Much like London itself, where showstopper landmarks nudge up against less obvious, but equally appealing, sights — from under-the-radar art galleries to neighbourhood coffee shops — the hotel scene is split between big-name players and smaller, more intimate places to stay. Independent and innovative, with bags of character, sensational food and considered design, these are the best boutique hotels in London.
Main photo: Ham Yard Hotel (Booking.com)
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1. Sun Street, Shoreditch
The bathroom in Room 112 at Sun Street
££ | Best for cosy corners
It’s the quirky gogo bird prints, conjured from the imagination of Victorian artist Vincent Vickers, that you’ll first notice on the walls of this 41-room boutique, spread across six Georgian townhouses in Shoreditch. It’s the perfect fit for a romantic weekend, with rooms that feel indulgent — painted in bold shades of maroon and sage blues — and come with snug touches, such as Henry Holland cushions and homemade shortbread. Room 112 is hard to beat, with a bathroom that feels almost as big as the bedroom and a huge rolltop bath that will easily fit two. Breakfast feels magical in the jungle-themed, fairylight-strung orangery and there are plenty of cosy nooks where you can sip co*cktails of an evening, as well as a restaurant with walls covered in fun prints.
• Read our full review of Sun Street The Hari £££ | Best for stylish stays The Hari, named after the owner’s father, is bold inside and out. Its plant-covered exterior happily clashes with the cream streets of Belgravia while inside interiors are designed to be remembered. The restaurant, il Pampero, has hints of 1920s glamour with its forest-green walls, snug alcoves and square bar, and serves up intimate Italian suppers with star dishes including handmade pasta sprinkled with truffles. Bedrooms feel equally statement with photography from Tracey Emin and Mario Testino on the walls, all-marble bathrooms and bay windows that provide a perch to peer out over the streets of one of London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods. Henry’s Townhouse (The Collins Collection) £££ | Best for regency glamour Back in the 18th century, this plush Georgian abode was the home of Jane Austen’s brother, Henry, and while there have been lots of pleasing modern additions — Dyson hairdryers and treat boxes — the grandeur remains intact. It’s easy to imagine Mr Darcy wafting through the original 19th-century doors, admiring the gilt-framed oil paintings and sprawling on the huge four-poster beds across the six antique-stuffed bedrooms, each named after a member of the Austen family. Eliza is the top pick, with a four-poster and a gorgeous roll-top tub in the art deco-tiled bathroom. Evening aperitifs can be sipped in the Jane Austen-inspired Reading Room or the ruby-red snug — and breakfast is worth getting excited about too, as you’ll tuck into a home-cooked meal in the old servants’ quarters downstairs. A private chef can be arranged for any other meals and the house can be hired as a whole for bigger parties. Location-wise, stays here set you between Hyde Park and Regent’s Park — perfect for weekend strolls. £££ | Best for delicious Japanese food Sister hotel to the Beaverbrook in Surrey, this Chelsea outpost is set in a pair of Georgian townhouses opposite Cadogan Gardens. It’s a real celebration of London, from the gallery wall of capital-inspired artwork on the stairs to the suites, each of which is named after a theatre. Design is by Nicola Harding, who has combined playful colours with cosy fabrics (some rooms come with modern four-poster beds). Downstairs, the art deco-detailed, arsenic-hued bar leads to The Fuji Grill restaurant where diners can tuck into dishes such as popcorn shrimp and dry-aged tuna tataki or sit at the sushi counter for a seven-course Omakase supper. Ham Yard Hotel £££ | SPA | Best for alfresco dining Part of the Firmdale Hotels group, Ham Yard Hotel is hidden away in a leafy courtyard behind bustling Piccadilly. Rooms and suites are all uniquely designed by co-owner and creative director Kit Kemp in her signature mix of colours and patterns. Social spaces include the drawing room and library, the orangery — really an extension of the restaurant with a sandstone fireplace and squashy sofas, ideal for morning coffee — and the much-coveted heated terrace