The Best Luxury Hotel in London is… Why Identity & Context Matters Most

What makes a hotel truly the best in London? This feature by our partner Parade, leading luxury Events Concierge company, explores how identity and context, the story a hotel tells and the atmosphere it creates, matter more than traditional notions of luxury in a city where the market is hotter than ever and new competitors continue to emerge.

Feature by Parade

Claridges Hotel - London, UK. Part of Maybourne Hotel Group.

At Parade, our clients are luxury brands and other business that need to take extra special care of their most important audience, be they VICs, Press & Influencers, internal stakeholders or other valued guests. We provide event concierge services designed to deliver guests to an event in the best possible frame of mind, and a hugely important element of how we do that is by helping our clients to find the right hotel. 

We have worked in the events industry for a long time, and it used to be that when a client asked us which is the best hotel in London that we could respond by telling them one of three or four properties (you know which they are), all in Mayfair or Knightsbridge and all considered THE place to be.

However, when our clients now ask us which is the best hotel in London, we can no longer offer a simple, sweeping answer. 

Because here’s the thing: the “best” hotel isn’t a singular title anymore. It’s personal. It’s contextual. It’s about what’s going to be the best fit for the brand and, just as crucially, for their guests. And when it comes to creating a guest experience that will help our clients build emotional connections, one size most certainly doesn’t fit all.

Twenty years ago, choosing a luxury hotel in London was easy. There were a few obvious names, all clustered in Mayfair or Knightsbridge, serving the same slice of clientele in much the same way. Today? The landscape has shifted completely. We now have not just a handful, but dozens of exceptional options, each with its own identity, its own energy, its own type of guest experience.

And the evolution isn’t slowing down, it’s accelerating. The fifteen or so tried-and-tested five-star stalwarts are now joined by a dazzling line-up of newcomers and game-changers. The competition is fierce. The standards are sky-high. And that question - “What’s the best hotel in London?” -  has never been harder to answer.

So how do we guide our clients to the right decision? It starts with location, and this is where the old rules no longer apply.

It’s not just Mayfair anymore, and thank goodness for that. When Rosewood London opened in 2013 and made Holborn glamorous (yes, Holborn), it was a wake-up call. Soho, Fitzrovia, The City, even London Bridge each offer its own kind of luxury, its own flavour of London. Six Senses Bayswater will soon push the boundaries even further, proving that even once-unmentionable postcodes can become the next luxury hotspot. An address speaks volumes. And a brand’s bravery to select an address that is perhaps unexpected speaks volumes more. 

Six Senses, Bayswater - London, UK.

How hotel staff greet guests says as much about your brand as the choice of hotel location. Are you classic Mayfair or ‘edgy’ Soho? Are you quietly confident in Marylebone or boldly corporate in the City? When a hotel is chosen to host an event, how the front of house team look after guests should complement the clienteling experience a brand’s sales team deliver, thereby building a layered brand experience that feels authentic and considered, and well-suited to the clients invited.

Next, we consider style and atmosphere. London may not have Palace Hotels like Paris (although Claridge’s, The Lanesborough and the new Chancery Rosewood come close!), but we make up for it in diversity and personality. Do you want grand and glossy? Try The Peninsula or The Dorchester, the former nearly brand new and the latter fresh from its splashy makeover. Looking for something boutique and intimate? Broadwick Soho delivers theatrical flair, while The Twenty Two feels like the (very well-heeled) home of your most stylish friend and The Emory is the ultimate statement of confidence. Want modern, sustainability-led design? 1 Hotel Mayfair packs a punch. Prefer something heritage-rich and brilliantly “London"? Raffles at the OWO charms in all the right ways.

And then there’s service: formal and white-gloved, or relaxed and on-your-level? Some guests want to be pampered, others want to feel at home. Neither is right or wrong. But they are very different. 

In the next few years, the decision will only get harder. The arrival of Cambridge House by Auberge, the St Regis in Mayfair and Waldorf Astoria at the iconic Admiralty Arch (among others) will push London into a new tier of luxury.

And we’re here for it. It means more choice, more nuance, more opportunity to match each of our clients with their perfect London stay, and then we build the rest of the experience from there. Because while those OG “best hotels in London” will always hold a special place in our hearts (and remain top of the list for many), we now have a much more exciting conversation to have.

What does this mean for Marketing & Communications Directors? Well, it means more choice for sure, but also means there’s an opportunity to think about how your brand values can be truly represented through the hotel that is selected for your guests. 

And that’s where we come in. Offering guests a hotel experience that is well-suited to your brand, and more importantly to their individual preferences, will immediately make them feel understood. Offering them a new, unexpected point of view is a great way to build connections and to kick-off a unique brand experience. 

To talk to Parade about how they can help you to find a fresh perspective for your next clienteling project in London or globally, email enquiries@weareparade.com.