Andaz Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street, EC2(020 7961 1234)

The first hotel in the City's Square Mile is ideal for businessmen, but also frequented by trendsetters from neighbouring Hoxton and Shoreditch. The 267 rooms come in all shapes and sizes (some with high ceilings and mouldings, others more attic-like with porthole windows) and the furnishings are uniformly sleek. Price rating: 5/5
Base2stay
25 Courtfield Gardens SW5(0207 244 2255)

The Kensington address, the grand, white façade, the black-and-cream reception with a lone sculptural flower, everything points to a classic boutique hotel. Except there's no bar, restaurant or gym, and a double room costs under £100. This new-concept hotel provides stylish, streamlined accommodation for the iPod-laptop-Blackberry brigade, two steps from Earl's Court tube and only a few more from the V & A. The 67 bedrooms have chocolate-brown carpets, photographic prints by Peter Lavery, oversized showers and lots of handy sockets (including a European one) for recharging all those gadgets. Large flat-screen TVs access 30 films at £2.95 a go and broadband costs £2.95 per hour. There are also vending machines selling Evian, in-room kitchenettes with fridges and microwaves, and directories listing nearby services. Price rating: 2/5
B+B Belgravia
64-66 Ebury Street, SW1(020 7259 8570)

Winner of a Visit London Award for two years running, this Georgian townhouse B&B is a good substitute for anyone who has dreamed of having a pied-à-terre in residential Belgravia, near the quirky fashion boutiques of Elizabeth Street and Victoria station. Opened in 2004, it is run by the B+B Collection, a consortium of hoteliers with plans to open more B&Bs in the UK. Rooms have flat-screen TVs, phone cards (allowing guests to make calls at standard rates) and free Internet. Interiors are fresh and contemporary (black and white in the living room; earthy tones in the smallish bedrooms). Commendably, none of the homeliness of the traditional B&B has been sacrificed: breakfast is a hearty Continental or full English, cooked to order. Price rating: 3/5
Belgraves
20 Chesham Place, London, SW1X 8HQ(020 7858 0100)

Thompson Hotels (the group behind 60 Thompson and Smythe Tribeca in New York) has just opened its first hotel outside the USA, in Belgravia. The 86-room Belgraves, all velvets and vintage furniture, will have a restaurant by Mark Hix. Price rating: 4/5
Browns Hotel
Brown's Hotel, 33 Albemarle Street, London W1(0207 493 6020)

Located in the heart of Mayfair, Brown's Hotel reclaimed its position as London's grande-dame hotel when it opened in 2005 following a £24-million refurbishment. Former guests Rudyard Kipling, Haile Selassie and Agatha Christie would hardly recognise their old quarters: designer (and Rocco Forte's sister) Olga Polizzi has spruced up acres of original oak panelling, wrought-iron banisters and stained-glass windows, and updated rooms with banquettes, limestone bathrooms and prints by British artists such as Bridget Riley. The hotel has 117 individually designed rooms, including 29 suites, all furnished with contemporary art and antiques. Facilities include three spa treatment rooms and a gym. Hix at the Albemarle restaurant serves classic British fare. Price rating: 5/5
Charlotte Street Hotel
15 Charlotte Street, W1(020 7806 2000)

Sister hotel to the Covent Garden Hotel, the Charlotte Street Hotel is located just north of Soho, in Fitzrovia. The hotel, owned by Kit and Tim Kemp, has 52 individually designed rooms including loft and penthouse suites decorated in contemporary English country-house style and is equipped with a CD player, DVD, VCR and all business related mod cons. The rooms and suites are in contemporary country-house style, and public spaces include two drawing rooms hung with works by Bloomsbury Group artists Roger Fry and Duncan Grant. The Oscar Bar & Restaurant, with its enormous mural of contemporary London, serves Modern British dishes such as Gloucester Old Spot cutlets. Other facilities include a cinema and a small gym. Featured in the Gold List 2011. Price rating: 5/5
Circus Apartments
39 Westferry Circus, E1(020 7719 7000)

Set in a swish, blond building in the Docklands, with a darkly handsome main entrance and beige and crimson furnishings, the hotel has 49 one-and two-bedroom apartments with fully equipped kitchens, DVD and CD players. You can be completely independent, but wake-up calls, maid service and other hotel amenities are available. Rooms have balconies but the apartments don't look directly over the river. Price rating: 5/5
Claridge's
Brook Street, W1(020 7629 8860)

