The Five-Star hotel feels more like a private mansion with shining marble floors and grand pillars, original wood paneling and a sweeping mahogany staircase that winds up through five floors — Ralph Lauren was so enamored with this feature, he replicated it in the flagship Madison Avenue store in New York.
With a ratio of three staff to one guest, the top-notch attention you receive from the moment you walk through the revolving doors of this London hotel makes you feel like a VIP.
- Having been visited by various members of the British monarchy over the decades, it’s the only hotel to be granted permission to use the Buckingham Palace “royal red” in its carpets. The property does take its name from Queen Victoria’s seventh child, Arthur, Duke of Connaught, after all.
- Located in the heart of Mayfair, The Connaught is a perfect base to explore the rest of London, including the theaters of the West End, open spaces of nearby Hyde Park and Green Park and the designer boutiques, galleries, antique stores and restaurants a stone’s throw away on Mount Street.
- A personal butler is on call to attend to every whim, and a well-connected concierge desk (it once arranged for a pair of lion cubs to be brought to the hotel) ensures you are well looked after.
- Before you step into the hotel, Tadao Ando’s bronze tree water feature greets you, omitting a mysterious mist every 20 minutes. Inside, around every corner, stairwell, nook and cranny, there hangs or sits a piece of art, like the black-and-white shots by legendary photographer Horst P. Horst that line the route to the spa.
- You'll benefit from the onsite Aman Spa's discreet, attentive staff and Asian-influenced treatments during your stay.
- The Five-Star hotel offers a more traditional wing with period Victorian décor and a modern wing with smooth beige stone and no carpets in the bedrooms. Make sure you specify which wing you’d prefer when booking.
- For a special occasion, the Sommelier’s Table, hidden in the limestone wine cellar below the hotel’s kitchens, offers a unique experience in which the sommelier selects wines to your pre-discussed tastes and chef Hélène Darroze creates a bespoke menu around them.
- The gym is sleek and well-appointed with enough equipment to suit all fitness levels. It’s housed one level above the spa, but check in at the spa desk and to be escorted upstairs to the modern space, which is set at an appropriately cool temperate and infused with energetic background music.
Pop over to the side of the hotel to find The Connaught Patisserie on Mount Street. In the Instagram-worthy blush-hued bakery, pick up decadent handmade delicacies ranging from pain au chocolat to full-sized cakes.
- The 121 Guy Oliver- and David Collins-designed guest rooms have instantly relaxing muted tones, bespoke and contemporary furniture, fine Italian linen, marble bathrooms with LCD televisions, intelligent air and heating systems, walk-in showers, organic Bamford toiletries, Bose entertainment systems and Nespresso machines (in the suites as standard, but available complimentary upon request for all other rooms).
- The Connaught’s suites are so enticing you’d be forgiven for spending your whole time in London in your room. There’s The Mews, which is spread across three floors and comes with a grand piano and chauffeur; the Prince’s Lodge, with furniture hand-carved in Kabul and stained-glass windows; and The Library Suite, with a charming secret bookcase door.
- At the top, there’s The Apartment, all 3,068 square feet of it, which offers a private staircase, bar and kitchenette, as well as a wrap-around balcony that looks out over the rooftops to London landmarks such as the BT Tower, Westminster and The Shard.
- The bathrooms are well-appointed and inviting, with pristine all-white décor. Here you will find luxurious bath products by Bamford, with a botanical, geranium-based scent.
Hélène Darroze combines seasonal dishes, top-quality ingredients sourced largely from France and the British Isles, with a sprinkle of fun. Its namesake is the inspiration for the character Colette in the 2007 Pixar movie Ratatouille.
- Jean-Georges at The Connaught provides a casually elegant alcove in which to enjoy the renowned chef's eclectic cuisine all day long. Sup on elevated classics (like a sinfully decadent truffle cheeseburger) in the airy stained-glass-lined dining room, or opt for an alfresco meal on the Mount Street-facing terrace.
Vongerichten gives his updated take on a classic grill at The Connaught Grill, which bears wall panels, tables and chairs crafted by Nakashima woodworkers. Everything from Dover sole to British comes out of the wood-burning oven.
The Coburg has the largest selection of champagne vintages in the world and an abundance of history to match. James Bond fans can follow in the footsteps of its creator, Ian Fleming, who was a former waiter here. He served the navy intelligence regulars and French general Charles de Gaulle, who did business with Winston Churchill within these walls. Another option for bubbly is the Champagne Room. Its glass oval ceiling looks up to a life-size bronze diver by sculptor Sophie Dickens, granddaughter of Charles, and the magical photographs of floral bouquets submerged in water, taken by Gilles Bensimon, work together to create the feeling of being immersed in a pool.
- With a Gatsby-esque glitz, Connaught Bar allows you to enjoy a late-afternoon martini in style. There’s much more to choose from than shaken or stirred, with the addition of one of eight house bitters.
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