Global hospitality heavyweights are investing in the British capital with new hotels, and they’re betting big. Raffles repurposed the landmark Old War Office—Churchill’s erstwhile HQ—while the Peninsula broke new ground just opposite the Buckingham Palace garden, both brands staking claims in prime London real estate. Waldorf Astoria and Six Senses will soon follow suit with their own local debuts, while Rosewood and Mandarin Oriental plan to open second properties. But don’t let the big names drown out boutique newcomers like the whimsical Broadwick Soho, a glittering reminder of the homegrown English charisma that makes London a must-visit in the first place.
Broadwick Soho
For 57-room bolt-hole Broadwick Soho, owner Noel Hayden was inspired by his 1980s upbringing in a quirky hotel in Dorset. Designer Martin Brudnizki riffs on Hayden’s magician father—and Houdini—in layered spaces featuring art by Andy Warhol and William Turnbull. Bar Jackie and the retro Italian restaurant Dear Jackie are love letters to Hayden’s mother. All is crowned by the glam top-floor bar Flute.
Raffles London at The OWO
The Singaporean hotelier’s first British outpost makes excellent use of its historic digs at the Old War Office (a.k.a. “The OWO”), where Churchill once worked and Bond films were shot. State offices are now ornately designed suites; brass buttons on vermilion curtains and regimental portraits throughout evoke the Household Cavalry, offering just the right amount of Edwardian maximalism and British pomp.
The Peninsula London
The hallmarks of the rarefied Hong Kong brand are all present in this new build: immaculate service, streamlined tech, neutrally cosmopolitan design that gives way to a serene frictionless-ness, and capital-L luxury. In the 190 rooms, marble baths and plush furniture await; underground, the spa stretches across two stories; on the roof, a restaurant and bar grant top-of-the-world views of the city.
This article appeared in the March 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
