London Hotels & Hostels (124)

Two magnificent Regency townhouses have been combined to create this enchanting hotel overlooking leafy Dorset Square, home to the very first cricket ground (laid by Thomas Lord in 1787). It's perhaps not surprising, then, to find that the walls of this hotel are adorned in crick… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

There are some things that women travellers are almost guaranteed to experience when roaming away from home, and trying to put on make-up in a dimly lit hotel room is one of them. It might not be the biggest thing you've got to worry about, but it's nice when someone does address… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Shepherds Bush has never been a 'cool' part of town so it might surprise some to find a chichi hotel like K West located smack bang in the heart of it. But with the BBC around the corner and the independent television production company Endemol on their doorstep, somebody obvious… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This is one of those places that prove first impressions to be entirely misleading. From the outside this hotel appears to be just another white-iced Victorian building, and its name conjures up images of quilted bedspreads, gingham tablecloths, and the stars and stripes. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The 'Met', as it's fondly called by those in the know, is most famous for the drunken antics of British celebrities in its members bar. When it first opened in 1997 it seemed that not a night went by without some kind of fracas involving a celeb and the waiting paparazzi. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

These days Smithfield is seen as one of London's hippest postcodes for clubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, but this wasn't always the case. Old Smithfield, being outside the city jurisdiction, was a haven for crooks and criminals and was commonly known as The Rookery. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Unless you've got connections with the Royal Family, this is about as close as you'll get to having tea with the Queen. Opposite Buckingham Palace, with views over the Royal Mews, it's perhaps not surprising to find that the Rubens is a firm favourite with Americans looking for t… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

What makes the Sanderson so much fun is the way it has managed to turn traditional design completely on its head. The Sanderson is without doubt the hippest place to stay in London. Hidden behind a protected 1950s office building of aluminium and glass, this 'urban spa' is the br… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

A grande dame of epic proportions, this gorgeous hotel oozes old-style Hollywood glamour. The Savoy is so swish it's even got its own road, Savoy Street, that runs off the Strand (and is the only road in London where you have to drive on the right-hand side). Full Lonely Planet Review ›

For those looking to stay south of the river the Southwark Rose Hotel is a great choice. Billed as London's first budget boutique hotel, it does a pretty good job of offering minimalist design for relatively less than you might pay in the centre of town. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The Cadogan will forever be associated with its two most infamous guests: Lillie Langtry and Oscar Wilde. Langtry, actress and mistress to Edward VII, lived at 21 Pont Street, which was later amalgamated into the hotel, and Wilde was arrested here on charges of having committed c… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The history of the Colonnade Town House is almost as interesting as the roster of guests who've stayed here. Originally built as two private homes in the 1800s, this hotel has experienced life as a hospital - the original lift which was used to carry stretchers and trolleys up to… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Old England meets modern London over six delightful floors of British charm and eccentricity in The Gore. A remarkable 5000-odd antique pictures, prints, lithographs and oil paintings decorate the walls here from the entrance hall and reception area right along the hotel corridor… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

A discreet address for the fashionable business traveller, the Halkin is an elegant, understated hotel with a reputation for impeccable service. With only 41 rooms and a litany of Armani-clad staff, regular Halkin guests can expect to be greeted by name as soon as they set foot i… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Anouska Hempel's seriously cool hotel is a stunning example of minimalist design. Towering atriums, floating walls and a Zen-like simplicity are just some of the features that make this place unique. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The Ritz hotel is as synonymous with glamour and grandeur as the city of London itself. Nearly 100 years young, it still remains one of the original examples of sophisticated living and refined excess. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Discreetly located in the heart of the City, Threadneedles is an elegant boutique hotel that was converted from a 19th-century bank. Dating back to 1856, the original solid oak doors, marble columns and elegant hand-painted stained glass dome remain gorgeously intact. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The site where the Windermere hotel sits has seen plenty of history: Kings, Queens, Princes, Nobles and Abbots regularly passed by on their way to and from Westminster Abbey and the Abbot's official residence. Nowadays guests at the Windermere might not be of regal standing, but … Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This 100-room hotel in a gem of a belle époque building just south of Euston Rd has received a long-overdue face-lift and is now ready for action. The emphasis here is on comfort, the style is contemporary and the attached Number 12 bar a welcome addition to the area. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This luxury Italian hotel overlooking Kensington Gardens has raised an ostentatiously bejewelled finger to minimalism, with its baroque lobby (black glass chandeliers, a water feature in the lobby, gold reception desk) and opulent low-lit rooms. It's over the top, in a refreshing… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Just a block west of Berkeley Sq, the 110-room Chesterfield comprises five floors of refinement and lustre hidden behind a fairly plain Georgian town house. It has ceilings with mouldings, marble floors and period-style furnishings as you'd expect from one of the grand dames of L… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Ever popular French chain has four apartment blocks throughout the city, including a Holborn/Covent Garden branch (7395 8800; 94-99 High Holborn WC1). Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This sprawling 92-room hotel, just behind the Wallace Collection and excellently placed for Oxford St shopping, was once a country inn and still retains something of the feel of a gentleman's club. The same family has owned it since 1921. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This 60-room hotel has a lovely black and white tile exterior but rather ordinary guestrooms and public areas (who chose the tartan armchairs and that diamond-patterned carpet?). But it's in a great location just north of Oxford St and Soho. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

