The cocktail lounge is located in a standalone building behind the Zetter Hotel, a cozy parlor with leather armchairs, velvet sofas, tassled chandeliers, and clusters of paintings. Barman Tony Conigliaro, inspired by Clerkenwell's old distilleries, has recreated historic cocktail recipes to excellent effect.
49-50 St. John's Sq.
London, EC1V 4JJ
+44-207-324-4545
A chic boutique hotel spread across five gorgeous stucco-fronted townhouses with stylish modern charm, a serious art collection, and a killer chef serving snacks behind the bar.
8 Pembridge Gardens
London, W2 4DU
+44-207-792-6688
Downstairs is a cafe and French restaurant. Upstairs is a rooftop bar and grill. In between are spacious, contemporary guest rooms for stylish travelers looking to eat and sleep after a day of Shoreditch gallery-hopping.
2-4 Boundary St.
London, E2 7DD
+44-207-729-1051
If you're in the market for an apartment instead of a hotel — one with modern and comfortable furnishings, functional kitchens, and lots of light mere steps from Oxford Circus, welcome home. It's not cheap, but nothing is in this part of town.
5 Maddox St.
London, W1S 2QD
+44-207-647-0200
The art deco stunner is the first hotel from top London restaurateurs Corbin and King (Wolseley, Delaunay). There's so much to love — the quiet but central location just off Oxford Street, the marble-clad spa and gym in the basement, the charming books by the bedside, the large closets, the spacious bathrooms, the elegant members-only bar off the lobby. Perhaps most striking is the suite designed by sculptor Antony Gormley, a wood-lined nest that looks like a crouching man from outside.
Brown Hart Gardens
London, W1K 6TF
+44-207-499-1001
Cozier than its sister hotel in Marylebone, the Georgian townhouse on historic St. John's Square feels more like staying at your cool, eccentric, antique-hoarding aunt's place. Look for unique details in each of the thirteen rooms (like four-poster beds under a Union Flag canopy, a Buddha head in a fireplace grating), and drop by the beloved cocktail lounge to raise a glass to Great Aunt Wilhelmina.
49-50 St. John's Square
London, EC1V 4JJ
+44-207-324-4544
Beloved Brit designer Kit Kemp brings her modern style and love for colors and patterns to the 91 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the courtyard or the city. While the expansive space is in the middle of Soho, guests will never have to leave thanks to a 190-seat movie theater, a retro 1950s bowling alley, a rooftop garden, and artisan boutiques in the courtyard.
1 Ham Yard
London, W1D 7DT
+44-203-642-2000
A classic and very old-school hotel in St. James, mere steps from Hyde Park. Tradition reigns here, from the fussy but elegant lobby decor to the American Bar, a terrific and very masculine hideaway. Newer rooms overlooking the back courtyard are light, modern, and floral. The special gem of the Stafford is concierge Frank Laino, who makes London come alive as few people can. Dream it up and ask for it: He'll make it happen.
16-18 St. James's Place
London, SW1A 1NJ
+44-207-493-0111
Lauded chef Nuno Mendes draws from his time working in the U.S. and London to deliver a menu of streamlined Brit classics with an American twist. The result is at once fresh and familiar — and the dining room is warm and inviting with globe lanterns, upholstered furnishings, checkerboard flooring, and clandestine booths.
1 Chiltern St.
London, W1U 7PA
+44-207-073-7690
A recent renovation to a grand old buidling with a long and storied history (it once stored the best wine collection in the world, then became London's most coveted meeting place in the 1890s, and most recently played headquarters of a sporting club). It is now a modern and elegant stunner centrally located on Regent Street. If you're not staying, come for a cocktail at Oscar Wilde Bar (and pretend you're slumming in a Louis XVI chateau), a tonic at Green Bar (a sleek oasis in a busy neighborhood), or a something sweet at The Cafe, a marble-filled dessert restaurant.
68 Regent St.
London, W1B 4DY
+44-207-406-3333
This hotel is quintessential Olde England. The red brick-and-flower-blox facade, chintzy, sporting-art adorned interior, and warm staff of true English manners to greet you on a first-name basis (sometimes with a glass of champagne) give it a true homestay feeling. The rooms are a bit pricey for the size, but the location is prime, with many rooms overlooking the Kensington Gardens and Royal Apartments.
1 Kensington Court
London, W8 5DL
+44-207-917-1000
Great for business travelers, with proximity to central London. While the rooms are somewhat sparse, warm furniture of velvet and leather cozily furnish the public spaces, complete with a roaring fire and billiards table. This slick hotel is filled with multiple bars and art-filled restaurants. However, the mass Marriott brand feel can be hard to shake for indie-all-the-way travelers.
