 2023)
Fitzrovia's bohemian past, redrawn in contemporary Art Deco by Lind + Almond
Kinsfolk & Co opened this 81-room independent in 2025, its first hotel. Brasserie Angelica and the Gambit Bar share the building with a Nordic-style spa.
On the recordTravel + Leisure It List 2026 · Time Out London - best boutique hotel in London (2026 list, no.1)
Jean-Louis Costes brings Paris to a Sloane Square townhouse
François-Joseph Graf designed this 30-room Cadogan Estate hotel, opened in 2023. The restaurant is on the top floor and the bar is styled as a speakeasy.
On the recordMichelin 1 Key (new, GB&I 2025 update)
The Surrey country house's London outpost on a Chelsea garden square
A small townhouse hotel on Sloane Street, opened in 2021. The suites are themed on theatres and the restaurant is Japanese.
On the recordMichelin 1 Key (GB&I selection, 2024)
Kit Kemp's patterned English rooms, a short walk from the theatres
Firmdale, the family-owned group, opened it in Seven Dials in 1996. Brasserie Max is on site and there is a private screening room.
On the recordMichelin 2 Keys (GB&I selection, 2025)
A Pimlico townhouse filled with contemporary art and reclaimed furniture
A small, family-run independent, opened in 2014. The Cambridge Street Café is downstairs.
On the recordMichelin 1 Key (GB&I selection, 2024)
Four-poster beds in three Georgian houses on Frith Street
An independent hotel since 1986. Antiques furnish the rooms and the houses have a literary history.
On the recordTime Out London - most historic, best boutique hotels in London (2026 list)
Under £250 a night
Shoebox rooms upstairs and a co-working lobby downstairs in Holborn
Compact 'Shoebox' rooms are the entry point to a central, design-led hotel opened in 2014. The lobby and restaurant double as co-working space.
On the recordTime Out London - best boutique hotels in London (2026 list) · Time Out London - best cheap hotels in central London
Mojave-toned apartments with kitchens, a walk from Maltby Street Market
An aparthotel opened in 2020, with Mojave-inspired interiors and kitchens in the apartments. Bermondsey Street and Maltby Street Market are a short walk away.
On the recordTime Out London - best budget hotels in London
Chalkboard ceilings and in-house karaoke at the cheap end of Shoreditch
The bedrooms are retro and the restaurant has chalkboard ceilings and clashing prints. Opened in 2019, it is among the cheapest design-led hotels in east London.
On the recordTime Out London - hotel review · Starting rates from £75 (Culture Trip / syndicated roundup)
A handful of bedrooms above a Spitalfields pub, with a rooftop garden
A Victorian corner pub on Commercial Street with contemporary bedrooms upstairs, open since 2014. The restaurant serves seasonal British food and the roof holds a garden.
On the recordLondon the Inside - review · Culture Trip / syndicated best cheap hotels in London roundups
73 rooms in a Paddington Victorian, with a drawing-room lounge
The building keeps its original features and adds reclaimed detail. It opened in 2017 with a café-bar.
On the recordOlive magazine - hotel review (73 rooms) · Culture Trip - best cheap hotels in London
A Dutch aparthotel brand at a well-connected Victoria address
Serviced apartments opened in 2024, between Victoria and Belgravia. The Dutch brand furnishes them in a warm, residential style.
On the recordTime Out London - best aparthotel, best boutique hotels in London (2026 list)
A food-led Hoxton for Shepherd's Bush
Opened in 2022 as the group's first west London hotel. Holmes Bespoke, a local maker, made the custom rugs in its mid-century lobby.
On the recordTime Out London - best for foodies, best boutique hotels in London (2026 list)
A Georgian townhouse B&B a short walk from King's Cross
Period character survives in the converted townhouse. It stands next to St Pancras and the Eurostar.
On the recordTime Out London - best cheap hotels in central London (from £89)
Chosen from awards, guides, press and the hotels' own information. Prices are typical nightly rates and change with the season. Book with the hotel directly.
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