Located in Mayfair, with Bond Street, Hyde Park, Covent Garden and the Houses of Parliament all within easy reach, Claridge's enjoys a prime location. The famed Art-Deco building dates back to 1898 and the hotel is one of London's most renowned. Residing head chef at the restaurant is England's only three-starred Michelin chef - Gordon Ramsay, who serves superb European cuisine. Don't miss Claridge's famed afternoon tea. The Olympus Health & Fitness Suite has a range of gym facilities, a personal trainer and sweeping views across London. Featured in the Gold List 2011.
Covent Garden Hotel
10 Monmouth St, WC2(020 7806 1000)

This intimate boutique hotel is located Covent Garden, in the heart of London's theatre land and dining district and so is perfect for a weekend theatre break or for some serious shopping. There are 58 stylish rooms and suites, many with views over London. Brasserie Max is a light and spacious restaurant that serves modern British cuisine in relaxed surroundings. There is also a fully equipped gym on the lower ground floor, a beauty treatment room and a private screening room where you can watch all the classics. Price rating: 5/5
Dukes Hotel
St James's Place, SW1(020 7491 4840)

Duke's Hotel is located in a hidden courtyard off St James's Street. The service is traditional and pleasant - expect deferential butlers, maids and valets to tend to your every need. Some rooms overlook St James's Place, but book the penthouse for the ultimate, royal views: Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Spencer House. Beware though - this is an old-school hotel and fun-loving visitors might find the formality inhibiting. Dukes Bar is famous for its dry Martinis, make sure you try one. Price rating: 5/5
Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf
46 Westferry Circus, E1(020 7510 1999)

A minimal modern hotel which is part of the riverside development near Canary Wharf (restaurants, shops, boats into London), with 142 rooms, including 14 suites and interiors just the right side of bland. Nobu restaurant is nearby. Staff are welcoming and well groomed. Good for business stopovers. Price rating: 4/5
Guest House West
163-165 Westbourne Grove, W11 (020 7792 9800)

Notting Hill's answer to the traditional B&B, the Guesthouse West has 20 small but functional rooms with flat-panel TVs, DVD players and broadband; and meals are provided by the neighbouring deli, Tavoli, run by chef Alastair Little. The hotel can arrange beauty treatments, personal training sessions, shopping trips or chauffeured tours of London. Price rating: 4/5
Hamilton House Hotel
14 West Grove, SE10(020 7380 4831)

Located in Greenwich, the hotel is set in an 18th-century house with original wooden panelling and flooring and interiors enlivened by the owner's Indian decor. There are nine generous double rooms (some have four-poster beds) all with en-suite facilities and Enderby's restaurant which serves modern British food such as pan-fried calf's liver with mash and bacon. Against the big hotels on the Isle of Dogs, this small, family-run hotel scores highly for its friendly, personal approach. Price rating: 4/5
Hazlitt's
6 Frith Street, W1(020 7434 1771)

Located in the heart of Soho and the theatre district, just off Soho Square and minutes from Chinatown, Hazlitt's is made up of three restored Georgian townhouses (one the former home of essayist William Hazlitt) with original paintings and antiques. There are 23 rooms, including one suite. The service is warm, the Georgian experience enhanced by chambermaids in traditional striped uniforms and white pinnies. The X factor? The huge, wood-panelled bathrooms with deep, roll-top baths and chain-flush lavatories. Price rating: 5/5
Hilton London Paddington
146 Praed Street, W2(020 7850 0500)

This hotel occupies the old Great Eastern Royal Hotel, a lavishly restored city landmark, and has 355 rooms. Business facilities include a ballroom which holds 480 for conferences and 15 other meeting rooms. Visitors in a hurry benefit from the 18 airline check-in desks at Paddington Station, where you can board the Heathrow Express for the 15-minute train journey to Heathrow airport. Price rating: 5/5
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Cadogan Place, London SW1(0800 082 8000)

