Hotels Queen Elizabeth II 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.

Hyde Park shapes more than the views at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park: it also informed Joyce Wang’s design for the rooms and suites. Drawing on the park and the golden age of travel, Wang combined Art Deco references with carefully selected artwork. Suites offer different perspectives on London, from the Turret Suites overlooking Knightsbridge to the Hyde Park Suites facing the park. Downstairs, the Rosebery serves afternoon tea, while the Aubrey brings a Japanese izakaya to the hotel’s dining scene. With direct access to Hyde Park at the back and the shops of Knightsbridge close by, the hotel makes a distinctive base for exploring this corner of London.

A private garden with room for croquet gives The Goring an unusually expansive backyard for a hotel within walking distance of Buckingham Palace. Its lawn, planted borders and deckchairs bring something of the English country house to Belgravia, with afternoon tea served on the overlooking Veranda. Run by four generations of the Goring family since Otto Goring founded it in 1910, the hotel carries that personal character indoors. Individually designed bedrooms include garden-facing rooms lined in Gainsborough silk, while the Michelin-starred Dining Room serves seasonal British cooking beneath wall decorations of monkeys drinking Champagne and emerging from cakes. Such playful details give its traditional English style a distinctly eccentric streak.

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.

The 1893 World’s Fair clock is back at the center of the Waldorf Astoria New York’s lobby, a fitting anchor for a hotel whose recent restoration makes its architectural heritage central to the stay. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon restored its exterior and interior spaces, preserving the scale of the Art Deco architecture. Upstairs are 375 redesigned rooms and suites; the King Room includes a seating area, writing desk, and deep soaking tub. Downstairs, Peacock Alley returns alongside Lex Yard, chef Michael Anthony’s brasserie. The Park Avenue address places guests in Midtown, near Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, and Fifth Avenue’s shops.