The 9 best hotels in London for every kind of traveler

It’s easy to find a list of the best hotels in London, but it’s probably more difficult to find the ideal hotel to match your specific travel style or interest. Our list of London hotels is steeped in village lore that reflects on a unique sense of place and community. These nine hotels act as ambassadors to distinctly different neighborhoods that provide welcomed, immersive experiences for guests to expand their exploration of England’s capital city.    

The Dilly

Best for: Families 

Mornings at the Dilly begin at the 40-foot indoor pool. “It’s definitely our biggest attraction – very rare in central London,” says Daniel Loosley, general manager. “It opens at 6:30, so kids like to have a swim before breakfast, then try our pancake machine at the buffet.” 

Enjoy the view overlooking Piccadilly while enjoying the hotel’s London-themed afternoon tea, which features a chocolate Big Ben filled with raspberry ganache. After teatime, ask hotel’s legendary doorman, Rushy, to point you in the right direction to all the best “Harry Potter” filming locations. From the hotel, you’re less than a 10-minute walk away from the seven-story Hamleys toy store or Supernova for smash burgers. For kids and parents alike, the thrill of Piccadilly Circus at night never gets old.

Good to know: Take your pint-sized bibliophiles across the street to peruse the Waterstones bookstore, known for having the largest kids’ section in London. 

(See all the famous sights with our family city guide to London.)

Kimpton Fitzroy

Best for: Drama queens

Clad in thé au lait terracotta the Fitzroy, an IHG hotel, is quite literally palatial, based on a Parisian chateau destroyed during the French Revolution. Inside, designers have conjured pure fantasy—more mystical than the Bloomsbury address would suggest. Renovations in 2018 unearthed a zodiac mosaic in the lobby, leading up the marble staircase to a bronze dragon visitors rub for good luck. Architect Charles Fitzroy Doll designed an identical sculpture for the doomed Titanic. Guests can grab a drink at the hotel’s bar, Fitz’s, with its dark, velvet décor and discreet back entrance. 

Good to know: Writers, philosophers, and artists of the Bloomsbury group met in nearby Gordon Square in the early 20th century. English writer Virginia Woolf lived at no. 46 and later rented the place to famous economist John Maynard Keynes.

The Goring

Best for: Royal watchers 

This hotel's Royal Suite was redesigned for Kate Middleton’s royal wedding entourage, and during that time, CEO Jeremy Goring commissioned a painting to hang by the original toilet in the bathroom. In the painting, a Tudor courtier kisses the hand of Elizabeth I – a breach of royal protocol. 

“The Sun thought it was treason,” says Goring. Luckily, the royals, longtime patrons of this Edwardian five-star property, were in on the joke. Standard hotel rooms here are no less regal, swathed in Gainsborough silks, matching those used at Buckingham Palace found around the corner.

Good to know: Spend time on the Goring’s croquet lawn and gardens, said to be larger than Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Portobello Hotel

Best for: Free spirits

Kate Moss’s vintage shopping habit helped put Portobello Road Market on the map. Likewise, her taste for champagne helped boost the bohemian pedigree of the nearby Portobello Hotel in Notting Hill. “She and Johnny Depp reportedly took a champagne bath in Room 16, as you do,” says house manager Tomasz Augustynowicz. Even though the pretty pillared houses have skyrocketed in value, it’s almost as if the Swinging Sixties and louche ’90s have never left. Those free-spirited times are translated into the hotel’s décor: the lush wallpaper, Moroccan tile, miles of velvet, and rolltop baths large enough for two. 

Good to know: For a quieter alternative to busy Portobello Road, take a stroll along Golborne Road and stop at Rellik, one of Moss’s favorite vintage boutiques.   

CitizenM Southwark Bankside

Best for: Eco warriors 

CitizenM took a chance on this south-of-Thames location when it debuted in 2012. “We’ve become a creative hub for people around Bankside, thanks to new restaurants and retail,” says Annalise Tyrie, the environmental, social, and governance director for the BREEAM-certified building. She helped implement an in-house app to minimize food prep and waste in the hotel’s busy cafe and co-working space. The hotel’s app has also partnered with the surplus-food marketplace Too Good To Go so uneaten breakfast finds a home. “Over 22,683 meals have been diverted from the dumpster since 2019,” she says. 

Good to know: Guest will appreciate the hotel’s proximity to free diversions such at the Tate Modern, Borough Market, and Thames Path.  

The Ned

Best for: Foodies

In the evening, the art deco Ned transforms into a Gatsby-esque event with nine raucous restaurants and bars. “Londoners cross town for Electric Diner’s lobster roll and the 44-day-aged prime rib at Lutyens Grill, named for the architect of this former bank, Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyen,” says Jack Cohn, food and beverage director. The Sunday feast – catnip for a Tiktok post – features a pyramid of lobsters. Cohn adds, “With the live jazz, the swing dancers, it’s like a time machine back to the 1940s.”

Good to know: Order a jelly “fronut” (a donut with ice cream in the middle) at the new in-house ice cream parlor. It’s the dessert du jour. 

The Zetter Clerkenwell

Best for: Homebodies

Arriving at the cobbled square outside of the Zetter Clerkenwell’s 13-room townhouse (furnished with period Chesterfields) is like something out of Jane Austen novel. Guests who prefer a night indoors can enjoy the cozy, candlelit Parlour, run by mixologist Anas El Bahhaj. An evening spent in a velvet armchair with his signature Nettle Gimlet—made with East London Gin and foraged herbs—is transformative! “The combination of gin and homemade nettle cordial captures the essence of Clerkenwell’s unique character,” say El Bahhaj. 

Good to know: The most beautiful buildings in the neighborhood have been retrofitted with chic bistros and bars. Try Sessions Arts Club, or head up to busy Exmouth Market for a pint at Mikkeler Brewpub.  

(Get fun facts about London, the best times to visit, and more.)

The Hoxton Shoreditch

Best for: Art mavens

When Shoreditch was still a gritty patch of galleries, The Hoxton transformed an adandoned parking lot into a round-the-clock open art house. Artists, curators, and musicians converged in the exposed-brick lounge, helped themselves to treats from the open pantry, or crashed in a bijou bedroom. Many others followed. 

“Being part of the rich artistic heritage and continuing to celebrate that was really important to us,” says Harry Raikes, who recently opened Haricot Gallery in a graffiti-splashed warehouse around the corner. “It has an energy we’re able to feed off, and a really strong community that cares for the arts – we didn't know it would be that strong, but we’re really grateful for it.”

Good to know: Head to the Llama Inn, the hotel’s new Peruvian rooftop bar that servers three types of pisco sours and offers a great view of the neighborhood’s outdoor art and murals.   

The Luxury Inn

Best for: Late-night revelers

Artsy party types started migrating northward from Shoreditch and Hoxton after they became well-known destinations in the 2000s. The Dalston area was a beneficiary, and the quiet, cozy Luxury Inn has become a popular crash pad. The former printing factory, now furnished with vintage finds and moody lighting, it’s an easy walk to Brilliant Corners, one of the bars that have replaced West Indian haunts like the Four Aces, which serves as a community library now. 

The Afro-Caribbean Ridley Road Market Bar is another neighborhood pillar. “We’ve tried to capture the beautiful chaos of the market and the feeling of a holiday bar, where everyone is welcome and the drinks are fun,” says owner Kerry Maisey. “The true essence of Dalston lies in its strong community spirit.”

Good to know: For LGBTQ+ guests staying at The Luxury Inn, you may want to consider a trip to Dalston Superstore, a hub for all things LGBTQ+, including a Queer club, café, and community space.  

(11 must-do experiences in London.)