This classic-contemporary, 216-room hotel in the heart of Knightsbridge is part of the Dubai-based Jumeirah Hotel Group. For the best Aberdeen Angus beef in London head to the Rib Room; for something lighter go to the Chinoiserie, or the glamorous Champagne Lounge. There's also the Peak Health Club & Spa, and a large, glass- roofed pool surrounded by tropical plants. The X-factor? The service is willing to go that extra mile, from preparing a private meal for two in the gardens of Cadogan Square to setting up cooking lessons with the chef. Featured in the Gold List 2011.
K West Hotel & Spa
Richmond Way, W14(020 8008 6600)

'South Beach meets East Village', as the website has it, it is not. The former BBC office is rather soulless, despite the striking glass façade and open-plan lobby-bar; and the Shepherd's Bush location feels out of the way, although it's not bad for Notting Hill. However, K West does have an excellent gym and spa (with ESPA and Thai-based Ytsara treatments). It also has an overall feeling of hipness that derives in part from design details (such as fluorescent strips in the corridor) and in part from its steady stream of visiting musicians, including Pink and Franz Ferdinand. Opened in 2001, K West has won plaudits for minimalist style at minimal prices. The 220 rooms, in taupe, brown and cream, stainless steel and glass, include 99 executive rooms with Philippe Starck baths, flat-screen TVs, DVD players and Wi-Fi (at £10 per day). The best are the six 592sq ft K Suites, which come with 37in Bose 'cinema' screens and double baths. Kanteen restaurant is open from early morning to 10.30pm. Price rating: 4/5
Langham Hotel
1C Portland Place, Regent Street, W1(020 7636 1000)

This hotel has had many lives: opened in 1865 and most recently known as the Langham Hilton, it has been the home of Napoleon, Wallis Simpson and the BBC over the years. Renovated and refurbished by Langham Hotels International, the hotel has 427 rooms and suites, a bar, Chinese-inspired Chuan spa and a selection of fine gourmet restaurants. The David Collins-designed Artesian bar (named after the artesian well beneath the bar, which dates back to the hotel's Victorian heyday) combines chinoiserie and Victoriana, brought up to date with timber chandeliers, imitation rattlesnake-leather flooring and resin table tops with a lilac-butterfly motif. The Langham houses one of the most luxurious and expensive suite in London, the 236 sq metre Infinity Suite, decorated in purple, gold and chocolate, which is the work of RPW Design, of Ritz-Carlton and Gleneagles renown. The suite comes with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and two butlers. Specially commissioned contemporary art adorns its walls and a car and driver are available for three hours a day. london.langhamhotels.co.uk/
Price rating: 5/5
London Marriott Hotel County Hall
Westminster Bridge Road, SE1(020 7928 5200)

Situated opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, in the County Hall building, seat of London's government for more than 50 years, over half of the hotel's 200 rooms have views of the river. Price rating: 5/5
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge, SW1(020 7201 3773)

The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has long been recognised as one of London's grandest hotels for both leisure and business travellers alike. The 200-room hotel includes bars, restaurants and health and fitness facilities. The cuisine, in particular is world-class: legendary Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud is the mastermind behind London's first Bar Boulud, which opened at the beginning of2010, and is also future the home of Heston Blumenthal's new restaurant. Guests may also choose to unwind in the hotel's award-winning spa, which features an amethyst crystal steam room and a zan colour therapy area, as well as offering a range of unique relaxation treatments from around the world. Featured in the Gold List 2011.
Metropolitan Hotel
Old Park Lane, W1(020 7447 1000)

With its ultra-trendy Met bar and Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Nobu (see Where to Eat) restaurant, much favoured by the A-list, this sleek, contemporary hotel is still one of London's hippest places to stay. The hotel has smart, minimalist rooms, a gym, Shambhala treatment rooms and extensive business facilities. Price rating: 5/5
Montagu Place
2 Montagu Place W1(020 7467 2777)

