20 five-star hotels, rankedBest hotels in London
Where to stay in London: the 20 grand hotels within reach of the museums, in the order their guests rate them, with what each one has and where it stands.
- 20
- Five-star hotels on the list
- 1832
- The oldest: Brown's Hotel
- 12
- Have a swimming pool
- 4.8
- The highest rating: The Milestone Hotel
The ranking for London
14.8
The Milestone Hotel
Five-star hotel, Kensington Court, facing Kensington Palace
Two Victorian mansions of red brick joined into a small hotel, directly opposite Kensington Palace and its gardens. The V&A and the Natural History Museum are fifteen minutes on foot.
- Views of Kensington Palace
- Cheneston's restaurant
- The Stables Bar
- Resistance pool
24.7
The Savoy
Five-star hotel, The Strand, on the Thames
The hotel a theatre impresario built on the Thames in 1889 with the profits of Gilbert and Sullivan: the first in Britain lit by electricity, ten minutes from the National Gallery and Covent Garden.
- American Bar
- Thames Foyer afternoon tea
- Savoy Grill
- Swimming pool
34.7
Claridge's
Five-star hotel, Brook Street
The red-brick hotel in Mayfair where kings in exile sat out the war, with one of the finest Art Deco interiors in London. Fifteen minutes on foot from the Wallace Collection.
- Afternoon tea in the Foyer
- Claridge's Restaurant
- The Fumoir bar
- Spa and swimming pool
44.7
Corinthia London
Five-star hotel, Whitehall Place, by the Embankment
A Victorian hotel of 1885 between Trafalgar Square and the Thames, used by the government for seventy years and reopened in 2011. Five minutes from the National Gallery.
- ESPA Life spa on four floors
- Swimming pool
- Crystal Moon Lounge
- The Northall restaurant
54.7
Rosewood London
Five-star hotel, High Holborn
An Edwardian palace of an insurance company on High Holborn, entered through an arch into a courtyard. The British Museum and Sir John Soane's Museum are each ten minutes on foot.
- Scarfes Bar
- Holborn Dining Room
- Mirror Room afternoon tea
- Sense spa
64.7
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
Five-star hotel, Knightsbridge, backing onto Hyde Park
A red-brick and stone hotel of turrets and balconies between Knightsbridge and Hyde Park, a hotel since 1902. The V&A and the Natural History Museum are ten minutes on foot.
- Spa
- Swimming pool
- The Rosebery afternoon tea
- Mandarin Bar
74.7
The Connaught
Five-star hotel, Carlos Place
A red-brick Victorian hotel on a quiet corner of Mayfair, run like a country house, with a bar counted among the best in the world. Ten minutes from the Wallace Collection and from Hyde Park.
- The Connaught Bar
- The Coburg Bar
- Aman Spa
- Swimming pool
84.7
The Lanesborough
Five-star hotel, Hyde Park Corner
A hospital of the 1820s by the architect of the National Gallery, on Hyde Park Corner, turned into a hotel in the Regency manner with a butler for every room. Buckingham Palace is ten minutes on foot.
- Butler service
- The Lanesborough Grill
- The Library Bar
- Club and spa
94.7
Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square
Five-star hotel, Tower Hill, facing the Tower of London
The old headquarters of the Port of London, a Beaux-Arts palace of 1922 that looks down on the Tower of London. The Tower is three minutes on foot and Tower Bridge eight.
- Rotunda bar and lounge
- Spa
- Swimming pool
- Mei Ume restaurant
104.7
Brown's Hotel
Five-star hotel, Albemarle Street
London's oldest hotel still under its own name, open in Mayfair since 1832, where the first telephone call in Britain was made and Kipling wrote. Five minutes from the Royal Academy.
- Afternoon tea in The Drawing Room
- The Donovan Bar
- Charlie's restaurant
- Spa
114.7
The Goring
Five-star hotel, Beeston Place, behind Buckingham Palace
The last grand hotel in London still owned by the family that built it, open since 1910 a few steps from the garden wall of Buckingham Palace. The King's Gallery is five minutes on foot.
- Private garden
- The Dining Room
- The Goring Bar
- Afternoon tea
124.7
Raffles London at The OWO
Five-star hotel, Whitehall, opposite Horse Guards
The Old War Office on Whitehall, where Churchill ran the army and the secret services were born, opened as a hotel in 2023. The National Gallery and the Churchill War Rooms are each five minutes away.
- Nine restaurants and three bars
- Guerlain spa
- Twenty-metre swimming pool
- The Drawing Room
134.6
The Ritz London
Five-star hotel, Piccadilly, beside Green Park
César Ritz's London hotel of 1906, a French château on Piccadilly beside Green Park, known the world over for afternoon tea in the Palm Court. Five minutes from the Royal Academy.
- Afternoon tea in the Palm Court
- The Ritz Restaurant
- The Rivoli Bar
- Private garden
144.6
The Landmark London
Five-star hotel, Marylebone Road
The last of London's great railway hotels, opened in 1899 beside Marylebone station, built round a courtyard that is now a winter garden of palm trees eight floors high. Madame Tussauds and Regent's Park are ten minutes on foot.
- Winter Garden restaurant
- Spa and health club
- Swimming pool
- Mirror Bar
154.6
The Dorchester
Five-star hotel, Park Lane, facing Hyde Park
The curved white hotel of 1931 on Park Lane, looking over Hyde Park, where Eisenhower planned the invasion of Europe and film stars have stayed ever since. Hyde Park is across the road.
- Afternoon tea in The Promenade
- The Grill
- Vesper Bar
- Spa
164.6
The Langham, London
Five-star hotel, Portland Place, at the top of Regent Street
London's first grand hotel, opened by the Prince of Wales in 1865 at the top of Regent Street. Ten minutes on foot from the Wallace Collection and fifteen from the British Museum.
