London's Best New Hotels and Restaurants

Rosewood London

Among palatial mansions in buzzy Holborn, this is the choice hotel when doing business in the city and for discerning travelers desiring modern amenities. Rosewood’s elegance and playful side show through with an ever-changing art collection, appealing to its creative clientele. Its finest asset offers what few London hotels can deliver: space. The 262 rooms, along with 45 unique suites and a grand manor house with its own postcode, are all huge. This year the property celebrates its 10th anniversary under the impressive leadership of the dashing and charming Michael Bonsor, a driving force behind the hotel’s joie de vivre and soon-to-be the managing director of Mayfair’s upcoming The Chancery Rosewood (opening July 2025).

The Dining Scene:
Its Holborn location and discreet drive-in courtyard entrance attract celebrities, especially during frequent press junkets hosted here for movie premieres. Stars like Will Smith, Guy Ritchie, and Drake are ushered in quickly and attentively through the private entrance. Popular too with high-profile editors and fashionistas, its lobby can look like a Condé Nast convention.

At the Scarfes Bar, inspired by its namesake, renowned illustrator Gerald Scarfe, a loyal following comes in regularly. Expect a queue. Over the past 10 years the establishment has earned award upon award for inventing innovative cocktails such as Spring Lady (No. 3 gin, St-Germain, long pepper and acacia hydrosol, jasmine muyu) lychee wine, honey, Citra hops) and Bee-Stung (Naked Malt, peated ginger, nettle and espelette, vetiver honey).

At the British brasserie Holborn Dining Room, Scotch eggs and pies are the specialties. Of the latter, order the chicken with chestnut mushroom, leek fondue, and tarragon and you will not be disappointed. The good news (or the bad news, depending on your viewpoint) is that the menu includes a calorie count for each dish. For those who have a hungry eye and healthy appetite, the Masterful Art Afternoon Tea presents food as works of art. Pastry Chef Mark Perkins is the worthy winner of a Best Contemporary Tea Award for his menu of pastries inspired by David Hockney’s A Bigger Splash, Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, and Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, complete with a silver can top made of chocolate. rosewoodhotels.com

The Twenty Two

The hottest and coolest hotel in London. In the heart of Mayfair on Grosvenor Square, this Edwardian manor was reimagined by former Blakes hotel owner Navid Mirtorabi and business partner Jamie Reuben. With six suites and 25 rooms, including a Mews House, the spaces measure small but are ravishingly and richly decorated by Natalia Miyar; their opulent colors and prints have a cocooning effect. They pay homage to 18th-century France and are quite ideal for liaisons, dangerous and/or romantic. From the front desk staff to the unobtrusive butlers, service is friendly and efficient (strange how those words rarely appear together in a hotel review).

The Dining Scene:
Sitting in the bar can feel like you have been to the Frieze art fair, busy with alluring, modern British people and food. The restaurant, a delightful, Wedgewood blue dining room, runs under the guidance of Executive Chef Alan Christie and specializes in quality ingredients simply prepared. The global clientele that it attracts may have a high sequin count, but it doesn’t outshine the food. the22.london

The Peninsula London

When you drive up toward the traffic-heavy Hyde Park corner in the hotel’s 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom, you would be forgiven for querying about the hotel entrance and if your stay was going to be noisy. The car whisks around the corner to a discreet courtyard entrance and you glide into an oasis of calm as all your fears evaporate. For those who are familiar with Peninsula Hotels around the world, you will know they are consistently consistent. The hotel opened in September in the heart of Belgravia, so close to Buckingham Palace Gardens that it is said that King Charles II personally reviewed the building plans. The floor-to-ceiling soundproof windows offer grandstand views of the Wellington Arch and the weekday Parade of the Household Cavalry. London’s first billion-pound hotel, the Peninsula has just 190 exquisitely styled rooms and suites designed by the legendary Peter Marino. Expect lots of leather in the serene surroundings, showcasing elegant craftsmanship that whispers style and comfort. It is quiet luxury at its best. The service is impeccable and the impressive art displayed in the lobby and guest accommodations comes from the Royal Drawing School, bringing warmth and individuality to these spaces.

