The world’s most luxurious hotel brand has two London outposts

For luxury hotel brands, London is an obvious choice of location. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world, home to cutting-edge culture, world-leading chefs, rich heritage and an abundance of high-end and designer stores. A new ranking has just revealed the world’s leading luxury hotel chains, and it’s little surprise that the number one brand has two properties here in the Big Smoke. 

Luxury Travel Intelligence (LTI) is a members-only website which provides advice on high-end hotels and holiday destinations. Over the past year it has kept a close eye on 20 luxury hotel brands, evaluating them on a staggering 134 different touch points. Those touch points centred around the brands’ ability to uphold their ethos, values, and commitments, plus the quality of their management and staff. Each metric was individually weighted and added to a maximum score of 4792. The scores were then converted into a percentage.

With all the scores totted up, the brand at the top of the ranking (for the fourth consecutive year) was Mandarin Oriental, with a score of 81.1 percent. The group has 47 hotels worldwide, including two here in London: one in Knightsbridge that overlooks Hyde Park, and another in Mayfair.

Mandarin Oriental’s design and philosophy is inspired by east Asia. At its Mayfair outpost, you’ll find two restaurants helmed by renowned Korean-American chef Akira Back, and an incredible spa with signature treatments inspired by Chinese medicine. And in Knightsbridge there’s the two-Michelin-star Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Japanese izakaya The Aubrey and a palatial wellness centre. 

Standard rooms at both establishments range from around £650 to £980 a night, while larger suites can cost as much as £5,645. In Mayfair, the top floor penthouse will set you back a humble £40,000 for one night. 

All of the hotel brands in LTI’s list have at least eight properties around the world. Second place went to Oetker Collection, which runs the Lanesborough on Hyde Park Corner and third went to Bulgari, which has one London location. 

The top 10 luxury hotel brands according to Luxury Travel Intelligence

1. Mandarin Oriental 81.1 percent
2. Oetker 80.6 percent
3. Bulgari 80.2 percent
4. Four Seasons 78.7 percent
5. Rosewood 78 percent
6. Dorchester Collection 76.9 percent
7. Belmond 76.6 percent
8. Capella 76.1 percent
9. Aman 75.5 percent
10. Airelles 75.2 percent

🌟 Time Out’s guide to London’s finest five-star hotels. 

ICYMI: The world’s 50 best restaurants have been revealed for 2026 – including just one London restaurant. 

Plus: The world’s 11th best bar is in London