Choosing where to stay shapes any London trip, from legendary grande-dame hotels to design-led boutiques and dependable budget bases. This guide covers 8 of the best places to stay across neighbourhoods and price points — the iconic luxury names, the coolest boutiques and the smartest-value picks — with nightly rates and location tips.
$$$$The Savoy
Area
Strand / Covent Garden
Type
Luxury
“Even if you don't stay, book afternoon tea in the Thames Foyer or a martini at the American Bar.”
$$$$The Ritz London
Area
Piccadilly / Mayfair
Type
Luxury
“Reserve the famous afternoon tea in the Palm Court weeks ahead, and note the smart dress code (jacket & tie for gents).”
$$$$Claridge's
Area
Mayfair
Type
Luxury
“The art-deco lobby and afternoon tea are worth the visit alone; the seasonal foyer installations are a spectacle.”
$$$$Shangri-La The Shard
Area
London Bridge
Type
Luxury
“Book a room with a north-facing Thames view, and swim in the 52nd-floor infinity pool above the city.”
$$$$The Ned
Area
The City (Bank)
Type
Luxury / Boutique
“The soaring ex-bank banking hall with its many restaurants buzzes day and night; the rooftop pool is members/guests only.”
$$$The Hoxton, Shoreditch
Area
Shoreditch
Type
Boutique
“Book early for the cheapest rates, hang out in the buzzy lobby, and you're steps from East London's best bars.”
$$$The Zetter Townhouse
Area
Clerkenwell / Marylebone
Type
Boutique
“The eccentric, cocktail-focused ground-floor bar is a destination in itself — start your evening there.”
$$Premier Inn London County Hall
Area
South Bank / Waterloo
Type
Budget / Value
“Unbeatable location for the price — book far ahead, as this branch sells out fast.”
London hotels in detail
1.The Savoy
The Savoy is one of the world's most famous hotels, a byword for glamour since it opened in 1889 as Britain's first luxury hotel, complete with electric lights and ascending rooms. Straddling the Strand and the Thames between the City and the West End, it blends Edwardian and art-deco splendour across opulent rooms and suites, many looking over the river. Its public spaces are legends in their own right: the American Bar, one of the world's oldest and most awarded cocktail bars; the glittering Beaufort Bar; and the Thames Foyer, where afternoon tea is served under a glass dome. A Gordon Ramsay restaurant and a lavish spa complete the offering, and the hotel's own forecourt is the only street in Britain where you drive on the right. Rates are firmly in the splurge bracket, from around $800 a night, but even non-guests can soak up the history over a cocktail or tea. Superbly central for theatreland, Covent Garden and the river, it's the choice for a special-occasion stay steeped in old-world London luxury and impeccable service.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$800/night
Getting there
Tube: Charing Cross or Embankment, 5-minute walk; on the Strand
Insider tip: Even if you don't stay, book afternoon tea in the Thames Foyer or a martini at the American Bar.
2.The Ritz London
The Ritz has been a synonym for luxury since César Ritz opened it in 1906, its name literally entering the language as an adjective for glamour. Overlooking Green Park on Piccadilly, this Louis XVI-inspired palace dazzles with gilded, chandeliered interiors, marble, silk and antiques across its lavish rooms and suites. The Ritz Restaurant, one of the most beautiful dining rooms in Europe, holds a Michelin star, while the legendary afternoon tea in the pastel-and-gold Palm Court is a bucket-list ritual — served daily to a piano soundtrack and booked out weeks in advance. The clubby Rivoli Bar and a discreet casino add to the sense of occasion. A firm dress code, with jacket and tie required for gentlemen in several areas, preserves its old-world formality. Rates start high, from around $900 a night, marking it as a true splurge. Its Mayfair location puts you steps from Bond Street shopping, the Royal Academy and St James's. For quintessential, unabashed British luxury and the grandest of afternoon teas, The Ritz remains the benchmark against which others are measured.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$900/night
Getting there
Tube: Green Park (Piccadilly, Jubilee & Victoria), directly outside
Insider tip: Reserve the famous afternoon tea in the Palm Court weeks ahead, and note the smart dress code (jacket & tie for gents).
3.Claridge's
Claridge's is the most quietly aristocratic of London's grand hotels, an art-deco icon in the heart of Mayfair that has hosted royalty, heads of state and Hollywood for generations — so beloved by monarchs it was once dubbed an annexe to Buckingham Palace. Behind its red-brick façade lies a masterclass in understated glamour: a sweeping black-and-white chequered lobby, sculptural art-deco detailing, and rooms and suites blending period elegance with every modern comfort. Its afternoon tea is among the most sought-after in the city, taken in the foyer beneath a Dale Chihuly glass sculpture, and the hotel's seasonal foyer installations and Christmas tree, designed each year by a famous name, are events in themselves. A Michelin-starred restaurant, a chic bar and a serene spa round out the experience, all delivered with famously flawless, discreet service. Rates begin around $950 a night, placing it among the city's most exclusive stays. Set among Mayfair's galleries and Bond Street boutiques, it's the choice for travellers who want timeless sophistication and privacy. Even a drink or tea here is a memorable brush with old-money London.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$950/night
Getting there
Tube: Bond Street (Elizabeth, Central & Jubilee), 5-minute walk into Mayfair
Insider tip: The art-deco lobby and afternoon tea are worth the visit alone; the seasonal foyer installations are a spectacle.
