Hotels Mariah Carey Has Stayed At

A Chihuly chandelier in the Foyer gives Claridge’s a fitting introduction: design is central to this Mayfair hotel, where Victorian grandeur and Art Deco geometry shape the public rooms. The bedrooms carry that range further, spanning Victorian, Deco, and contemporary styles rather than following a single decorative template. Afternoon tea in the Foyer & Reading Room remains one of the hotel’s defining rituals, while the intimate Fumoir has been serving cocktails since 1929. The spa adds another architectural draw, with a heated pool beneath a multi-vaulted ceiling supported by stone columns. Outside, Brook Street and Davies Street place guests among Mayfair’s shopping streets, within easy reach of Hyde Park.

A Baccarat-crystal chandelier above the Crystal Moon Lounge gives Corinthia London a suitably theatrical centerpiece, with afternoon tea served beneath it. That sense of occasion carries through a hotel whose grand façade stands at the corner of Whitehall, steps from the Thames. There’s considerable variety within: Garden Suites overlook a landscaped courtyard, while the Musician’s Penthouse has a Steinway piano and an outdoor terrace. Tom Kerridge’s restaurant brings British seasonal cooking and an open rotisserie to the dining room; Salvatore Calabrese’s Velvet makes cocktails another reason to linger. Biome, the hotel’s spa, adds a vitality pool, sauna, steam room and cold plunge—a substantial invitation to leave time between outings to the South Bank and Covent Garden.

English gardens provide the design thread at The Dorchester: their colors and motifs shape the rooms and suites, while an extensive art collection explores the British landscape tradition. Outside, Hyde Park stretches across from the hotel’s Park Lane address in Mayfair, with Bond Street’s boutiques nearby. That connection to its surroundings gives this grand London hotel a character beyond its dining credentials, which include contemporary French cuisine at the three-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse restaurant. The Promenade supplies a more everyday rhythm, serving breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner with live music. Together, these spaces make the hotel as much a place to spend an afternoon or evening as a base for exploring London.

Hand-painted trompe l’oeil marbling and chandeliers give The Lanesborough’s Withdrawing Room its elaborate character, with Wellington Arch framed beyond the windows. That taste for Regency decoration carries through the hotel’s individually furnished rooms and suites, each with dedicated butler service around the clock. Interior designer Alberto Pinto directed the renovation of this historic mansion at the edge of Hyde Park, where the setting puts Knightsbridge and Sloane Street shopping within easy reach. There is good reason to linger inside, too: chef Shay Cooper’s Lanesborough Grill centers its modern British cooking on seasonal produce from across the country, while the Library Bar keeps a collection of rare spirits.

Le Relais Plaza’s Art Deco dining room takes its cues from the first-class restaurant aboard the ocean liner SS Normandie—a telling detail at a hotel with such a strong sense of occasion. Opened in 1936, the brasserie remains part of Hôtel Plaza Athénée’s character on avenue Montaigne, where fashion shapes the surroundings and the hotel itself. Christian Dior staged shows and photo shoots here; today, the connection continues through the Dior Spa. Red geraniums mark the façade, while the vine-covered courtyard offers another distinctive setting for a meal. Between the avenue-side terrace, afternoon tea in La Galerie and suites with Eiffel Tower views, the hotel gives guests several ways to settle into this corner of Paris.

Karl Lagerfeld’s Grands Appartements give Hôtel de Crillon a distinctive design pedigree behind its Neoclassical façade on Place de la Concorde. Art runs through the hotel, with sculpture, painting and photography by established and emerging artists sharing space with its historic architecture. The rooms take a residential approach, pairing custom art and comfortable furnishings with marble bathrooms; suites add bespoke furniture, textiles and individually selected objets d’art. Tucked-away courtyards offer a quieter setting within the property. For an evening overlooking the square, Les Ambassadeurs serves cocktails alongside live music, with a terrace beneath the arcades—a place to appreciate the architecture as part of everyday hotel life.

Original mosaic floors and Duchemin stained glass in the Rotunda give The Peninsula Paris’s restored heritage building a particularly Parisian sense of occasion. On Avenue Kléber in the 16th arrondissement, the hotel carries that grand architectural character into 200 rooms and suites furnished with contemporary artworks. Its more individual accommodations include the Belle Époque-inspired Historic Suite and the Katara Suite, with its own rooftop garden and terrace. Upstairs, L’Oiseau Blanc’s sixth-floor dining room and outdoor terrace bring the city itself into focus, with views toward the Eiffel Tower. Those elevated spaces are a defining part of the hotel’s appeal: a chance to see Paris spread out beyond the formal rooms below.