The fact that Holiday Inn owns this hotel may not sound auspicious. But with no corporate branding, and rooms designated Comfy, Fancy or Swanky, the hotel group is clearly aiming for something different with this new, 16-room Georgian townhouse property. Montagu Place is centrally yet quietly located between Marble Arch and Baker Street tubes, five minutes' walk from trendy Marylebone High Street. It was designed by Kate Mooney of Glasgow-based Occa Design and offers a smart, luxurious mix of period detail and contemporary styling in shades of charcoal, cinnamon and white. The Swanky rooms, for example, have original fireplaces, heavy linen-and-taffeta drapes and high beds topped with canopies. Rates include free broadband, CDs and DVDs; Continental breakfast is £12.95 extra. The reception and bar are open 24/7. Swanky rooms have freestanding baths and his-and-hers basins. Price rating: 2/5
Myhotel Bloomsbury
11-13 Bayley Street, WC1(020 7667 6000)

This 76-room boutique hotel provides a calm little oasis away from the hurly-burly of Soho and Oxford Street. The hotel is designed according to the principles of Feng Shui: the public areas (compact lobby, lively bar, tranquil basement library) have muted colours and crisp lines; the bedrooms are uncluttered but comfortable. The Mybar/café, which serves light meals and meze, has a classic Conran look. Price rating: 3/5
Myhotel Chelsea
35 Ixworth Place, SW3(020 7225 7500)

Sister hotel to Myhotel Bloomsbury, the 45-room hotel, located on a quiet street two minutes' walk from Brompton Cross, has also been designed and decorated according to feng shui principles. Bedrooms are decorated with shot-silk, dusty-pink curtains, cashmere bed throws and crisp white linen; all have plasma-screen TVs, Pringle hot-water-bottle-covers and Aveda products in the bathrooms. The light, white bar is the setting for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, light dinners and cocktails and is popular with non-residents. The guest-only conservatory has big sofas, Internet access, TV, stacks of DVDs, novels and board games. There's also a small gym and a treatment room. Price rating: 3/5
5 Maddox Street
No.5 Maddox Street, W1(020 7647 0200)

Situated in retail heaven, with Regents Street, Bond Street and Soho around the corner this bijou, 12-suite hotel is more like a discreet apartment block. You could spend a week here without a member of staff crossing your path, but they are around if you need them. The bedroom suites are on five floors with living/dining rooms and well-equipped kitchens. Some suites have pretty, planted terraces with bamboo furniture, a real luxury in central London. Price rating: 5/5
Number Sixteen
16 Summer Place, SW7(020 7589 5232)

Number Sixteen is three pretty, stucco-fronted mid-Victorian townhouses. Close to the Victoria & Albert, Natural History and Science museum, as well as Hyde Park and Harrods. There are 42 rooms on three floors and service is charming and relaxed. The best thing is the vast and immensely comfortable beds, most with romantic, patterned canopies in soft colours. Price rating: 4/5
One Aldwych
1 Aldwych, WC2(020 7300 1000)

One Aldwych is a tranquil sanctuary to retreat to from the hubbub of Theatreland and the throngs of Covent Garden. Occupying a prime position on the corner of the Aldwych's sweeping curve, One Aldwych is a chic boutique hotel that has successfully blended luxe modernity into the grand Edwardian building once occupied by the Morning Post and, more recently, Lloyds Bank. There's a gorgeous pool in the basement, plus a state of the art gym should you feel the need to burn some calories after dining in one of the hotel's two restaurants, the informal Indigo (with a lofty vantage point over the buzzing Lobby Bar) or the elegant Axis. You can also book incredibly indulgent Natura Bissé spa treatments or relax in the sauna and steam room. Book a corner suite if you can - these boast windows on all sides and stunning views down Waterloo Bridge with the river spreading out on either side. Frette bedlinen, free Wi-Fi, vast bathtubs and great room service mean you probably won't want to leave but there's plenty more to explore. Price rating: 5/5
Sanderson
50 Berners Street, W1(020 7300 1400)

Sanderson is Ian Schrager's second London venture. Designed by Philippe Starck and Anda Andei, this is a young, contemporary hotel, with cool minimalist styling, statement furniture pieces (Salvador Dali's red lips sofa), a lovely courtyard garden, 150 rooms, a Malaysian restaurant and a vast, 10,000m2 Agua spa. Price rating: 5/5
San Domenico House
29-31 Draycott Place SW3 2SH(020 7581 5757)