for alfresco dining. There’s a guest-only roof terrace, a spa and a retro 1950s bowling alley too. The garden at Lime Tree ££ | SPA | Best for natural touches If you’re looking for a home-from-home in one of London’s prettiest corners it doesn’t get more tempting than Lime Tree; stays put you in striking distance of Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and the V&A. Spread across two grade II listed townhouses, 26 Pinterest-perfect bedrooms pop with bold botanical prints and slick monochrome bathrooms are stocked with Bramley toiletries. The biggest surprise is the garden: a flower-filled sun trap where you can tuck into an incredible allotment breakfast (grilled halloumi, avocado and baby potatoes all feature). You’ll also eat well in the hotel’s restaurant, The Buttery, where natural ingredients grown in the garden are often the star of the plate. ££ | Best for industrial chic The Artist Residence signature design style — vintage furniture, limited-edition art prints, an industrial yet homely vibe — is in full swing at this hotel in leafy Pimlico, just a five-minute walk from Victoria Station. The ten bedrooms are spread over three floors, while downstairs, the Clubhouse is a low-key breakfast and brunch spot (bacon sandwiches, buttermilk pancakes) by day and a buzzy co*cktail bar at night. In the summer, nab one of the coveted tables on the pavement out front for sundowners. The Hoxton (Booking.com) ££ | Best for rooftop views A firm fixture in East London since 2006, this is the original London Hoxton hotel (there are three other outposts, in Holborn, Southwark and Shepherd’s Bush). Rooms range from Shoebox to Roomy but all have the same style (apart from nine designed by local artists): parquet wooden floors, industrial-inspired detailing and modern monochrome bathrooms. The Hoxton Grill is an all-day eatery, bar and lounge serving classic comfort food: mac and cheese, mushroom pot pie, Reuben sandwiches. Locals spend afternoons tapping away on laptops before heading to the Llama Inn restaurant on the roof. Nomad London (Booking.com) £££ | SPA | Best for romance One of the most talked-about hotels in London to open in 2021, Nomad London is housed in a former magistrates’ court and police station across from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The social scene is centred around a wow-factor glass atrium courtyard restaurant and Side Hustle, a take on the classic British pub. The design, dramatic and theatrical throughout, is by New York-based duo Roman and Williams (best known for working on Ace Hotels) which means artworks propped up against the wall in the rooms, lots of velvet and brass, and marble mosaic bathrooms. St. James’s Hotel and Club, Mayfair £££ | Best for location So tucked away is this former Victorian townhouse turned plush boutique that you’d easily miss it if you weren’t looking. Make sure you don’t — as well as putting you in prime position for strolls to Buckingham Palace and the West End, you’ll be very well looked after, from your luggage being taken care of by friendly concierges in top hats to the seamless service in the petite Michelin-starred restaurant serving French-inspired dishes you’ll be thinking of long after check out. Rooms are subtly luxurious: expect Murano glass chandeliers, silk wallpaper and stone-clad bathrooms packed with smellies from Penhaligon’s. Upgrade to a suite to make the most of that central position; some have balconies that give you a perch to spot Big Ben, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament over your morning coffee. Knightsbridge Hotel £££ | Best for a quiet stay close to the action Harrods, the V&A, Hyde Park — Knightsbridge is home to plenty of London’s landmarks, and, as a result, a constant throng of tourists. Slip down a sidestreet to the tree-lined Beaufort Gardens and everything goes pin-drop quiet. This is where you’ll find Kensington Hotel, where three cream Victorian townhouses have been transformed into 44 rooms – and one suite – which pop with perfectly clashing patterns and prints; the one-of-a-kind headboards, in particular, are made to be remembered. Guests can kick back (and order dinner or breakfast) in the drawing room and library; both have been designed to feel quintessentially English with leather-bound books and paintings of dogs and horses. The Zetter Marylebone (Booking.com) ££ | Best for