In our opinion of course and in no particular order …

The Goring, Belgravia

The Goring may have been providing well-appointed bedrooms to the rich and famous since 1910, but it was Kate Middleton that really put the hotel on the map when she stayed here the night before her wedding to Prince William in 2011. She opted for the appropriately named Royal suite, a double-bedroomed, dining-room-equipped expanse of a stay a mere stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, whose balcony she’d appear on the next day.

If you don’t happen to be the future queen of England, the hotel has 67 other rooms and suites, many of which are flooded with natural light from windows that frame The Goring’s large private gardens. A resolutely English hotel, every room is individually decorated by renowned British designers and feature elegant wallpapers, fine Italian linen and bespoke furniture. Bathrooms are stocked with Asprey amenities and Egyptian cotton towels and bathrobes.

The Goring is the only hotel in London still owned and operated by the family that founded it, and is the only hotel in the capital to have been awarded a royal warrant of appointment from Queen Elizabeth II, which it’s held from 2013 until her death in 2022. The Goring’s Afternoon Tea has won a trove of awards and its Dining Room also sports a Michelin star. It may not boast an indoor swimming pool and cutting-edge fitness centre, but what The Goring lacks in amenities, it more than makes up for in service, style and splendour.

Address: 15 Beeston Place, Westminster, SW1W 0JW

Number of rooms: 57 rooms and 11 suites

Amenities: Large private gardens, small gym

Restaurants & Bars: The Dining Room and The Goring Cocktail Bar

Price: From £604 per night, visit thegoring.com

The Dorchester, Mayfair

One of the first purpose-built hotels to be constructed using reinforced concrete — the building was completed in 1931 and Grade II-listed in 1981 — the austere, Art Deco exterior of The Dorchester is about as far removed as you can get from the extravagant interiors within. Public areas are characterised by marble floors, ornate pillars, gold-leaf ceilings, elaborate cornicing and acres of fresh flowers overseen by the hotel’s in-house team of florists. The Dorchester has almost 300 rooms and suites, some kitsch, others more contemporary with white-marble bathrooms, complete with super-deep baths, a running theme throughout.

The Dorchester was famed as a hangout for royals and movie stars, before George Clooney called for a boycott over the policies of the hotel’s owner, the Sultan of Brunei, in the Sultan’s home country. Long before then, HM The Queen attended the Dorchester the day prior to her engagement to Philip Mountbatten. Prince Philip would later choose to host his stag party at the hotel — an evening that’s documented by a plaque.

The Dorchester is perhaps best known today for its culinary offering. French fine dining restaurant Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester is one of the few eateries in London to hold three Michelin stars. The Grill offers upscale British cuisine; China Tang serves ritzy Cantonese. The Dorchester’s Afternoon Tea, served in the sumptuous The Promenade, vies for the best in London.

Address: 53 Park Lane, Mayfair, W1K 1QA

Number of rooms: 194 rooms, 56 suites and three penthouse suites

Amenities: Spa, steam room, small gym, gentlemen’s barbershop

Restaurants & bars: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, The Grill at The Dorchester, China Tang, The Promenade and The Spatisserie

Price: From £520 per night, visit dorchestercollection.com

The Corinthia, Westminster

Located so close to the Palace of Westminster that it was commandeered as a government office during both world wars, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Corinthia’s proximity to Britain’s largest seat of political power would make it a rather corporate affair. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The hotel underwent a thorough renovation in 2011, emerging as an elegantly luxurious destination full of period charm and quirky design touches.

For the full experience, book the Royal Penthouse, a vast 465 square metre suite with two bedrooms, walk-in wardrobe, butler’s kitchen and terrace overlooking the Thames. You’ll even get your own private butler and access to the hotel’s private wine collection. Elsewhere, The Corinthia boasts three restaurants — including Kerridge’s Bar & Grill helmed by Tom Kerridge and the incredibly Instagrammable Garden courtyard eatery — as well as an ESPA spa with gym, treatment rooms, swimming pool and thermal floor, plus an on-site florist and hair salon.

Address: The Corinthia, Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BD

Number of rooms: 225 rooms, 51 suites and seven penthouses

Amenities: Business centre, florist, spa, hair salon, gym

Restaurants & bars: Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, The Northall, Crystal Moon Lounge, The Winter Garden

Price: From £984 per night, visit corinthia.com

The Connaught, Mayfair

The entrance to The Connaught reveals itself through a cloud of mist. The granite-edged water feature that engulfs two London Plane trees in the hotel’s forecourt emits clouds of vapour for 15 seconds every 15 minutes. The effect is mesmerising, and an apt introduction to a hotel that mixes modern taste with traditional hospitality.

The hotel first opened in 1897 and retains much of its Edwardian charm. So enamoured was Ralph Lauren with the staircase in the lobby of The Connaught that he had a replica installed in his flagship store on Madison Avenue. The hotel benefitted from a £70 million facelift in 2007, which saw rooms overhauled by David Collins Studio and, subsequently, the opening of the Aman spa – the first Aman Spa to be built outside the renowned Aman resorts.

