London has been experiencing a spectacular hotel boom over the past year. First, there’s the lauded historic Battersea Power Station’s upscale art’otel and the more casual comfort of the Hoxton brand’s expansion to Shepherd’s Bush; other big-name hotels such as Park Hyatt and Six Senses are also coming soon in 2024. Here are our top picks for new hotels in London where you can check in now, plus one to keep an eye out for in the coming year.
Conscious Luxury
Located at the intersections where Marylebone, Mayfair, and Soho village life meet, The BoTree is a modern and high-energy hotel with a commitment to conscious luxury and inspiring connection between people, places, and the planet. Part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, this opening marks the launch of Place III Hotels, the new luxury hotel collection. Here you’ll find 199 rooms, including 30 suites, each featuring Jasper Conran Wedgewood tea sets, vegan leather headboards, and eucalyptus Tencel bedding, all chosen for their eco-friendly credentials. The signature restaurant, LAVO—which has a sister location in Los Angeles—is serving Italian cuisine with coastal flair along with a showstopping giant Wagyu meatball topped with whipped ricotta. For local excursions, the property is within easy walking distance to top attractions, such as Regent’s Park, Wigmore Hall, The Wallace Collection, and Bond Street tube station.
Green Glory
With a new Mayfair location, 1 Hotels has planted its UK flag, bringing with it a signature mission-oriented style that positively impacts the planet. Spanning nine floors, the hotel allows guests to restore and connect with nature amid 1,300 individual plants, shrubs, and trees and more than 200 local and regional plant species that thrive throughout the property. The decor is heavily populated with artwork commissioned from local, nature-influenced artists, a flourish designed to provoke a closer sense of connection to the local landscape. As for amenities, options include Neighbours daytime café and bar; the ground-floor restaurant, Dovetale, from two-Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers; and Dover Yard cocktail bar and lounge, which features sustainable drinks and rotating music every weekend with DJ sets and live performances by top local musicians.
A property highlight is the signature Bamford Wellness Spa with a selection of holistic treatments and classes for nurturing the mind, body, and spirit. The hotel is within strolling distance of The Royal Academy, the West End theater district, and Buckingham Palace, but if you need to venture further afield, the property offers a house car in the form of the fully electric Audi e‑tron (the official electric vehicle of 1 Hotels). Our favorite program on offer is the “1 Less Thing,” where you can leave behind a gently used clothing item (or two), and the hotel will donate it to a local nonprofit.
Bustling Belgravia
Located at Hyde Park Corner in the Belgravia, The Peninsula London was designed by Hopkins Architects to complement the surrounding heritage architecture. The central expansive, off-street courtyard, landscaped by world-renowned designer Enzo Enea, is a classic English garden with cascading ivy and wisteria vines, along with two 120-year-old Japanese maples. The cobble-paved entry allows guests to arrive in discreet style with the hotel’s luxury automotive fleet, which includes four hybrid Bentley Bentaygas, an electrified vintage 1960 Austin taxi, and a restored 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom.
The hotel rooms, suites, and public spaces were designed by architect Peter Marino, with exclusive contributions from top British artisans, including Jenny Packham, Claude Bosi, and Timothy Han, as well as over 40 artists from the Royal Drawing School. From the Grosvenor Place entrance, many iconic attractions await, including the Wellington Arch, the Royal Parks, and Harrods.
Bond Buffs
Raffles Hotel has been synonymous with cultural heritage and elegant service since its opening in Singapore in 1887. Continuing the legacy, Raffles London at The OWO is one of the most exciting recent UK openings and gives new life to an Edwardian building. The Grade II-listed Old War Office (OWO) was built for the British Army in 1906 and was the inspiration for many Bond films, which were also shot on the property. Now, you can find an array of restaurants spearheaded by Michelin-starred Chef Mauro Colagreco, including Saison for dinner, the cozy Drawing Room for afternoon tea, The Guards Bar for cocktails like the London Sling, or the tucked-away Spy Bar, which pays homage to the former “Spies Entrance” of the building during World War II. For the ultimate historic stay, book the Churchill or Haldane suites on the grounds of Winston Churchill’s old office.
Coming Soon
Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, in partnership with renowned real estate developer QatariDiar, is slated to open the brand’s second London property in the revitalized Grosvenor Square area of Mayfair in 2024. The Chancery Rosewood will showcase architecture restoration by British architect Sir David Chipperfield and Art Deco-style interiors by French architect Joseph Dirand in a 1960s landmark building that previously housed the U.S. Embassy. The property will be both the first five-star hotel and the first UK hotel to ever receive a BREEAM outstanding rating for sustainable development.