An intimate, luxurious boutique hotel close to Sloane Square, with 16 individually-designed rooms and suites, many with grand four poster beds, and all furnished with antiques and art, flat screen TVs and dvd players, plus Molton Brown toiletries in the marble bathrooms. There is no restaurant, but the hotel offers an extensive room service menu. The concierge will book restaurants, theatre and exhibition tickets. Ideally placed for all the shops and restaurants of Sloane Square, Knightsbridge and the Kings Road. Price rating: 5/5
Sofitel St James
6 Waterloo Place, SW1(020 7747 2202)

The hotel occupies a Grade II-listed building and has new interiors by French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. There are 186 rooms, Brasseri Roux, from chef Albert Roux, serving new classic French cuisine, a boardroom with its own dining room and eight other meeting rooms for up to 200 guests. Price rating: 4/5
St Martins Lane
45 St Martins Lane(020 7300 5500)

Ian Schrager, the hotelier behind Morgans, the Royalton and the Paramount in NY, teamed up with interior designer Philippe Starck to produce one of London's hippest hotels. There are 204 relaxingly understated rooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows and your choice of different coloured 'mood settings'. The Asia de Cuba restaurant serves Asian and Cuban cuisine. Also try its newer sister hotel, the Sanderson, below. Price rating: 5/5
The Berkeley
Wilton Place, SW1(020 7235 6000)

The Berkeley overlooks Hyde Park and is within easy reach of Knightsbridge and London's famous stores. The hotel has all the facilities you would expect from a luxury hotel and a choice of well-appointed rooms or suites. The restaurants include Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley and Gordon Ramsey's Boxwood Café. Don't miss the chic Blue Bar with its range of over 50 whiskies. The Berkeley also houses a world-class spa, with all kinds of heavenly therapies and treatments for relaxation, health and beauty. Price rating: 5/5
The Cadogan
75 Sloane Street, SW1(020 7235 7141)

The Cadogan Hotel reopened in April 2004 after being given a new lease of life by hotelier Grace Leo-Andrieu. Revitalised but thankfully just as cosy, the hotel has 65 bedrooms decorated in contemporary or classic styles. It was once Lillie Langtry's home, and the hotel's history is celebrated in suites dedicated to her lover, Edward VII, and her friend Oscar Wilde (who was arrested in the suite named after him in 1895). At The Cadogan tea is still taken in the drawing room and the service remains charming and genteel. There is also 24-hour room service and a restaurant, Langtry's, which is popular among well-heeled locals. Price rating: 4/5
The Dorchester
Park Lane, W1(020 7629 8888)

Opened in 1931, The Dorchester is one of London's swankiest hotels, overlooking Hyde Park and close to the West End shops and theatres. No two rooms are the same but all are supremely luxurious. If you want great views over Hyde Park or the city go for one of the four roof garden suites. The Dorchester also boasts four high-class eateries including The Grill and The Promenade lounge where you can sink into a comfy sofa, watch passers by and have afternoon tea. The superb spa offers everything you need for exercising and pampering your body; try the wonderful Eve Lom facial. Featured in the Gold List 2011.
The Hoxton
81 Great Eastern Street, EC2(020 7550 1000)

The idea behind this buzzy 'urban lodge', says Sinclair Beecham, co-founder of Pret A Manger, is 'not to rip you off or piss you off'. So instead of minibars selling water at £3.99 a bottle, it has Pret water and Bollinger at retail prices, free broadband in the lobby, calls at 3p per minute to UK landlines, and rooms for as little as £1. Five minutes' walk from Liverpool Street station, The Hoxton is well placed for work or play, and to help you do the latter it provides a credit-card-sized guide to all the hotspots within walking distance. There is also an on-site bistro, The Hoxton Grille, serving healthy Bircher muesli and not-so-healthy Hoxton Fry-Ups to complement the free-but-meagre Lite Pret breakfasts. The style is hip-industrial, with a touch of luxury: brick walls, leather sofas and eagle sculptures soaring over the double-height lobby; duck-down duvets and slate bathrooms; and funky lighting by Isometrics. Price rating: 3/5
The International Hotel
163 March Wall, E1(0871 222 0042)

With 422 en-suite rooms, 20 suites, a bar, nightclub and a Roman-themed swimming pool, the International, run by Britannia Hotels and located in the Docklands, is no quiet hideaway. The hotel offers a wide choice of food, but the motorway-service-station atmosphere is consistent. Choose a room facing Canary Wharf with a panorama of water, metal, grass and glass. Price rating: 2/5
The Knightsbridge Hotel
10 Beaufort Gardens, SW3(020 7584 6300)