'Elegant' and 'intimate' are two words constantly used to describe this well-located and recently renovated boutique hotel, which is pretty funny considering the proprietors also own the overblown Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. The 86 guestrooms at the Lowndes have beige and brow… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Tipping its cap fairly determinedly at the professional traveller, Kingsway nonetheless manages to provide 170 smart, comfortable and very central rooms for anyone with less business and more play on their mind. The atmosphere is more relaxed on the weekend, when rates are consid… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This elegant 200-room hotel is famed for its fabulous close-up views of the Thames and the Houses of Parliament. It was formerly the headquarters of the Greater London Council; the atmosphere in the traditional rooms remains somewhat stuffy. There's a 25m-long pool on the 6th flo… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Its 30 rooms across three floors are quite generic, but the Mad Hatter feels slightly homier than most chain hotels, thanks to its traditionally styled reception area and an adjacent pub bearing the same name. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This enormous 545-room hotel in a white-tile Art Deco building might appear a bit 'standard issue' inside and too used to welcoming groups. But the location, just west of Regent's Park and within easy walking distance of Soho and three Underground stations, and the great price ma… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Its less-than-inspired name notwithstanding, this stylish place was one of London's first boutique hotels and still bears the classic boutique combination of colours (blacks, greys and reds) in its 78 guestrooms. The Library is a welcome retreat for chilling but we're not sure ab… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

For a humble establishment, the 21-room Oxford sure tries hard with its sunny yellow walls and blue checked bedspreads, although the swirly carpets in the breakfast room and dodgy stairs are a reminder of how tired things used to be. Full Lonely Planet Review ›

This 87-room place is not exactly no-frills but has a long way to go before it features in Wallpaper* magazine. Still it's at the southernmost extreme of Brick Lane so is well suited for those with business in the city or out on the town in Shoreditch. A planned addition of 25 ro… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

With tasteful Regency furniture throughout the lounge and immaculate bedrooms (plus discreetly placed plasma TVs etc), this 48-room hotel just north of Hyde Park is a classic example of a renovation gone right - indeed, even the sparkling bathrooms retain a semiperiod look and fe… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

A cut above your average pub hotel, the 34-room Sanctuary lives up to its name, although it's just a few minutes' walk from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The style is very much cosy English country cottage and some of the refurbished superior rooms even contain … Full Lonely Planet Review ›

One of London's hippest hotels, the Soho is in a reconverted car park just off Dean St. All the hallmarks of the eclectically chic hoteliers and designers Tim and Kit Kemp have been writ large over 91 individually designed rooms, the colours lean towards the raspberries and puces… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

A 'slice of New York urban chic' just a stone's throw from Covent Garden, this Philippe Starck-designed hotel is so cool you'd hardly notice it was there. ('What, in that glass box?!?') Its 204 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping West End views, the public rooms are… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The demand for designer digs was so strong in London a few years back that even the Hilton got in on the act with this tastefully minimalist hotel on the south side of Trafalgar Sq. Now it's become the capital's 'first unbranded Hilton property' (meaning no logo) though the styli… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

Everyone will feel at home in this broad church of 45 winning and very affordable studios. Rooms all contain kitchenettes but otherwise differ wildly - ranging from a tiny but well-equipped single to a generously sized family room with balcony and embracing all styles of decorati… Full Lonely Planet Review ›

The glorious Edwardian splendour of this renovated old pile still lives on in the heritage-listed Palm Court, the splendid hall where a certain Lonely Planet author is known to have once taken his mother to the weekend tea dance. So thorough is the break from the past elsewhere, … Full Lonely Planet Review ›