Corinthia London

Whitehall Place’s grandest hotel reopened in 2011 after a lengthy renovation, and the building it occupies, a nineteenth century pile close to Trafalgar Square and the river, gives Corinthia London a scale that few of the newer luxury hotels in the city can match. The lobby alone, with its vast crystal chandelier, sets an unapologetically maximalist tone that continues through the rest of the property.

The spa is the genuine standout, spread across four floors with seventeen treatment rooms, an indoor pool lined in black marble and mosaic, and a hydrotherapy circuit that ranks among the largest hotel spa offerings anywhere in London. Guests who never leave the building during a stay would not be short of things to do. A separate spa membership is available for non guests, making it one of the few hotel spas in London genuinely open to local regulars rather than just residents.

Rooms are large by London standards, traditionally furnished but not fussy, and the location puts Covent Garden, the South Bank and Westminster all within easy walking distance, a genuine advantage over hotels further out in Mayfair or Knightsbridge.

Dining across the property has changed hands several times over the years, with the hotel generally keeping at least one serious restaurant running alongside more casual all day options, though none has yet become as fixed a fixture as the spa or the lobby itself.

The honest caveat is that the scale which makes the public spaces so impressive can also make the hotel feel less personal than smaller luxury competitors, and reviewers occasionally note service that, while professional, lacks the warmth of some rival five star addresses nearby. It is a hotel built to impress on arrival, and it generally succeeds, though the standout genuinely is the spa rather than any single restaurant or bar within the building.