10 Berners St.
London, W1T 3NP
+44-207-781-0000
This former insurance office building has had a $130 million makeover into a 1914 Edwardian Belle Epoque luxury hotel. Feel like Parisian royalty as you enter through soaring domes and saunter up marble staircases to a lavish suite.
252 High Holborn St.
London, WC1V 7EN
+44-207-781-8888
This outpost of the original Ace Hotels in Portland, Seattle, and New York fits right in with the East End's super trendy vibe. The vibrant lobby is of minimalist decor and stacked with a Pacific Northwest coffee shop and a hopping in-house restaurant. Let the converse-clad, happy-hipster clientele guide you to the local art and restaurant scene that Shoreditch is famous for.
100 Shoreditch High St.
London, E1 6JQ
+44-207-613-9800
It's a modern fantasy version of a boarding house. You check in at the gastropub (have a spot of tea while you're there), then a waiter escorts you to one of the eight cozy, well-appointed, Wi-Fi enabled rooms. Convenient to much of Central London, it totally feels like a find.
6 New Quebec St.
London, W1H 7RQ
+44-207-724-7243
Old, grand, and discreet despite its central location near Victoria Station. They are not shy about letting you know that this is the Royal Family's favorite hotel. The Queen Mum used to be a regular.
Beeston Pl.
London, SW1W 0JW
+44-207-396-9000
This one has family rooms — a rarity in the UK and Europe — where four can fit semi-comfortably. Well-situated to Peter Jones department store and the King's Road. Proximity to the Duke of Yorks Square add to the appeal.
7-12 Sloane Square
London, SW1W 8EG
+44-207-881-5984
The rooms are sleek and modern or art deco chic, the new restaurant already has a Michelin star, and the mosaic-tiled pool is flooded with light. The lively Bethnal Green neighborhood will provide non-stop diversions, and the cocktails from the Town Hall tea tray will revive you when energies wane.
8 Patriot St.
London, E2 9NF
+44 20 7871 0460
A charming, cozy, family-run hotel consisting of three townhouses in a row. Hide out in the corner bar with a Scotch by the fireplace, or tuck into a novel in one of the many sitting rooms. Come weekend, the parking lot nearby hosts a lovely greenmarket.
26-32 George St.
London, W1H 5BJ
+44-207-935-8131
A genteel perch in the center of Soho, full of bright colors, plush and playful furnishings, and a fantastic array of patterns and textures. Oscar, the hotel's bustling bar and brasserie, is always good for a pick-me-up.
15-17 Charlotte St.
London, W1T 1RJ
+44-207-806-2000
One of London's newest hotels, it's small, but destined for greatness. The Thierry Despont-designed rooms are high on Hollywood-style glamour with gorgeous park views. The in-house restaurant Cut is chef Wolfgang Puck's first European restaurant. Though it's a steakhouse, the lobster club is the thing to get.
45 Park Lane
London, London, W1K 1PN
+44-207-493-4545
Young and cool, indie and interesting, inexpensive and industrial. In short, a hotel that reflects its hip East London surroundings. The rate structure reward early planners: The earlier you book, the less you pay. Sometimes as little as £1.
81 Great Eastern St.
London, EC2A 3HU
+44-207-661-3000
The Georgian townhouses used to be the home of William Hogarth and the Gargoyle Club, and the hotels continues to draw a creative Soho crowd. There are 39 charming rooms, some of which cost as little as £95, and a buzzy restaurant and bar. Part of the Soho House Group, Dean Street feels clubby in a good way, because you get to stay here.
69-71 Dean St.
London, W1D 3SE
+44-207-434-1775
The Connaught is one of those dream hotels where everything feels pretty and perfect and beautifully appointed. And you feel like a visiting dignitary or generous aristocrat. And everyone is your friend. And money is no object. You almost don't want to leave the premises, and who can blame you when you have the Connaught Bar and Hélène Darroze restaurant and Aman Spa and your amazing room right there.
Carlos Place
London, W1K 2AL
+44-207-499-7070
An impossibly posh Art Deco classic that attracts royalty as well as up-and-comers. The rooms are grand; the service is impeccable. Refreshments on site include legendary afternoon tea, a chic and tiny Fumoir bar, and Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's.
Brook Street
London, W1K 4HR
+44-207-629-8860
Designer Anoushka Hempel isn't one for low-key minimalism. The rooms here are over-the-top, sexy, opulent, and dramatic, with Russian, Turkish, and Oriental themes. Adoring quotes from Gwyneth Paltrow and Mickey Rouke rotate through the home page; you decide whether that's a draw or a turn-off.
33 Roland Gardens
London, SW7 3PF
+44-207-370-6701
A hotel to match the new East London, where business meets fashion and tech. Expect every modern amenity, though nothing as obvious as formal check-in desk.
40 Liverpool St.
London, EC2M 7QN
+44-207-961-1234