The Best Luxury Hotels in Mayfair for a Stay in W1

The best luxury hotels in Mayfair are not interchangeable, whatever the star ratings suggest. Within roughly half a square mile you can choose between a grande dame that has been running since the 1850s, a 1920s building with a Gormley sculpture bolted to its corner, and a members' club that happens to let non-members stay. Choosing well is less about which is objectively best and more about which kind of stay you want.

Here is what each of the main W1 addresses is actually like, and who each one suits.

Claridge's

Brook Street, W1K. If you picture a London grand hotel, you are probably picturing Claridge's. Art deco throughout, a lobby that functions as one of the city's most-watched rooms, a famous afternoon tea, and a Christmas tree each December designed by a different name from fashion or art. Service runs to butlers on the suites and upper floors.

It suits: a celebratory stay, a first big London trip, or anyone who wants the theatre of the place as much as the room. Book well ahead for December, when the tree and the tea make the whole hotel busier than usual.

The Connaught

Carlos Place, W1K. The quieter, more discreet neighbour, arranged around a beautiful staircase and a residential corner of Mayfair opposite the Mount Street shops. The Connaught Bar has been repeatedly ranked among the world's best, and its martini trolley is genuinely worth the wait for a table. The hotel also holds a Michelin-starred restaurant under Hélène Darroze and an Aman Spa.

It suits: guests who want the same level of service as Claridge's without the audience, and anyone who cares about drinking and eating in the building rather than travelling out.

The Dorchester

Park Lane, W1K. Facing Hyde Park, with the largest and most formal lobby of the group and a long-standing reputation among visitors from the Gulf and the US. Rooms are traditionally decorated, marble-heavy in the bathrooms, and generously sized by London standards. Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester is one of the capital's most decorated restaurants, and China Tang handles the more relaxed end.

It suits: park views, larger rooms, and a classical rather than fashionable idea of luxury.

45 Park Lane

Park Lane, W1K. The Dorchester's smaller sibling across the road, and a very different proposition: fewer than fifty rooms, a contemporary interior, and floor-to-ceiling glass giving almost every room a Hyde Park view. Cut by Wolfgang Puck sits on the ground floor.

It suits: travellers who want a park-facing room and a modern interior, and those who find the big hotels impersonal.

Brown's Hotel

Albemarle Street, W1S. London's oldest hotel still trading, opened in 1837 and now run by Rocco Forte. Rather than a single tower it occupies a run of townhouses, so the layout rambles and no two rooms match. The wood-panelled English Tea Room claims the invention of the London hotel afternoon tea, and the Donovan Bar is hung with Terence Donovan's photographs.

It suits: a stay with genuine historical texture, and a location on the Piccadilly side of Mayfair, close to the Royal Academy and the arcades.

The Beaumont

Brown Hart Gardens, W1K. The most architecturally interesting choice in Mayfair. A 1926 building reworked as a hotel in a 1920s New York idiom, with Antony Gormley's sculpture ROOM built into the facade, containing a bedroom inside it. Jimmy's Bar and the Colony Grill Room carry the same period conviction.

It suits: design-minded guests, and anyone who wants somewhere with a strong point of view rather than generic five-star polish. It sits on a quiet square just behind Selfridges, which is a better location than the address suggests.

The Twenty Two

Grosvenor Square, W1K. A hotel and private members' club in one, opened in 2022 in a converted Edwardian townhouse. Non-members can book rooms; the club spaces and the late-night room downstairs are members-only or guest-access depending on the night. Interiors are richly decorated and deliberately un-corporate.

It suits: younger guests, a social trip, or anyone who wants a night out that does not require leaving the building. Less suited to an early start or a quiet weekend.

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair

Hanover Square, W1S. The newest of the group, opened in 2024 on the Oxford Circus side of Mayfair, with a full spa, a pool, and the contemporary rooms and reliable service the brand is known for. The location suits shopping on Regent Street and Bond Street more than the Park Lane end.

