What's the poshest hotel in London?

[Teadrinker11]

What is the most luxury, posh, swanky, pretentious, you name it hotel in London? I went into the Ritz once for a coffee, closest I'll ever get to staying there lmao. It was definitely pretty nice though.

No idea 🤷‍♀️

Why do you need to know? Are you looking to stay, for a meal? Afternoon tea?

Pretentious- Bulgari!

A friend got married at the Lanesborough. Chinese, extremely wealthy, she had 3 weddings and that was the British leg (and the most subdued one). Stunning place, vair posh.
Also went to an event at the Savoy once which was also super swish.

Mandarin Oriental is very special.

Claridges is not pretentious but absolutely lovely. And IME, it's the one you can most easily get A-list celebs to come to parties in, because they like the venue and the staff are great.

Claridge's is where the royals go.

@Worldgonecrazy

Pretentious- Bulgari!

Hahaha came here to say exactly this. DH used to work in the luxury travel industry a few years ago, so I've been in most of the swankiest London hotels.

Poshest I've stayed in is probably 45 Park Lane or the Corinthia. They are both super, super luxe.

Love Claridges for old-school fancy.

My personal favorite was The Athenaeum. We used to stay there a lot, but it's been an age :(

I also love Claridges. Glad to hear it is still good. Do they still have the nice lady who would turn the taps on for you when washing hands?

I do miss my days visiting posh hotels.

I forgot to mention Dukes Hotel, which seemed to be the temporary home of the Paris Ritz orphans when the latter was being refurbed. Full of the understated smell of extreme non-flashy wealth!

I stayed at Shangri-La (Shard) twice. It doesn't feel overly pretentious, but is definitely posh.

There is a sommelier at dinner and the views from the rooms and pool are exceptional - you also get binoculars so can see the city up close from a height!

Would definitely recommend as a treat.

Saving now so I don't visit many nice places!

The Corinthia is very nice, I saw Will.I.am and Pierce Brosnan in there. Will.I.am laughed at me when I did a rather unsubtle double take as he walked past 😄

I’d have said Claridges too. It’s very “old school” somehow; smart without being totally ostentatious.

Goring is brilliant, still privately owned.

I'd say that The Goring is the poshest in the traditional sense. It's neither flashy nor a celebrity haunt but it's where K-Mid stayed before her wedding.

I’ve only been to The Goring for a drink. As the saying goes - Goring rhymes with Boring!

@UnwantedOpinionBelow Best hotel breakfast I ever had was at the Shangri-La! And the views are amazing. We had one of the bathrooms where you get a panoramic view from the tub .

This thread is making me nostalgic for travel

I’ve stayed at The Edition which was £1200pn - we used DHs loyalty points from a previous stay with work. We were very well looked after but I’m not sure if it felt posh: it’s pretty trendy and alternative.

I was surprised at The Goring, it was dated and dusty, very odd place.

The Langham is very nice, particularly if you pay extra and get the club lounge included .... drinks and snacks (inc champagne) whenever you feel like it.

I have stayed at the Goring a couple of times. The service is second to none, the breakfast divine. It's very trad, slightly old fashioned, but I love it.

The Connaught bar is one of my favourites; wildly expensive drinks, but a lovely environment.

Claridges is perennially gorgeous, and I like having a cup of tea in there (not as £££ and you might expect), but it's doesn't feel as special as it used to. The loos near the bar are still fab though.

@ISeeTheLight

A friend got married at the Lanesborough. Chinese, extremely wealthy, she had 3 weddings and that was the British leg (and the most subdued one). Stunning place, vair posh. Also went to an event at the Savoy once which was also super swish.

I came across Savoy by complete accident when I last visited, going to a tea shop lmao. Had to wander in, it was divine.

But what does 'posh' mean to you? What are you looking for?

The most expensive?
The most cachet?
The most luxurious?
The coolest hidden gem?
The newest thing?
Where royals go?
Where celebs go?

There are different answers to all of those things.

I've stayed at several of the ones above, and they all fit different categories. So help us out, what and why are you looking for?

And now I can't help myself...

Claridges - nice, very 'traditional', but dull (the loos off the foyer are nice though )

The Savoy - stayed in an £850pm room - have stayed in a lot more luxurious rooms around the world for a lot less! But breakfast is amazing, the check-in process is glorious, and the oldest lift in London is fab.

The Shard - way over-priced tourist nonsense, but there's no getting away from the fact that the view is glorious.

The Goring - quirky in a good way - old fashioned but very comfortable and just has a feeling of being special.

Langhams - again, on the tradition side, but feels fun and sparkly - likely to do with the clientele from the rather notable employer opposite.