eclectic decoration Stepping into the Zetter Marylebone feels like entering the home of an eccentric great uncle who has collected all kinds of curious objects on his travels. Small plates and co*cktails are served in the Parlour (red walls, antique furniture including a grandfather clock, gold-framed portraits); afternoon tea is taken by the fire to a soothing jazz soundtrack. Upstairs, the rooms are equally plush with traditional four-poster beds and dramatic drapes, Persian rugs and old-fashioned wooden trunks. • Read our full review of the Zetter Marylebone The Laslett (Booking.com) ££ | Best for neighbourhood character Named after activist Rhaune Laslett — who organised the original Notting Hill Festival alongside Claudia Jones and Duke Vin — the Laslett feels more like a neighbourhood hangout than a hotel. The property, which is spread across five Victorian townhouses in Pembridge Gardens, was designed by Tom Bartlett of architect and design studio Waldo Works. Rooms are kitted out with pieces by British designers such as Pinch and Race Furniture, artworks by local artists, textiles by Eleanor Pritchard and a selection of Penguin Classics books. On the ground floor, the Henderson bar and coffee shop (the name pays homage to Trinidadian musician Russell “Russ” Henderson, also connected to the Carnival) serves up breakfast, co*cktails and everything in between. • Best dog-friendly hotels in London The Henrietta Hotel (Booking.com) ££ | Best for Italian suppers The first London hotel from the Experimental Group (best known for its Experimental co*cktail Club bars), the Henrietta opened in Covent Garden in 2017. The 40 rooms by French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon feature art deco touches — headboards that resemble Milanese door frames, dusky pink velvet chairs, terrazzo-patterned carpet and brass bedside lamps. Downstairs the Da Henrietta restaurant shines the spotlight on dishes from Italy — hosts Toto Dell’Aringa and Silvio Pezzana are founders of the Italian Supper Club. The Resident ££ | Best for location It’s convenience that most come to this Covent Garden favourite for. Its 57 rooms, housed in an Edwardian building, feel more like apartments with mini kitchenettes complete with a microwave, fridge and a tap with filtered Brita water, plus stylish touches such as Paul Smith lamps and throws made on the Isle of Bute. Then there’s the location: you’re on the corner of the Strand, steps away from some of London’s top shopping streets and theatres, and just a five-minute stroll from Charing Cross station. Dukes London (Booking.com) ££ | Best for super-strength martinis Set back from Piccadilly in peaceful St James’s, this is a classic old-school hotel in the best possible way. The martinis served in Dukes bar are legendary (it was once a haunt of James Bond author Ian Fleming); the food on the menu in ground-floor restaurant GBR is traditional with a twist (including a daily pie); and there’s a cognac and cigar garden in partnership with Remy Martin. Rooms are plush and elegant, with marble bathrooms and Penhaligon’s products and, when guests want to spend time in nearby Green Park or Hyde Park, they can pre-order a picnic hamper to take with them. Room service is 24-hour too. Boundary London (Booking.com) ££ | Best for design kudos Owned by the Conran family, this cool hotel in a converted Victorian warehouse is as design-driven as you’d expect. Each of the 17 rooms and suites is inspired by an iconic designer or design movement of the 20th century, from modernists Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe to the Bauhaus. On the ground floor, the menu at all-day British café Albion (which also has a grocery, bakery and deli attached) includes dishes such as Cumberland sausage and colcannon mash, Argyle mussels and doorstop sandwiches. The rooftop bar and grill, housed within a glass extension, has fantastic views of the East London skyline. The Treehouse Hotel (Booking.com) ££ | Best for childhood nostalgia Taking over the top eight floors of a 1960s tower a few minutes’ walk from Oxford Street, this central London hotel is full of quirky touches, from childhood memorabilia (toys such as a Paddington Bear teddy or piggy bank) dotted around the rooms alongside vintage furniture to rooftop bar the Nest, where DJs spin the decks from a fort in a foliage-filled lounge. Food options