David Whitehouse

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Every year, a wealth of new hotels open in the capital – a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. That can, however, make it rather tricky to decide which hotel to choose. But worry not: we have slept our way across the city and hand-picked our favourites, to bring you this ultimate list of London hotels, from Mayfair to Shoreditch, and from budget to blowout (butler included).  Newcomers to our list include the all-new July in Victoria, apartment-hotels which opened in July 2025, and eco-hotel 1 Hotel Mayfair, as well as a few old classics we’ve re-reviewed just for good measure (hint: The Dorchester is just about as great as we remembered). We’ve got a brand-new number one too, but we won’t give that one away just yet. For everything from genuine good value stays to all-out, Zone 1 luxury, you’ll find something on this list for every kind of trip. Superb bars, great architecture, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world await you – here are the best hotels in London.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our list of the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London? It’s not just the range of hotels that’s so impressive – you’re also spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a neighbourhood to stay in London. The city is made up of a sprawling network of dynamic neighb

When the British Socialist Party held its annual conference in Bethnal Green Town Hall in 1920, it’s likely they didn’t talk much about the building one day becoming a luxury hotel. They had other things on their minds, like denouncing the party leaders as police spies. And they probably wouldn’t have been that into the whole hospitality idea anyway, what with it being a public space, and them being Marxists. I’m not saying the Town Hall Hotel, as it’s known today, would have changed their minds about all that. But I can’t help wonder, if they too had drunk Abacaxi Caipirinha in the wood-panelled council chamber, or eaten in a brilliant little Brazilian/Italian restaurant in what was possibly once the mayor’s office, if it might have given them pause for thought. Because for my money, The Town Hall Hotel offers a show of modest opulence seldom bettered in this city, one almost dizzyingly unique. Why Stay at Town Hall Hotel? A mad mixture of Edwardian architecture, art deco interiors, beguiling baroque corridors and memories of bygone bureaucracy, makes this is a hotel with that most meaningful of things - genuine, eccentric personality. Nothing here feels stretched for by stylists or led by committee. It’s like something Ken Adam might have designed to a Stanley Kubrick brief. A stay in the past of a different timeline, intoxicatingly charming, weird and special, before you even get to a fine roster of places to eat and drink, or your room. What are the rooms like at Town Hal