It suits: guests who want a modern hotel with a proper spa and swimming pool, which the older Mayfair houses cannot always offer.

Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane

Hamilton Place, W1J. Set back from Park Lane near Hyde Park Corner, with a rooftop spa that has one of the best views of any hotel in London. Consistent, polished and family-friendly in a way the more theatrical Mayfair hotels are not.

It suits: families, longer stays, and guests who value dependability over character.

The good-value end of Mayfair

Not every W1 address costs the same. Two consistently sensible choices:

Flemings Mayfair, Half Moon Street, W1J. A townhouse hotel with a Georgian frontage, quiet, and usually noticeably cheaper than the Park Lane names a few minutes away.
The Mayfair Townhouse, also on Half Moon Street. A large townhouse conversion with a strong Oscar Wilde theme, a good bar, and pricing that undercuts the grand hotels while keeping the postcode.

Both put you a short walk from Green Park station, which is the most useful Underground stop in Mayfair for onward travel and the Heathrow connection.

How to choose between them

A few practical distinctions that matter more than star ratings:

Park view or street view. Only the Park Lane properties, principally The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane and Four Seasons, deliver a Hyde Park outlook. Everywhere else you are looking at Mayfair itself, which is handsome but not green.
Pool and spa. The older houses were not built with them. If a swimming pool matters, that narrows the field quickly to the newer or larger properties.
Which end of Mayfair. The Piccadilly end suits galleries, the arcades and St James's; the Grosvenor Square and Mount Street end suits restaurants and quieter walking; the Hanover Square end suits Bond Street and Regent Street shopping.
Noise. Mayfair is quiet by central London standards, but rooms facing Park Lane hear traffic. Ask for a courtyard or rear-facing room if you are a light sleeper.
Timing. Rates climb sharply during London Fashion Week, Wimbledon fortnight, Frieze in October and the run-up to Christmas. Late July, August and January are the softest periods.

Whichever you choose, most of what makes Mayfair worth staying in is outside the hotel. Our guides to the galleries of Mayfair and Soho, afternoon tea in W1 and the Oxford Street and Regent Street shopping cover the walk from your door, or start from the W1 London homepage. Current star ratings for hotel restaurants are listed by the Michelin Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best luxury hotel in Mayfair?

There is no single answer, because they differ in character rather than quality. Claridge's is the most theatrical, The Connaught the most discreet, The Dorchester the most classical and park-facing, Brown's the most historic, and The Beaumont the most design-led. Choose on the kind of stay you want rather than on rankings.

Which Mayfair hotels have Hyde Park views?

The Park Lane properties are the ones with a park outlook, principally The Dorchester, 45 Park Lane and the Four Seasons at Park Lane. At 45 Park Lane in particular, floor-to-ceiling glass means almost every room faces the park. Other Mayfair hotels look onto streets and squares instead.

What is the oldest hotel in Mayfair?

Brown's Hotel on Albemarle Street, which opened in 1837 and is London's oldest hotel still in continuous operation. It occupies a run of connected townhouses, which is why the layout wanders and the rooms vary so much from one to the next.

Do Mayfair hotels have swimming pools?

Some do and many do not, because the older townhouse hotels were never built with them. Mandarin Oriental Mayfair and Four Seasons at Park Lane have full spa and pool facilities, while several of the historic houses offer treatment rooms and a gym but no pool. Check before booking if it matters.

When is the cheapest time to stay in Mayfair?

Late July, August and January are usually the softest periods. Rates rise sharply around London Fashion Week in February and September, Wimbledon fortnight, Frieze in October and the weeks before Christmas, when Claridge's and the other grand hotels are at their busiest.

Is Mayfair a good area to stay in London?

Yes, particularly for a first visit or a special trip. It is central, safe, quiet by central London standards, and walkable to Hyde Park, Bond Street, Piccadilly, Soho and the West End theatres. Green Park and Bond Street stations put the rest of the city and the Heathrow connection within easy reach.