include Pizzeria Mozza and Mexican restaurant Madera (the little sister to LA eatery Toca Madera) for tacos and tamales. £££ | Best for red carpet glamour Set in a red-brick former fire station on boutique-lined Chiltern Street, this André Balazs-owned luxury hotel has been a magnet for A-listers since it opened in 2014. The 26 rooms are grown-up — mahogany beds, working fireplaces and crisp, custom linens — while the restaurant, which is overseen by executive chef Richard Foster, focuses on vegetable-inspired dishes and cooking in the wood oven. The courtyard is the place to be and be seen, as is secret guest-only bar Ladder Shed. ££ | Best for living like a local With just four bedrooms, online check-in and an unmarked entrance, this is a hotel that feels more like a smart home-from-home rental — right in the middle of the Notting Hill thrum. The smallest room is The Quarters, all calming green hues, retro fittings and reclaimed wood; the largest is The Muse, a two-level suite with House of Hackney wallpaper in the bathroom, a free-standing tub in the bedroom and a private roof terrace. Breakfast (choose between the “naughty” or “nice” options) is delivered to the door each morning and a concierge is on hand to offer local recommendations. Charlotte Street Hotel (Alamy) £££ | SPA | Best for afternoon tea From the weekly film club — dinner and a movie in the screening room — to the people-watching pavement tables for summer co*cktails, there’s something special about the Charlotte Street hotel. The Firmdale Group hotels offer Kit Kemp designed rooms in her signature colour and pattern but here she has channelled the Bloomsbury Group in the mural depicting London life on the walls of the Oscar bar and restaurant. In-room Temple Spa treatments and afternoon tea are some of the other spoiling treats to look forward to. The Gantry (Jonathan Sharp) £ | Best for shopping In the shadow of Europe’s largest shopping centre, Westfield, is this bronzed boutique, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection. The Gantry bills itself as an “urban resort”, and it’s not far off. There’s an Instagrammable lobby with hardbacks about Japan slung around walnut tables and jewel-toned chairs, while the Urban Social all-day restaurant and lounge serves classically comfortable food (burgers, laksa) with a great view across the former Olympic Village. Rooms are spacious, dressed in deep navy blue and bronze, with the ultimate accoutrement: a shower with buttons for on and off. The price point is excellent (under £200 per night) and it’s opposite Stratford International (and a short walk to Stratford station proper), making it a good-value option for exploring London without paying city-centre prices. £££ | Best for romantic weekends Head to your room in The Mandrake, just a stone’s throw from Oxford Street, and it’s easy to feel like you’ve wandered into a jungle in Bali instead thanks to the leaf-draped terrace that cascades over three floors. Inside, everything is dimly lit, sultry and there to make you look twice — most notably the stuffed ostrich that takes pride of place in Latin-American inspired restaurant, Yopo. Rooms come with lots of bold features; chandeliers, quirky prints and Venetian-style masks. There’s no spa, but you can aim for inner peace most weekends with a yoga session or gong bath. The bar at the Strand Palace ££ | Best for art lovers Right in the heart of London’s Theatreland is the vast Strand Palace, fresh from a multi-million-pound refurb. The renovation has retained some of its art deco elements – the gold numbers on the doors are pleasingly still of the era – which makes this enormous property feel more characterful than it should. You could scarcely be better located for most of London’s top cultural sights – Somerset House and the Thames are just over the road – but it’s the theatre crowd that it really attracts. They come for an early dinner in Haxell’s Restaurant and Bar, which serves modern British cuisine, or for afternoon tea in the teal-coloured tearoom off the lobby. Rooms are big for this part of town (with smart Hans Grohe showers), although given the volume – 788- the views aren’t always award-winning (ask for a Strand view). Kids are welcomed with goodies emblazoned with Parker the hotel dog mascot and a treasure hunt that takes them to explore the hotel, which is surprisingly fun for adults