Review: London landmark Hotel Café Royal
Location: Set on the corner where Piccadilly Circus meets Regent Street and flanked by glamorous Mayfair, buzzy Soho and historic St James’s, there’s hardly a more perfectly positioned London address than Hotel Café Royal. The main entrance is on quieter Air Street, allowing guests to escape the crowds for a stress-free check-in.
First impressions: On stepping into Hotel Café Royal, I immediately feel miles away from the bustle of central London. In fact, the property’s ornate ceilings, marble walls, stately staircases and elaborate glass chandeliers make me think I’ve been transported to a bygone era altogether. The hotel beautifully blends age-old splendour with modern sophistication, and the result is captivating.
The facts: Café Royal has been a London landmark since it opened in 1865 as a small cafe-restaurant, quickly becoming a popular haunt for A-listers and tastemakers. Housed in a Grade II listed building, the venue closed its doors in 2008 to undergo a five-year restoration and reopened as a 159-key property under independent hotel group The Set. There are five room categories, including five expansive Signature Suites and the rooftop Dome Penthouse, as well as the option to book one of two six to 13-bedroom wings. The decor in these options is lavish and heritage-rich, while my Junior Suite (like many of the lower room categories) is more modern, with Portland stone walls, a large dressing area, marble bathtub and workspace. The hotel houses three restaurants, a bar and patisserie. Gilded and grand Café Royal Grill serves elevated British comfort food; 34-seat Michelin starred Alex Dilling offers traditional French cuisine; and The Gallery is the place for a hearty breakfast – perfect after an evening at moodily lit chic cocktail club Green Bar. There’s also the Akasha Spa hidden in the basement, offering everything from traditional hammam rituals to hydrotherapy.
Ideal for: Well-heeled, designer-bag-wearing socialites and discerning business people.
Explore: From the hotel’s doorstep, London is your oyster, and suite guests have the benefit of a personal chauffeur or – for those staying in the top room categories – a loaned supercar to whizz them around the capital.
Wow: Finding a pocket of calm in the heart of one of London’s most tourist-heavy districts is no small feat, yet Hotel Café Royal achieves just that. After a blissfully deep sleep, I sit on my balcony to people-watch and leaf through The Café Royal Times, an ode to the hotel’s storied legacy of guests from Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf to the decadent soirées once hosted for David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
Book it: Room-only rates start from £695 a night.
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