When it comes to hotels, visitors to London are spoiled for choice. Here, our guide to the city’s best new and spruced-up properties — plus a preview of those we can’t wait to see.
Best new hotels in London
The newcomers
Chateau Denmark
Soho’s Denmark Street has a rich musical legacy: the Rolling Stones recorded at Regent Sound Studios at No. 4, the Sex Pistols lived in a flat at No. 6, and, at No. 9, David Bowie and Elton John would hang out at the café La Gioconda. This rock ’n’ roll history lives on at Chateau Denmark, a 55-key property created from 16 old buildings. Each room comes with a rider — before arrival, guests can make a list of requests, the same way that musicians do for venues. Some rooms sit above the former 12 Bar Club — where Adele and the Libertines played some of their earliest sets — and all exude sensual glamour. One unit might have a brooding Victorian aesthetic, with black paisley wallpaper and a red freestanding bathtub; another might feature gold-trimmed bed frames embellished with white graffiti. Chateau Denmark’s cheekily renamed “BTLRs” can help whip up cocktails from the generous in-room bars, or secure reservations for the high-end Chinese restaurant Tattu, above one of the best hotel in London.
One Hundred Shoreditch
This successor to the Ace Hotel Shoreditch, which closed in 2020, is a grown-up addition to the cool and scrappy East London scene. The building, peppered with installations by local artists, is as much of a social hub as its predecessor, with six restaurants and bars — most notably the Rooftop, a Palm Springs–style hangout, and Seed Library, a basement-level cocktail bar from renowned mixologist Mr. Lyan, a.k.a. Ryan Chetiyawardana.
The Other House South Kensington
Meant to feel like pied-à-terres in the city, The Other House’s suites, called “Club Flats,” are set up for long-term stays, with full kitchens and spacious sitting areas. Guests can use a handy app to check in and out, make housekeeping requests, sleuth out how busy the gym is, and more. The subterranean level includes a lounge, a screening room, and a wellness wing, all of which are open to guests and members of Other House’s private club. A Covent Garden location will open in 2024.
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The Twenty Two
While the Edwardian façade looks like traditional Mayfair, the interior of The Twenty Two — a 31-key hotel and private member’s club that opened in April — has a lush, maximalist quality. Some rooms are powder blue with red-velvet-wrapped four-poster beds, while others are done up in riotous Pierre Frey wallpaper that exactly matches the furniture. Among the venues open to both members and hotel guests is a ground-floor lounge and basement nightclub.
The Regulars, Refreshed
The Beaumont
The 18-month makeover of this Art Deco–themed Mayfair property was subtle and considered. The wood-panelled lobby now hosts a piano lounge, Gatsby’s Room, as well as Le Magritte, a 1920s- themed bar. An extended wing of 29 guest rooms and private dining venues will debut in 2023.
Claridge’s
This Mayfair icon carved out a massive five-story underground extension to add a Japanese-inspired spa, a pool, a wine store, a shopping centre, and more. Aboveground, you’ll find suites reimagined by designer Bryan O’Sullivan, who also created the Painter’s Room, an all-pink cocktail lounge.
The Dorchester
Park Lane’s most storied address unveiled its largest renovation in decades, tapping heavy-hitter designers to bring 1930s glamour into the present. Pierre-Yves Rochon updated the entrance, the Promenade lounge, and guest rooms. He also outfitted the patisserie and florist shop. Take it all in with a drink at the new Vesper Bar, by Martin Brudnizki.
The ones to watch
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair
When it opens next spring, the brand’s second London act, on Mayfair’s Hanover Square, will be a more intimate experience than its princely Hyde Park flagship. It will have just 50 guest rooms and 78 private residences, plus a restaurant and lounge from chef Akira Back and a destination spa with a large indoor swimming pool.
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The Peninsula London
Overlooking Hyde Park Corner, The Peninsula’s first UK location will welcome guests through a collonaded entrance that leads to a refined 190-room sanctuary designed by Peter Marino. Opening in early 2023, the hotel will have nine shops, a spa, several dining options, and — if being permanent guest appeals — 25 serviced residences.
Raffles London at the OWO
Winston Churchill based part of his World War II operations out of the Old War Office, a stately 1,100-room Edwardian building on Whitehall, steps from the UK’s centre of government. (Non-Britons may recognise it from various James Bond films; Ian Fleming allegedly dreamed up the character while working in the OWO as a naval intelligence officer during the war.) In 2023, the landmark will open as a Raffles hotel, with 120 rooms and suites and 11 restaurants and bars, plus residences.
This story first appeared on www.travelandleisure.com
Main and Feature Image Credit: Courtesy of The Twenty Two
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