Sleep
THE DIXON
If you were spending a couple of nights on this part of Tooley Street back in the day, you’d probably be in quite a bit of trouble as it used to be home to a magistrates’ court. Now you won’t find yourself in the dock (unless you’re drinking in the Courtroom Bar) as the space has been transformed into The Dixon hotel. As well as the aforementioned bar, the hotel is home to the very Insta friendly Provisioners restaurant and 193 swish bedrooms with original Edwardian features, grey timber furniture, king size beds and Murdock London toiletries. And once you step outside, you’ve got the best of SE1 right on your doorstep.
THE STANDARD
The London outpost of the US hotel group is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annex in King’s Cross. The Standard features 266 rooms from snug hideaways to terraced suites with outdoor tubs – imagine the views from there. They’ve also added three storeys to the top of the building, only accessible by their iconic exterior red pill lift, where you’ll find Decimo, a Spanish-inspired restaurant headed by Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias. There are more eating and drinking options on the ground floor with restaurant Isla and bar Double Standard. There’s a real 70’s California vibe going on inside, with lots of mahogany, plush leather and pops of colour. This place is highly Instagrammable and a hot new addition to London.
THE NED
The Soho House group transformed the old Midland Bank in the City, designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, into The Ned, a mighty luxury hotel. It’s a nod to 1920s glamour – think crystal chandeliers, marble columns and frilly lampshades, with many of the building’s original features still intact. The 250 bedrooms range from intimate crash pads to large-scale suites and it’s also home to eight restaurants (including Cecconi’s, Malibu Kitchen, and Electric Bar & diner), a rooftop bar, two pools and a spa. It’s as boujee as they come.
KINGSLAND LOCKE
If you’re after somewhere that offers more that just a bed, head for one of these 124 apartments in the heart of Dalston with interiors just as vibrant as the neighbourhood itself. Staying at Kingsland Locke also means having run of their social spaces, including a co-working lounge, coffee shop, workout studio and microbrewery. Drinks from German Kraft Brewery and Jim & tonic, and food from Le Bab? Check us in. The whole place is inspired by the local surroundings and we bet you feel like a proper Londoner after settling down here.
HILTON BANKSIDE
The Hilton Bankside is a million miles away from what you’d usually associate with the Hilton hotel chain. Set in what used to be the fragrance factory of Stevenson & Howell’s Standard Works, and with the Tate Modern, Haywood Gallery and hip new restaurants and bars as its neighbours, the hotel really makes a statement with its impressive design. The rooms are plush – the king deluxe suite features a bed you could get lost in and a separate living space with a sofa, arm chair and TV, and a huge walk-in rainforest shower. The Bankside also has a 17-metre heated swimming pool, a gym, and in-house restaurant OXBO Bankside, which serves up modern British grub.
BATTY LANGLEY'S
Located in the heart of Spitalfields the Batty Langley’s hotel, by its own admission, has a pretty strange name. The 29 bedroom hotel dates back to 1724 with Georgian interiors as opulent as one might expect from an 18th century architect’s residence. Think thick draped curtains, huge oil paintings with golden frames on every wall, open fireplaces and bookshelves filled with big leather-bound books. The hotel doesn’t have a restaurant but they do serve breakfast in bed and they make a mean bacon butty. There’s also a living room, fully stocked library, honesty bar with complimentary cake and a small outside courtyard for guests to use. With its decadent design, interesting past and charming location Batty’s is ideal for those looking to stay somewhere a little different.
THE CONNAUGHT
The Connaught is part of the same hotel group as Mayfair neighbour Claridge’s so it’s no surprise that this 5-star hotel is also dripping in elegance – their art collection alone includes pieces by Barbara Hepworth, Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois. The 121 rooms go from superior queens right up to an apartment suite and all have 24-hour butler service – this is Mayfair after all. As well as The Connaught Bar, a regular on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, the hotel is also home to Jean-Georges at The Connaught, the two-star Helene Darroze at The Connaguht and the legendary Connaught Grill, which was revived by Jean-Georges Vongerichten in 2020.
THE DORCHESTER
The Dorchester is one of the most famous hotels in London and since it opened in 1931, it’s been a popular haunt of royals, celebs and even presidents. As well as having a host of opulent rooms and suites, the five-star hotel is also known for its collection of restaurants, which include The Grill at the Dorchester, led by Tom Booton (creator of that lobster thermidor tart); China Tang, which serves traditional Cantonese food; the 3-star Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester; and The Promenade, where the hotel’s afternoon tea is served.
CLARIDGE'S
Claridge’s is quite simply a London icon. The 5-star hotel is synonymous with glamour and elegance – it’s popular with the royals as well as whole host of other famous faces, so that should give you some idea of the standards they run this place to. The rooms range from superior kings to royal suites, and they’re all decked out in grand art deco style. If you can’t afford to sleep over, you can still get a little taste of luxury with the hotel’s famous afternoon tea – served in that signature green and white china – or at Davies and Brook, the restaurant from Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm, which serves up dishes like dry-aged duck glazed with honey & lavender and Claridge’s Fried Chicken.
