The Best Hotels to Book Near the Royal Opera House, London

As the engraved signage on the red-brick exterior gives away, this building was once a 19th-century Hôpital Français (French hospital), created for the benefit of London’s migrant community. Thanks to a comprehensive interior makeover from renowned designer Kit Kemp, you can now expect embroidered needlepoint curtains and furnishings, a log fire burning in the wood-panelled drawing room, and neoclassical landscapes hanging in the bedrooms. Afternoon tea is themed depending on current West End shows. Anyone for A Spoonful of Sugar lemon drizzle roulade?

As with the Resident’s four other London locations, there’s a high degree of sophistication at this hotel on Bedford Street. The furniture in each of its 57 rooms is handmade in West London, plus British design is well represented here, with Scottish-woven cushions and Paul Smith lamps. However, it’s the wonderfully compact kitchenette that steals the show, with a Brita-filtered water tap and a mini-fridge that can be stocked with your favourite groceries before you arrive.

New Yorkers flocked to the NoMad in Manhattan when it opened in 2012. Now, it’s London’s turn to see what all the fuss is about. This building was previously the Bow Magistrates’ Court, where, once, Oscar Wilde, Emmeline Pankhurst, Vivienne Westwood and the Kray twins were called to account. Thankfully, there’s no sign of a gavel, and the courtroom has been replaced by a stunning cloudscape ballroom for hosting cocktail parties and dinners.

Once a magistrate in the aforementioned courtroom, Henry Fielding became the father of the English novel, but not before he founded the Bow Street Runners, the first police force in London. It was in these parts that they patrolled – this competitively priced and well-appointed hotel is named in his honour. The period street lamps and red phone boxes outside also make for a great twilight snap.

The Henrietta brings bel paese (nickname for Italy) to Covent Garden, with Italian design and a restaurant menu inspired by the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline. Rooms are drenched in blue and pink hues, accentuated by golden bedside lamps and hand-built headboards. Italian Supper Club founders Silvio Pezzana and Toto Dell’Aringa oversee things at Da Henrietta restaurant, which offers the Ligurian pancake known as farinata, made with chickpeas, pumpkin, bergamot and hazelnuts.

With three London locations in addition to outposts in Paris, Rome and Chicago, the Hoxton brand is now world-renowned for its chic and modern Shoreditch vibe. This Holborn iteration is no different, with nifty in-room touches that include retro Roberts digital radios, distressed leather sofas, and mahogany desks. Best of all, the hotel is putting its status – and its wall space – to good use by promoting the work of local London artists.

This Grade II-listed building was once the headquarters of the Baptist church. You’ll not find many men of the cloth here these days, though, as the hotel pitches itself as the most romantic hotel in London. Parisian Jacques Garcia is the designer who was tasked with fulfilling the brief, and the hotel’s mood-lighting, velvet, leather, and ruby-red tones do just that. The hotel even has its own perfume and offers a unique guest experience, matching cocktails, canapes and candles to its Roja scent.

This spa hotel at number one Aldwych does a fantastic job with the little touches that make a big difference. Book a suite here, and you’ll be offered a complimentary transfer – in an S-Class Mercedes – from your train station or airport. Kick back on arrival at the swish spa, with a chlorine-free swimming pool, a sauna and a steam room. Inspired by the nearby West End theatres, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea is not to be missed.

This 130-year-old hotel by the Thames is a London institution. Built by Gilbert and Sullivan impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, a sense of theatre pervades each of the 267 rooms here. Afternoon tea in the Thames Foyer is world-famous, with a traditional service style that dates back to 1840. Elsewhere, the art deco Savoy Grill – which has previously welcomed Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe and the Queen – is headed by Gordon Ramsay, with a British and French-inspired menu featuring beef wellington and confit duck.

Just minutes from the West End, this art deco-inspired hotel has been welcoming visitors into the city’s theatrical hub since 1909. The Lyceum, Adelphi, Vaudeville and Novello theatres are but minutes away on foot, while the Royal Opera House is a four-minute stroll up Wellington Street. With 785 rooms, this hotel requires a large restaurant and bar to keep everyone happy, and its polished Haxells eatery does just that. It offers a range of hearty British favourites including fish and chips and London Pride on tap.