London Hotels|London, United Kingdom

Hotel Café Royal

Name: Hotel Café Royal
Telephone: 855-919-3580

A grand dame overlooking Piccadilly Circus

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For more than a century, this central landmark building was the ultimate hot spot on London’s social scene hosting world-famous guests like Andy Warhol, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde.

Today, Hotel Café Royal’s elegant Georgian façade at the southern end of Regent Street continues to tempt fashionable creatives with see-and-be-seen restaurants, oh-so modern guest rooms, and luxuriously gilded lounges.

Its central location is prime, with some of London’s best neighborhoods all within walking distance, including Piccadilly Circus, Mayfair and Soho.

Our Inspector's Highlights

The Oscar Wilde Bar is a riot of gold leaf and Louis XVI detailing reflected in ceiling-high mirrors. Look up at the ornate ceiling as you indulge in afternoon tea here or come back later for live music and cabaret.
Located in the basement of the hotel, Akasha encompasses a large lap pool (almost 60 feet), a cutting-edge gym, a lounge bar, numerous treatment rooms, a Vichy shower, a private hammam and a private watsu pool (London’s first), which offers hydro-therapy treatments.
It is the Ten Room café that perhaps first draws people in to Hotel Café Royal, its golden Siena marble interior glinting provocatively at those passing by on Regent Street. Although Piccadilly Circus can be seen through the glass, it is a calming space away from the hustle and bustle.
The façade may be staunchly Georgian, but the guest rooms are thoroughly modern with price-is-no-object design details like marble bathtubs masterfully crafted from a single solid piece of stone.

Things to Know

The hotel had to reinforce every floor to support the massive amount of marble installed in the luxurious guest bathrooms.
The Green Bar, located off the restaurant and with its own entrance from the street, was inspired by the Café Royal Cocktail Book compiled in 1937. There’s an ever-flowing absinthe fountain, a nod to the hard-drinking intellects who used to tipple here.
Ziggy Stardust (aka David Bowie), Mick Jagger and the Beatles have all partied here.

The Rooms

A minimalist lobby hints at what’s to come in the rooms, which are decked out almost exclusively in shades of pale grays and nudes.
The odd candy-colored chair or golden lampshade serve to highlight the chicly austere décor.
Bedroom walls are plaster “carved” (rusticated) to look like the Portland stone of the exterior, while bathroom walls — along with everything else within the en suite — are solid Carrera marble, rusticated to match.
Free WiFi, a Nespresso machine and a large Bang & Olufsen TV also come standard.

The Restaurants

Ten Room is brasserie dining at its finest with a swank setting featuring some original design details restored.
The menu is modern European with British ingredients used wherever possible. Flavors are bold, from the Orkney Island scallops to the peppered sirloin steak with wild mushrooms.
White jacketed waitstaff presents pots of tea and plates of brightly hued macaroons (try the salted caramel) while the chocolate counter will get that sweet tooth itching.

Amenities