Best London Hotels

Live in five-star luxury while you’re in town with a room at the Royal Garden Hotel, a sumptuous space in Kensington. Impressive views of the city come as standard with all rooms, and you can pick between a variety of different layouts. For professional meetups there are meeting spaces, private dining rooms and banqueting suites.

Designed to feel like a private members’ club, this boutique space in the centre of Marylebone village combines contemporary design with classic high-end hospitality. Rooms are uniquely kitted out with premium touches, and some even have terraces overlooking the rooftops of London. For events there are meeting rooms, private bars and full suites available to hire.

With cosy snugs that feel like private members’ club spaces to vast modern rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, The Hari houses all kinds of options that make event planning simple and straightforward, no matter what your requirements are. If you’re planning on staying, you’ll be pleased to know the rooms are as luxurious as the larger spaces – decked out with high-end furnishings and special touches like interesting coffee books and cowhide rugs.  

The Nobu group expertly bring modern Japanese interior design to London with its eponymous hotel. Rooms are stripped back but still luxurious and there’s even a three-tiered courtyard that you can hire on a private basis. Of course, a huge draw here, whether staying over or organising an event, is the food – expect top quality cooking and legendary dishes such as the restaurant’s miso black cod. 

Guests at the Rosewood hotels are always treated as just that, guests. You’ll receive a warm, personal welcome from staff and if you choose to stay over, you’ll enjoy some of the most beautiful spaces in London. Rooms are luxuriously appointed and feature the finest bedding and linens for a serene night’s sleep. There are four ballrooms to host events in, as well as dining rooms, foyers, salons and more – so let’s just say, if you’re planning a function, you won’t be short of spaces to choose from.

As part of the Lalit Suri Group, this is the first of the company’s hotels outside of Asia and they’ve gone to town ensuring it is wall-to-wall class. The boutique-style rooms are beautifully appointed with luxurious interiors and soft furnishings, and each one is different with some boasting 30-feet high ceilings. The event spaces here are incredible and come bathed in natural light with colonial-style touches and plenty of configuration options.

This deluxe, four-star hotel sits snuggly beside the British Museum, which is great if you’re looking to impress colleagues or clients at a work event (or just want somewhere London-centric for yourself to stay). If you’re arranging an event it might be worth noting that the Folio room, with plenty of natural light, can accommodate huge numbers or can be divided up into small sections for more intimate gatherings. For stays the rooms provide a central, modern base to get a good night’s kip in.

You don’t get much more wow-factor than bagging a room at The Shard for your stay in London. The Shangri-La’s rooms differ, but all have one thing in common: a view of the city’s impressive skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows. From a chef’s table to a ballroom, there’s something for every kind of occasion if it’s an event space you’re after. 

At the forefront of East London’s trendy scene, the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch is packed with possibilities when it comes to events or overnight stays. Rooms have chic furnishings, and some include outdoor terraces and living rooms. The standout events space here is the 100 Room, which is shielded by two glass walls overlooking the sprawling city below. With an in-house florist you’ll also not be left short for stylish ways to dress your party, conference or meeting.

Fresh, modern rooms are the order of the day at Radisson Blue Edwardian Mercer and it is perfectly setup for a work trip that airs on the side of pleasure with its location in the heart of theatreland. Catch a show before or after your meetings which, if you have to organise, could be at the hotel itself. There’s an entire floor dedicated to entertaining spaces, with various function rooms that are on the more compact side of things. For working lunches try the excellent Italian and Peruvian cooking from the resident restaurant’s menu.

For eco-conscious event planners and holiday makers alike, you can’t find a better London offering than The Wesley Hotel. Having been built on sustainable credentials this central London hostelry is the proud owner of a Gold Green Tourism award and offers functional sleeping spaces alongside a range of practical event spaces just a stone’s throw from Euston station.

This grand London hotel combines British design with the best of French elegance. Depending on which you choose, rooms are either bold and moody or bright and light with a subtle vintage feel. On the events side of things, the hotel offers a whole range of options, from board meeting spaces to banqueting rooms.