This new 'chic B&B' is part of the Firmdale Hotels group which owns the nearby Charlotte Street Hotel and Covent Garden Hotel. Situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, with Harrods, Harvey Nichols and the international designer shops of Sloane Square just a minutes walk away, it prides itself on being a welcome alternative to stuffy expensive hotels in central London. Its style is modern English and all 44 rooms and suites come equipped with television, telephone, fax, modem, mini bar and safes. Price rating: 4/5
The Lanesborough
Hyde Park Corner, SW1(020 7259 5599)

The Lanesborough is a nineteenth-century white-stucco grande dame on Hyde Park Corner within easy reach of Knightsbridge and Piccadilly. The hotel has 95 rooms (half are suites) decorated in classic Regency style, with cleverly concealed interactive TVs. The pretty Conservatory restaurant features well-executed international cuisine. There's also a popular bar and a two-suite La Prairie Spa which offers caviar facials. Guests can expect butler service (includes complimentary packing/unpacking/pressing on arrival), comprehensive concierge and business services - mobile phones are provided on arrival. Facilities include a spa and a limousine service, as well as a personal-butler service that includes unpacking and pressing clothes on arrival. The recently launched Apsleys restaurant was awarded a Michelin star last year. Price rating: 5/5
The Ritz
150 Piccadilly, London, W1(020 7493 8181)

Opened in 1906 and carefully refurbished and restored in 1995, The Ritz is a London landmark and a bastion of glamour and sophistication. Rooms are luxuriously furnished with rich fabrics, 24 carat gold leaf and beautifully restored antique furniture in keeping with the original Louis XVI style. Go for tea in the spectacular Palm Court, an institution in itself. Price rating: 5/5
The Rookery
Cowcross St, EC1(020 7336 0931)

An elegant, oak-panelled hideaway with 33 antique-furnished rooms. The atmosphere is more private club than hotel and appeals to visitors doing business in the Square Mile. Price rating: 4/5
The Savoy
The Strand, London, WC2(020 7836 4343)

The Savoy has reopened as a gloriously refreshed version of the original, embracing both its Edwardian and Art Deco heritage. There are 38 spacious new Edwardian-style River Suites with ravishing views of the Thames from Canary Wharf to the Houses of Parliament. Service is impeccable, from the charming doormen to the personal butlers allocated with the suites. Other new treats include the Art Deco Beaufort Bar - a low-lit, club-like space in black and gold - and the redesigned Savoy Grill, previously frequented by Winston Churchill and Frank Sinatra, and now with chef patron Stuart Gillies of Gordon Ramsay Holdings at the helm. There's also the new Savoy Tea, an elegant little boutique selling teas and handmade pastries and chocolates, the River Restaurant with its leopard-print carpet, and the Edwardian Thames Foyer, where tea is served under a new glass dome. Reassuringly, not much has changed in the hotel's iconic American Bar, home to cocktails such as the White Lady and the Hanky Panky. Price rating: 5/5
The Soho Hotel
4 Richmond Mews, W1(020 7559 3000)

London's Firmdale Hotel Group has opened its fifth outpost, The Soho Hotel, in the heart of London's nightlife district. Kitted-out in interior designer Kit Kemp's inimitable style, the 91-bedroomed hotel features rooftop penthouses with wrap-around terraces and city views, plus high-speed wireless internet access, flat screen TVs and DVDs. Facilities include a bar/restaurant Refuel, two state-of-the-art screening rooms and a gym. Price rating: 5/5
The Trafalgar
2 Spring Gardens, SW1(020 7870 2900)

The Trafalgar, housed in a listed building just off Trafalgar Square, was the Hilton's first 'designer hotel'. The interior features split-level bedrooms and American black-walnut furniture. The hotel also boasts The Rockwell, London's first bourbon bar, and a rooftop garden which has stunning views of Trafalgar Square and the city's skyline. Price rating: 5/5
Town Hall Hotel and Apartments
8 Patriot Square, London E2 9NF (020 7871 0460)