Everything is designed on feng shui principles and the Peninsula’s signature amenities do not disappoint. The nail drying bar is tucked away in the walk-in closets and the magnifying mirrors are perched in the perfect place for makeup applications so you can be seen in the best light. The Do Not Disturb sign is automatically illuminated when you enter the onyx-clad bathroom and to avoid further unwanted interruptions, parcel deliveries are squirreled away into the built-in delivery mailbox.

The Dining Scene:
This is a destination for the international set that means business and also loves to linger. An elevator in the style of a hot-air balloon effortlessly levitates to the Brooklands rooftop bar and restaurant, inspired by the fast-living Roaring Twenties era of motor racing and aviation. The rush of the London skyline is breathtaking while you order a martini. Later, flick the switch under your seat and the waiter reappears to replenish your drinks. For fine dining, Brooklands by Claude Bosi is overseen by the Michelin-starred chef and you won’t soon forget dining under an enormous silver Concorde suspended from the ceiling. Venture down to the basement level to the heady Little Blue cocktail bar and Canton Blue restaurant, where the interiors are festooned in sumptuous ceramics and the Cantonese food attracts a loyal, local following. peninsula.com

The Stafford London

Why do so many Americans stay at The Stafford? Could it be its excellent location, comparable rates, old-school charm, recently renovated rooms (many of them decorated in William Morris fabric), or the bar—which is called, well, The American Bar? The Stafford is exceptional, as it doesn’t have a scene (apart from the bar). It is quiet and cozy.

The Dining Scene:
The American Bar is an institution for sociable types and takes its cocktails seriously. Overseen by Benoit Provost, whose encyclopedic knowledge of Negronis and not-so-old-fashioned old-fashioneds is legendary. If you are feeling peckish try a Texas Twinkie (baby peppers stuffed with pork, beef, and raclette cheese) or peanut-butter-and-jelly donuts. With an interior reminiscent of New York’s old 21 Club (caps and scarves suspended from the rafters), it has bags of easy charm. It also has the extra benefit of outside seating, should the British weather allow. The Game Bird restaurant, under the direction of Michelin-starred-chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen from Northcote, offers modern British comfort food with a new take on traditional favorites. This is the sort of restaurant that can brag about its trolley offerings. The menu includes Devon-dressed crab with hot English crumpets followed by the steak-and-ale steamed suet pudding. If you have room, try the tonka and strawberry trifle. The crepes Suzette flamed tableside is guaranteed to set your heart on fire. This is not the place to show off your new trainers. The atmosphere is sophisticated but not stuffy and the service, relaxed and attentive. thestaffordlondon.com

The Beaumont

Stepping inside feels like being the guest star in an episode of Agatha Christie - Hercule Poiret: The First Cases. The building, featuring 72 rooms and 29 suites and studios, occupies a quiet street in Mayfair where it opened in 2014. The brilliant hoteliers Jeremy King and Chris Corbin created a lavish and gracious place to relax, reminiscent of the Gilded Age. Now privately owned and independently run, the hotel undertook a gentle renovation on the direction of the late French architect and designer Thierry Despont. The handpicked selection of prewar books and original paintings in the suites reflect the cultured taste of the hotel guests.

The Dining Scene:
An eclectic mix comes here, from “bright young things” to illustrious, old-school boys with a mutual respect for business and glamour. The Colony Grill Room offers a deliciously decadent and delightfully old-fashioned evening of fun. Order the classic Dover sole, steaks, or monkfish Wellington. The bespoke sundaes or bananas Foster prepared tableside is theater on a plate.

Whether conducting a business meeting, a brief encounter, or an affair to remember, Le Magritte Bar is the chic and prudent place to rendezvous. With its tastefully chosen collection of early-20th-century paintings and photographs, it is a slice of Art Deco heaven. Anyone for a lobster roll, accompanied by an Attempting the Impossible 1928 (gin, vodka, Italicus, Manzana Verde, lemon juice, tea, honey bitters)? It is a cocktail that, like the bar, lives up to its dazzling reputation. thebeaumont.com



Photo Credits: Courtesy Images From Top: The Peninsula Hotels/Will Pryce(4); The Beaumont/ZAC and ZAC(3); The Stafford London(3); The Twenty Two Hotel (3); Rosewood/Durston Saylor; Rosewood/John Carey