GRAN HOTEL CALDERON
Hotel Gran Calderon is part of the NH Collection group, which is very present in Barcelona with eight properties in total. The five star hotel has a prime location – situated in Eixample it’s surrounded by bars and restaurants and only a 10 minute walk to Las Ramblas and Gracias. The rooms are spacious and have all the amenities you could possibly need. The suites are huge and come with two 50 inch TVs and two bathrooms – you never know when you might be caught short. Following the theme the breakfast buffet is also quite the spread; anything you might want, it’s here. But the real highlight is the rooftop. 11 floors up you can find a cocktail bar and rooftop pool with 360 views of the city, making it the ideal spot for soaking up the Spanish sun and the selfies.
THE BARCELONA EDITION
The Barcelona EDITION hotel combines luxury and sustainability throughout all its 100 rooms. The hotel is located in the city centre in the lively El Born neighbourhood, just a short walk from Las Ramblas. The hotel is home to two bars and three restaurants – Cabaret, located in the basement, does what it says on the tin as dinner (we can recommend the red prawns rice made with locally sourced Costa Brava seafood) comes with a cabaret-style show featuring a live singer. Our favourite part of the hotel though is definitely The Roof. Located 10 floors high it has 360 views of the city, sunbeds and a plunge pool. Head up there for golden hour and enjoy one of the cocktails made using seasonal ingredients. Perfect to sip on whilst watching the sunset..
CASA BONAY
Casa Bonay is one of Barcelona’s best boutique design hotels, and is excellent value too. Once a private home, the building has been converted into a very cool hotel with a bar in the former garage and a hipster coffee shop at the front called Satan’s Coffee. The rooms are cosy size-wise but well designed with mosaic-tiled floors, high ceilings, and modern furniture. We love the little roof top too which as a little bar and restaurant, plus a small garden area reserved just for hotel guests. It’s got a great location too and you can walk most places, perhaps with the odd cab home at the end of the night.
THE HOXTON PARIS
Set in an 18th Century Hotel Particular, with many of the original features still intact, this glamorous addition to The Hoxton family has 172 bedrooms, two courtyards, a modern French brasserie, Jacques Bar, an atmospheric lobby, and vaulted meeting and event space. But the best thing about this place is the design – every nook and cranny has been perfectly curated. There’s a 300 year old spiral staircase, original iron columns, tiles from the 18th Century and exposed timber beams in some of the 4th-floor bedrooms. Our fave spot right now? That’ll be Jacques bar with floral wallpaper, tasselled lamps, fluted sofas and palms…
The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is one mighty impressive building. Even those who haven’t been inside will have probably seen various parts of the hotel on TV – yes it was the staircase in the Spice Girls ‘Wannabe’ video. It’s grand and decadent with high ceilings and huge corridors, made so for ladies in the olden days who wore massive skirts so that they could walk along them without getting stuck, and the rooms come with plenty of five-star touches. The hotel is also home to the Booking Office restaurant with a 29-metre-long bar and classic English grub.
THE LINE HOTEL
There’s a lot of hotels in LA but one of our faves is The Line located in Korea Town. Whilst that might seem like a random location it’s actually opposite the subway line which is super effecient and clean – hooray for not sitting on the freeway in traffic. There’s also some incredible Korean resturatn’s such as Park’s BBQ close by. The rooms all have floor to ceiling windows so feel massive even though they are pretty compact and minimal, albiet filled with the essentials and plenty of quirky touches. There’s a decent pool, The Commisionary, a super instagrammable greenhouse restaurant and a hidden club behind a vending machine. Be sure to ask for a view of the Hollywood Hills!
Motel One is a budget design hotel that looks good, is super comfortable and is conveniently located a short walk away from the beach in Barcelona…what more could you need on a city break? With natural tones, concrete tiles, huge pendant lighting and modern furniture in the lobby plus a plant and nature theme running throughout, first impressions of the space are great.
Arguably one of the hotel’s best features, the terrace offers amazing views of the city as well as being a place to unwind, relax and lay about thanks to comfy sofas and day beds. The terrace also makes for a perfect vantage point for when the sun goes down and at night a bar swings into action.
Motel One is modern, cheap and looks amazing. You can’t go wrong.
THE HOXTON SHOREDITCH
The Hoxton, Shoreditch is the original east end design hotel, having been on the block since 2006. The hotel has 211 rooms, which are compact but perfect for city stays, and with a restaurant and lobby below that’s buzzing 24/7 there’s really no reason to be in your room other than to sleep. The rooms all come with free breakfast bag, water and a mini fridge to stock with booze from the lobby shop at supermarket prices although we’d recommend checking out the avo on toast for breakfast – it’s our fave avo in London. Be sure to check out the cultural events programme whilst you’re there too and really submerse yourself in the local culture.
The second hotel in The Hoxton series opened in Holborn in 2014. There are 174 rooms, which come in four different categories. All rooms have black-out curtains and super comfy beds so be sure to double set your alarm… And with the usual Hox perks including one hour of free phone calls worldwide, super fast free WiFi, a breakfast bag filled with snacks and a fridge with free water and fresh milk, you’ll never wanna leave. Downstairs there’s also a restaurant and bar, nail salon, a coffee shop in the form of Holborn Grind and Chicken Shop. Yes, The Hoxton, Holborn ticks all our boxes.