After spending the past decades as a film set, Bethnal Green's Town Hall was snapped up by Loh Lik Peng - the young hotelier responsible for the legendary revamps of Singapore's Hotel 1929 and the New Majestic - and turned into a brilliant design hotel, which opened in spring 2010. With just 98 rooms and apartments it's surprisingly spacious for a hotel in the capital, and perfect for those who want a home away from home. The room decor takes its inspiration from Scandinavia in the 1950s (some come with washing machines so that guests can keep their laundry costs down), while the bathrooms are large, luxurious and stocked with L'Occitane products. The location is ideal both for travellers with business in the City and those who want to explore this exciting up-and-coming part of London, and there is plenty of space: we found the hotel so quiet that we were subsequently surprised to find the breakfast room full with arty European business types the next morning. There is a good restaurant (Viajante, run by el Bulli and Bacchus alumnus Nuno Mendes) and great cocktails in the bar. Service is keen and there's every chance that the minor issues we spotted (malfunctioning key-cards; missing light bulbs) could be ironed out after a few more months in business. The Wi-Fi is free and available throughout the building. Price rating: 4/5
No.11 Cadogan Gardens
11 Cadogan Gardens, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2RJ(020 7730 7000 )

Walking up the steps of No.11 Cadogan Gardens and through the imposing front door is rather like tumbling down Alice's rabbit hole. This 60-room, four-apartment hotel and private members' club is a veritable wonderland of nooks and crannies, magical mirrored rooms and eccentric opulence with a quintessentially English flavour, making it a huge hit with devoted American visitors and A-listers alike, who appreciate the discreet location (one suite has its own private exit - handy for evading paps). Owner, interior designer Paul Davis, gave four linked Victorian townhouses (once owned by Mr John Lewis himself) in this tranquil corner of Knightsbridge a luxurious makeover with dramatic decor. Blood-red Murano chandeliers, brocade upholstery, velvet swags ahoy and Louis XV-style furniture are confidently mixed with all the mod cons a demanding traveller could desire. Price rating: 4/5
The Zetter
St John’s Square, 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1(020 7324 4444)

This contemporary hotel is hip and trendy - not surprising given its location in the graphic design neighbourhood. The 59 rooms have been individually designed with quirky features and wonderful attention to detail: the bath robes are embroidered with the trademark Zzzz and come with matching slippers. Bruno Loubet's modern bistro is exquisite. Price rating: 4/5
W London - Leicester Square
10 Wardour Street, W1(00 800 325 25252)

A gleaming black entrance hall and padded lift lead up to a white, gold and silver lounge bar where guests and an after-work crowd arrange themselves on deep sofas around a bubble-like bar. In the Spice Market restaurant (a franchise of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten concept created in New York) everything glows, from the army of red-clad waiters to the steady stream of South-east Asian street dishes to share (the crab dumplings are divine). After all that sensory stimulation, the dark corridors and sleek bedrooms are wonderfully soothing. The smallest of the 192 rooms are studio style, with sink units that double as dressing tables and/or desks, the idea being you can check Facebook while applying your lipstick (watch your spend; Wi-Fi costs £18 a day). The W is fun and funky and at its best after dark: the silver curtains above the beds look gaudy in the cold light of morning. Happily there is Berocca in the mini bar, and a small space-pod spa on the sixth floor. Opt for a 'grab-and-go' breakfast in the lounge or something more substantial in your room: a Full English doesn't quite work in the context of the Asian Spice Market. Price rating: 5/5
51 Buckingham Gate
51 Buckingham Gate(020 7769 7766)

It's hard to imagine that anyone checking into one of these 86 serviced suites and apartments in St James' will want to cook: 51 Buckingham Gate is also a hotel with three restaurants (including the Michelin-starred Quilon Restaurant and Bar) and 24-hour room service. However, all the suites and apartments - which vary in size from one to four bedrooms - have extremely well-equipped kitchens. Other facilities include a spa, butler service and baby-sitting. Price rating: 4/5
The Ampersand Hotel
10 Harrington Road

Conveniently placed just around the corner from Boujis nightclub, The Ampersand Hotel has reinvented its 1888 self. Going for a vintage, boutique look, it has 110 bedrooms, a new patisserie, a gym and an underground cocktail bar; the bird-themed lobby/lounge displays a mix of modern art and quirky ornaments.