The décor may be turn-of-the-20th-century, but drinking and dining is very much cutting-edge. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught earned the French chef three Michelin stars; The Coburg Bar has been voted Best Bar in London by Time Out magazine; while The Connaught Bar came runner up at the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards and was named Best Bar in Europe. Elsewhere, Jean-Georges at The Connaught mixes British classics with flavours from the Far East and the 2020 opening of The Connaught Grill relaunched one of London’s most celebrated restaurants.

Address: Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1K 2AL

Number of rooms: 121 including suites

Amenities: Aman spa, compact gym, indoor swimming pool

Restaurants & bars: The Connaught Grill, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Jean-Georges at The Connaught, Connaught Bar and Coburg Bar

Price: From £750 per night, visit the-connaught.co.uk

Claridges, Mayfair

While exploring central London, a drink at the ineffably elegant Claridge’s Bar is the height of sophistication. Since 1856, this five-star hotel has been the Art Deco jewel of Mayfair, welcoming Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Kate Moss through its glitzy revolving doors. With a gleaming chequerboard marble floor, cascading chandeliers, towering floristry displays and dramatically curved staircases, it remains a glittering homage to the Roaring Twenties. And, of the five-star hotel’s 208 rooms and suites, nowhere is this more true than in the opulent Mayfair suite, where gilded period features are complemented by scalloped headboards and matching velvet chairs.

Afternoon tea at Claridge’s is one of the best in London while the upscale L’Epicerie restaurant is the perfect spot for a celebration. Post-dinner, head to the darkly decadent Le Fumoir bar: as cosy as it is glamorous with Lalique glassware and sultry interiors. Leave time to visit the serene rooftop spa too, which offers a smorgasbord of Sisley beauty treatments.

Address: Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR

Number of rooms: 197 rooms and 11 suites

Amenities: Rooftop gym, beauty treatment rooms

Bars and restaurants: The Painter’s Room, Claridge’s Bar, Fumoir Bar, The Foyer & Reading Room

Price: From £680 per night, visit claridges.co.uk

The Lanesborough, Hyde Park

When The Lanesborough reopened in 2015, after a year-and-a-half of restoration, it promised to take guests back in time to the early 19th century. The price of tickets — £26,000 a night for 445 square metre Royal Suite complete with a dining room for 12 — reportedly made it London’s most expensive hotel. Today, the suite remains available strictly on application.

Occupying a neoclassical, Grade II-listed ex-hospital overlooking Hyde Park and dating back to 1844, the inside of The Lanesborough was reimagined in the style of its Regency-era façade. Crystal chandeliers cascade from high ceilings, wide corridors are held up by ornamental Greek columns, marble runs for miles, more than 42,000 sheets of gold leaf were used for various decoration, there’s a bar stocked with cognacs that date from 1770 (which cost up to £10,000 per pour) and an impressive collection of 18th-century artworks, including three original Reynolds.

The Lanesborough Club & Spa was named the World’s Best New Hotel Spa in the year of its launch, and all bedrooms come with butlers and televisions that are artfully hidden behind replica oil paintings.

Address: Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA

Number of rooms: 47 rooms and 46 suites

Amenities: State-of-the art gym, sauna, steam room, small pool, hair salon

Restaurants & bars: The Library Bar, The Lanesborough Grill, The Garden Room and The Withdrawing Room

Price: From £900 per night, visit oetkercollection.com

The Savoy, The Strand

The Savoy — where do we start? If you want to sleep on a mattress worth £40,000 or stay in rooms approved by Frank Sinatra, Edward VII and Judy Garland, then the Savoy is where you can dream easy. As the first luxury hotel in Britain, the Savoy trades on tradition in both service and look. Immaculately turned-out staff have an ethos of ‘personal service naturally’ and the hotel was the first to establish its own school to train professionals.

Attention to detail sets the Savoy apart from other five-star hotels: which other hotel employs a ‘Literary Ambassador’ to select novels for its guests? Rooms are cheerfully decorated in typically Edwardian or Art Deco style, though our recommendation would be to opt for one overlooking the Thames for spectacular panoramas at night. Guests are spoiled for choice with dining options: Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill does not disappoint, neither does the darkly seductive The Beaufort Bar. Try the Incognito cocktail, a masculine mix of Patron Anejo Tequila, Averno and Martini Rubino with popcorn and walnut, inspired by the actress Katherine Hepburn, who was turned away from other hotels for wearing her trademark trousers.

Address: Strand, WC2R 0EZ

Rooms: 265 including suites

Amenities: Beauty and fitness centre, indoor pool, spa, sauna, florist

Restaurants & bars: Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay, Restaurant 1980 by Gordon Ramsay, Thames Foyer, Simpson’s in the Strand, The Bar at Simpson’s, The American Bar and The Beaufort Bar

Price: From £638 per night, visit thesavoylondon.com