4.Shangri-La The Shard
The Shangri-La occupies floors 34 to 52 of the Shard, making it the highest hotel in London and one of the most dramatic stays in the city. Every one of its rooms and suites has floor-to-ceiling windows, so you wake above the clouds to jaw-dropping panoramas over the Thames, Tower Bridge, St Paul's and the endless sprawl of the capital — request a north-facing room for the classic river view. The showpiece is Gong, a 52nd-floor bar beside an infinity pool that seems to spill out over the skyline, the highest hotel pool in Western Europe, while the Ting restaurant and lounge serve Asian-influenced dishes and a superb afternoon tea at altitude. Service carries the polished, gracious Shangri-La signature. Rates from around $700 a night are high but competitive with the city's other five-stars, and you're buying an unrepeatable vantage point. It sits directly above London Bridge station, moments from Borough Market, the South Bank and the City. For travellers who want their luxury with an unforgettable view — and a swim in the sky — it's genuinely one of a kind.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$700/night
Getting there
Tube/Rail: London Bridge station, directly beneath the building
Insider tip: Book a room with a north-facing Thames view, and swim in the 52nd-floor infinity pool above the city.
5.The Ned
The Ned is one of London's most dazzling hotel openings of recent years, occupying the monumental former Midland Bank headquarters in the City — a 1920s Lutyens-designed landmark. Its jaw-dropping centrepiece is the old banking hall, a vast, colonnaded space now filled with nine restaurants and live music that buzzes from breakfast to late into the night, giving the hotel a glamorous, sociable, 1920s-supper-club energy. Above it, 250 rooms and suites are decked out in rich vintage-inspired style, mixing velvet, brass and period detail with modern comfort. A members' club adds a rooftop pool with skyline views, a spa in the old vault, and further bars and restaurants, though many of these draw a lively local crowd too. It's more animated and design-led than the hushed grande dames, appealing to travellers who want atmosphere and buzz with their luxury. Rates from around $450 a night are relatively accessible for the class and setting. Bang in the City near Bank station, it's well placed for St Paul's, the Tower and the South Bank. Even non-guests can dine in the banking hall and soak up the spectacle.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$450/night
Getting there
Tube: Bank (Central, Northern, DLR & Waterloo & City), 2-minute walk
Insider tip: The soaring ex-bank banking hall with its many restaurants buzzes day and night; the rooftop pool is members/guests only.
6.The Hoxton, Shoreditch
The Hoxton, Shoreditch is the hotel that launched the Hoxton brand and helped define the affordable-cool boutique category. Sitting in the heart of creative East London, it nails a warm, retro-modern style across rooms that range from compact Shoebox to roomier categories, all sensibly priced — book early and you can find genuinely good rates for such a hip, central spot. The real heart of the place is the ground floor: a buzzy, plant-filled lobby lounge that doubles as a co-working space, meeting spot and all-day café-bar, spilling into a popular restaurant, so it feels plugged into the neighbourhood rather than sealed off from it. You're surrounded by Shoreditch's galleries, street art, independent shops, and some of London's best bars and restaurants, with the City and Liverpool Street a short walk or ride away. It suits younger travellers, solo trips and anyone who wants design, sociability and location over resort frills. Look out for the brand's free perks like the breakfast bag hung on your door. For stylish, well-located, value-conscious East London cool, the original Hoxton remains a top pick.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$180/night
Getting there
Tube/Overground: Old Street or Shoreditch High Street, 5-minute walk
Insider tip: Book early for the cheapest rates, hang out in the buzzy lobby, and you're steps from East London's best bars.
7.The Zetter Townhouse
The Zetter Townhouse is a small, delightfully eccentric boutique hotel that feels like staying in the home of a well-travelled, slightly bohemian aristocrat. Its rooms and lounges are crammed with antiques, curiosities, oddball art and rich, playful colour, creating a cosy, characterful atmosphere miles from cookie-cutter hotel design. The star attraction is its ground-floor cocktail bar, a dimly lit, curio-filled snug that is regularly ranked among the world's best bars, serving inventive, house-made drinks in a wonderfully theatrical setting — reason enough to visit even without a room. There are two locations: the original in Clerkenwell, beside its sister hotel The Zetter on St John's Square, near Farringdon and the foodie streets of Exmouth Market; and a second in leafy Marylebone off Marylebone High Street. Both are intimate, personal and beautifully done, with rates from around $220 a night that undercut the grand hotels while offering far more personality. It suits couples and design-lovers who want charm, a great bar and a real sense of place. For quirky, characterful, cocktail-fuelled London hospitality, the Zetter Townhouse is a gem.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$220/night
Getting there
Clerkenwell branch: Tube Farringdon; Marylebone branch: Tube Baker Street
Insider tip: The eccentric, cocktail-focused ground-floor bar is a destination in itself — start your evening there.
8.Premier Inn London County Hall
For travellers who want a central, comfortable base without a luxury price tag, the Premier Inn at County Hall is one of the smartest-value stays in London. It occupies part of the grand riverside County Hall building right beside the London Eye — an address that would cost a fortune elsewhere — putting you directly on the South Bank, across the Thames from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and within walking distance of Westminster, the Southbank Centre and Waterloo station. The rooms are exactly what the popular British chain does well: clean, quiet, well-equipped and consistent, with famously comfortable beds, at rates that often start around $130 a night, dramatically less than the neighbourhood's five-stars. There's an on-site restaurant for breakfast and dinner, and step outside and you're amid street performers, riverside walks and easy transport links across the city. It won't win prizes for character or frills, but for families and budget-conscious visitors who prioritise a brilliant location and dependable comfort, it's hard to beat. This branch is deservedly popular, so book well in advance to secure the best rates and availability.
Hours
Check-in from 15:00
Price
From ~$130/night
Getting there
Tube/Rail: Waterloo or Westminster, 5-minute walk; beside the London Eye
Insider tip: Unbeatable location for the price — book far ahead, as this branch sells out fast.