- Afternoon tea in Palm Court
- Artesian bar
- Chuan Spa
- Swimming pool
174.6
Shangri-La The Shard, London
Five-star hotel, London Bridge
A hotel on floors 34 to 52 of The Shard, the tallest building in Britain, with London laid out below every bed. Borough Market is at the door and Tate Modern fifteen minutes along the river.
- Swimming pool on level 52
- GŎNG bar
- TĪNG restaurant and lounge
- Fitness room
184.5
The Ned
Five-star hotel, Poultry, by the Bank of England
Sir Edwin Lutyens's headquarters for the Midland Bank, turned into a hotel in 2017, with restaurants among the columns of the banking hall and a bar inside the vault. St Paul's Cathedral is ten minutes on foot.
- Restaurants in the banking hall
- The Vault bar
- Rooftop pool
- Spa and barber
194.5
Kimpton Fitzroy London
Five-star hotel, Russell Square
The terracotta palace on Russell Square, opened in 1900 as the Hotel Russell, whose architect went on to design the dining room of the Titanic. The British Museum is five minutes on foot.
- Palm Court
- Fitz's bar
- Galvin Bar and Grill
- Fitness room
204.4
St. Pancras London, Autograph Collection
Five-star hotel, Euston Road, at St Pancras station
George Gilbert Scott's Gothic railway hotel of 1873, the red-brick front of St Pancras station, saved from demolition and reopened in 2011. The British Library is next door.
- The Booking Office 1869 bar
- Midland Grand Dining Room
- Spa
- Swimming pool
Closest to the museums and sights
For each museum and sight this site has a guide to in London, the 3 hotels nearest to it. Distances are in a straight line.
- Tower of London
- The British Museum
- Kimpton Fitzroy London400 m
- Rosewood London700 m
- The Savoy1.1 km
- Westminster Abbey
- Raffles London at The OWO650 m
- Corinthia London750 m
- The Goring1.3 km
- The National Gallery
- Corinthia London400 m
- Raffles London at The OWO450 m
- The Savoy550 m
- London Eye
- Raffles London at The OWO500 m
- Corinthia London500 m
- The Savoy750 m
- Tate Modern
- St Paul's Cathedral
- The Ned550 m
- Shangri-La The Shard, London1.3 km
- Rosewood London1.4 km
- Tower Bridge
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park1.0 km
- The Milestone Hotel1.2 km
- The Lanesborough1.5 km
By area
Belgravia
- The Goring, Beeston Place, behind Buckingham Palace
Bloomsbury
- Kimpton Fitzroy London, Russell Square
Covent Garden
- The Savoy, The Strand, on the Thames
Holborn
- Rosewood London, High Holborn
Kensington
- The Milestone Hotel, Kensington Court, facing Kensington Palace
King's Cross
- St. Pancras London, Autograph Collection, Euston Road, at St Pancras station
Knightsbridge
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, backing onto Hyde Park
- The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner
Marylebone
- The Landmark London, Marylebone Road
- The Langham, London, Portland Place, at the top of Regent Street
Mayfair
- Claridge's, Brook Street
- The Connaught, Carlos Place
- Brown's Hotel, Albemarle Street
- The Dorchester, Park Lane, facing Hyde Park
Southwark
- Shangri-La The Shard, London, London Bridge
St James's
- The Ritz London, Piccadilly, beside Green Park
the City
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, Tower Hill, facing the Tower of London
- The Ned, Poultry, by the Bank of England
Westminster
- Corinthia London, Whitehall Place, by the Embankment
- Raffles London at The OWO, Whitehall, opposite Horse Guards
Hotels in London: common questions
- Which is the best hotel in London?
- By what guests say on Google, The Milestone Hotel: 4.8 out of 5 from 1,150 ratings. The Savoy and Claridge's come next. The ranking on this page follows that rating and nothing else.
- Which five-star hotels in London have a swimming pool?
- 12 of the 20: The Savoy, Claridge's, Corinthia London, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, The Connaught, Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, Raffles London at The OWO, The Landmark London, The Langham, London, Shangri-La The Shard, London, The Ned and St. Pancras London, Autograph Collection.
- Which five-star hotels are closest to the Tower of London?
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, 300 m away; Shangri-La The Shard, London, 850 m away; The Ned, 1.2 km away. Distances are in a straight line.
- Which is the oldest grand hotel in London?
- Of the hotels on this list, Brown's Hotel, which opened in 1832.
- How is the ranking made?
- The hotels are chosen by this site: five-star hotels with a history, close to the museums. Star ratings for hotels in the United Kingdom are voluntary and are given by more than one body: five-star here is the class each hotel is given on Google Maps. Their order is not chosen. It follows each hotel's overall rating on Google, and where two are level, the one more guests have rated comes first. No hotel pays to be listed or to be higher.
Where to eat in London
- E. Pellicci4.8Café, Bethnal Green
- Dishoom Covent Garden4.7Bombay café, Covent Garden
- Regency Cafe4.7Café, Westminster
- Wiltons4.7Oyster and game restaurant, St James's
How the ranking is made
Which hotels are on the list is this site's choice: five-star hotels with a history, close to the museums. Their order is not. It follows each hotel's overall rating on Google, highest first, and where two are level, the one more guests have rated comes first. No hotel has paid to be here or to be higher.
Star ratings for hotels in the United Kingdom are voluntary and are given by more than one body: five-star here is the class each hotel is given on Google Maps.
The ratings are read from each hotel's entry on Google Maps and change over time, so the order can change too. No room rates are given, because they change by the night. The button on each hotel's page leads to the hotel's own site.