too. Above all, this is a well-priced boutique option in central London. A studio at Brama ££ | Best for remote workers There’s history behind the walls of this grade II listed boutique. It’s part of the old Bromley Town Hall where David Bowie tied the knot with his first wife Angie in the seventies. Each of the 33 bedrooms – a few of which are studios with kitchenettes – have retained the building’s art deco roots with funky headboards, feathered wallpaper and glossy all-green bathrooms. There are plenty of welcome touches such as CBD-infused tea bags, steamers instead of clunky irons and a stylish guest lounge downstairs stocked with free tea and coffee and next door you’ll find Clockwise, a plush coworking space with private desks and meeting rooms. Hearty British classics and co*cktails are served in the grand Dorothy and Marshall restaurant which housed inside a former courtroom and wows with its original soaring ceilings. Threadneedles ££ | Best for grandeur The building that housed the former London City and Midland Bank in the 1800s is a beauty. While the cash and clerks have long departed, the grandeur remains in the space that’s now been taken over by the YTL luxury hotel group. The marble-clad reception and relaxation space is topped by a huge stained-glass dome, where you can still spot the City Bank initials carved into the glass. The chandelier-lit restaurant uses the former cash counter as its bar and its name — Caviar House — is the giveaway for what you’ll tuck into: everything from the champagne to the sorbet is topped with the fish pearls. Location-wise, stays here put you within a two-minute walk from Bank Station and get you can be at St Paul’s in under 15. South Place ££ | Best for fine dining This five-star puts you in the heart of city life in Moorgate where workers spill out of pubs to sip post-work pints on the street. Liverpool Street Station is a few minutes away and you can be at shows at The Barbican or the Museum of London in less than ten. That being said, there’s plenty to stick around for inside. You’ll want to tuck into impressive fish dishes at Michelin-starred Angler – be sure to leave room for the incredible banana soufflé dessert – and clink co*cktails later underneath a ceiling of hanging plants at the buzzy Secret Garden bar. ££ | Best for summer stays Secret gardens are a rarity in London — especially when they’re as pretty as the one at the back of this Kensington townhouse. On sunny days it’ll be tempting to while away whole afternoons here, watching coy carp shimmy around the pond as you tuck into afternoon tea. But that would be to miss out on what’s inside: 41 flamboyant bedrooms, each a burst of colour with wacky wallpapers and quirky headboards handpicked by co-owner and interior design icon Kit Kemp which manage to feel both fun and quintessentially British all at once. Some of the capital’s best museums await on your doorstep too: The Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum are all less than a ten-minute wander away. Breakfast and dinner are served in the light-filled orangery where you’ll spot lots of fun touches from mini totem poles to tapestries. • Best things to do in London Additional reporting by Lucy Perrin and Cathy Adams Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.Advertisem*nt
2. The Hari, Belgravia
3. Henry’s Townhouse, Marylebone
4. Beaverbrook Town House, Chelsea
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5. Ham Yard Hotel, Soho
6. Lime Tree, Belgravia
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7. Artist Residence, Pimlico
8. The Hoxton, Shoreditch
9. Nomad London, Covent Garden
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10. St. James’s Hotel and Club, Mayfair
11. Knightsbridge Hotel, Knightsbridge
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12. The Zetter Marylebone
13. The Laslett, Notting Hill
14. Henrietta Hotel, Covent Garden
15. The Resident Covent Garden
16. Dukes London, St James’s
17. Boundary London, Shoreditch
18. Treehouse London, Langham Place
19. The Chiltern Firehouse, Marylebone
20. The Lost Poet, Notting Hill
21. Charlotte Street Hotel, Fitzrovia
22. The Gantry, Stratford
23. The Mandrake, Fitzrovia
24. Strand Palace, Covent Garden
25. Brama, Bromley
26. Threadneedles, City
27. South Place, the City
28. Number Sixteen, Kensington
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