Synonymous with old-world glamour there’s nowhere in London that does traditional British hospitality like Claridge’s. As might be expected of such a long-standing five-star hotel the rooms are plush and decked out with traditional furnishings. Venue spaces range from the French Salon – an atmospheric panelled room with original detailing – to the Ballroom which can accommodate up to 500 guests.

The Connaught deserves its place in the list of the best London hotels for its butler service alone, which comes with some of its very top-level rooms. The accommodation is classic luxury down to its core with gilt mirrors and swagged curtains decorating the sleeping spaces. On the events side of things the headlining Mayfair Room makes the perfect backdrop for grand dinners or awards ceremonies with its art deco interiors, and elsewhere there’s a Sommelier’s private dining room, which is stocked with thousands of bottles of vintage wine.

Multifaceted and exquisitely designed, the Great Northern Hotel is slap bang in the middle of King’s Cross. Rooms are richly decked out with panelled walls, low-hanging lights and plush linens while the events spaces on offer hugely vary. Try the modern British restaurant Plum + Spilt Milk for relaxed group dining or rent the martini lounge for a sophisticated drinks reception.

Sometimes it’s nice to not have to travel too far after a flight, and the Radisson Blu Edwardian at Heathrow offers the perfect place to pitstop while in town. The rooms are functional and fresh, with bright white linens and neutral details. Elsewhere there is a whole host of spaces, including one of Europe’s largest conference centres.

Housed in an impressive redbrick building right in the beating heart of Leicester Square, this London hotel is a city breaker’s dream. Just a stone’s throw from major attractions like The National Gallery and China town, it’s the perfect place to explore from. Rooms are decked out in warm, neutral tones and there are various compact meeting and event spaces to choose from if you’re arranging a work do or party on the smaller side of things.

As with many of the best London Hotels, the Bulgari Hotel is a five-star residence. Located right in the middle of Knightsbridge, it couldn’t be in a handier location for exploring the high-end west-end and makes a great central meeting point if you’re looking to host an event. Choose between a casual get together in the hotel’s basement bar or go all out with a luxurious drinks reception in The Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 280 standing guests.

If being treated like royalty sounds up your street then you’re going to love The Goring, where staff go out of their way to make every guest feel truly special. If you’re staying over choose between rooms with their classic British design or go all out on a luxurious suite, that are completed by velvet sofas and full fireplaces. For work functions there is a multitude of spaces. All are charmingly decorated but our favourite is The Drawing Room with its handwoven wallpaper, perfect for private dinners.

If when you think of London the city’s green spaces spring to mind, you’re going to want to stay close by to one while you’re in town. This four-star hotel boasts an address that is right on the corner of Regent’s Park and has a number of events options, perfect if you need to plan any kinds of get-togethers. There are various sizes of suites to use, but our favourite is the Trueman room which has floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of space for talks, meetings and more. Rooms here are contemporary and spacious, offering a place to work and rest.

If you’re going to be working while in London, you’ll love the rooms on offer at the Corus Hotel, which all feature ample living space and include desks to be productive at during the day, with sofas to flop on at night once the graft is over. If you have clients or colleagues to meet during your time in town then it might be handy to know that there are three meeting spaces which can host up to 20 delegates.

Originally home to the Vanderbilt family, this grand house is well worthy of its former infamous occupants. Recently refurbished the space marries old and new, with spacious modern rooms that include some original detailing. The Grade-II listed hotel also houses plenty of spaces for business opportunities, including meeting rooms that come with the latest AV kit for flawless presenting.

If it’s exclusivity you’re after then The Curtain has it in spadesfuls, being a members’ club first and foremost. This impressive space in the heart of Shoreditch houses industrial-style bedrooms, a southern soul food restaurant and multiple event spaces which include a ballroom, screening room and live performances room.

Facing the iconic O2 building, and just down from Towel Hill, this Radisson hotel provides a great base for exploring East London from. Rooms are spacious, and some have river views, while the meeting spaces are made up of vast conference suites and smaller natural-lit syndicate rooms.

With its five-star credentials The Berkeley pulls a well-heeled crowd of those in the know. The bedrooms epitomise British luxury with chic paired-back interiors, while the meeting and event spaces seem almost endless. With capacity for up to 600 people this is the place to hire if you’re looking to throw a big party or host a large conference.