The best business hotels in London

Sure, we're starting off with a cheaper option, but it's big on quality. Aloft sits right next to the ExCel Centre and is handy for London City Airport (there’s a direct shuttle) and the DLR. Service is minimal, but in a welcoming way; shove your credit card into the self-check-in and your key card is dispensed, giving you access to the upper floors by lift, where funky lighting guides you to your room (think modern, masculine decor with high-tech mod cons). Your card also gets you into the pool and gym. Free wifi throughout, five meeting rooms and a lively bar-diner are other winning features for business travellers. Grab and go food is abailable as well as a load of snacks, and a vibrant bar. That's the working day (and evening) sorted. 

The Andaz mixes down-to-earth, well-informed service with mid-mod style like Eames chairs and Frette linens. Free services, such as wifi, local calls and minibar drinks and snacks are an appreciated touch, and health facilities include a fitness centre and steam room. Dining options are numerous, from breakfast in the Grade II-listed ballroom that houses 1901 Restaurant (as well as the occasional wedding), to brunch at Rake's Cafe Bar to Japanese at Miyako, plus there's Lady Abercorn's Pub & Kitchen for good measure and Eastway Brasserie. If you want to book a meeting room you have 14 to choose from, as well as access to a dedicated events team. The basement Masonic Temple, meanwhile – a feature of the original railway hotel – is used for film screenings, fashion shows and corporate events. Handy for the City and the Barbican. You're also just a small walk from St Pauls, Tower of London, Shoreditch and Old Street, meaning meet-ups are a doddle, along with transport links all across the city. It's truly a place with everything you need to go about your business in the most literal of senses. 

It’s a 15-minute walk to the City of London from this affordably chic hotel, which has self-check-in at a slick café bar in the reception area. The nearby lounge area has a workspace dotted with iMacs for guest use, and there’s a 24-hour canteen whihc means you needn't worry about any international time differeces when it comes to post-meeting food Speaking of meetings, there's seven – count ’em – meeting rooms. Though guest rooms are small, they are well designed and technologically impressive: the drench showers, free wifi and movies, funky coloured lighting and blackout blinds are all controlled from a tablet. You're also a small stroll from the super-hip East London. 

Photographs of illustrious past guests, including Churchill and sundry royals, grace the grand foyer of this Mayfair hotel, as does an ostentatious Dale Chihuly chandelier. The hotel’s signature art deco redesign is simply dazzling and its main restaurant area has been taken over by Davies and Brook, and is set to open this autumn to fashionable fanfare. The rooms divide evenly between deco and Victorian in style; all have bedside panels to control the facilities. Business travellers are well looked after with a broad range of conference, meeting and private dining rooms, while the spa and gym provide much needed post-conference R&R. You're also in the heart of Mayfair, so should you need to pop over to a private members' club to conduct some high-flying interaction, well, you can be sure the commute won't crease your jacket. 

It might sound cheesy, but business and pleasure really do collide when it comes to The Ned. Logistically speaking, it’s a hands-down winner for those doing business in the City (basically, it’s right next door to Bank station, and therefore also just down the way from St Paul’s and Liverpool Street). Internally, it has a slightly Americanised glamour to it (before you know it, you’ll be thinking of buying a mink coat and smoking a cigarette through a very long holder). Guests love the choice of restaurants and eateries (there are eight different ones), with food choices ranging from upmarket diner fare to contemporary Asian and traditional British. There’s a beautiful pool, delicious spa facilities and, if you need to do business on-site, you can pre-arrange access to members’ areas to get your head down in. Added bonus: you can also book in for a haircut. Because noone wants to look scruffy at that all-important Board meeting.

The Great Northern is a good bet for Continental business travellers, sitting as it does opposite the St Pancras International Eurostar terminal. It was London’s first railway hotel when it opened in 1854 and has had plenty of rough times since then, but almost £40m of renovation has recreated the place as a classic. The soundproofed rooms mix contemporary style with echoes of the building’s Victorian railway heritage (such as wood-panelled walls) and each floor boasts a charming pantry with cakes, coffee, newspapers and even a USB printer, although room service is available too. The first floor also has a grand restaurant-bar situation, meaning. you're spoiled for choice after a hard day's grind. Shoukd you need to pop out to meet people, you're in one of the best places for transport links, as Kings Cross and St Pancras will have you speeding through the city in no time. There's a 24-hour desk too, should post-work drinks escalate. 

Located in the heart of the West End, this grandly proportioned hotel features a separate block of hotel apartments and a cluster of curated shops and restaurants around a central courtyard. Guests won’t feel lost in all this vastness due to unusually friendly service and co-owner Kit Kemp’s conversation-starter decor. Highlights for the business traveller include a ground floor bar and restaurant, meeting rooms and fabulously appointed rooms with desks, flat screens in the bathroom and tech that actually works – first time. The leafy roof garden is perfect for summer meetings. For the healthiest start to the day, you can make use of the spa and gym, hell, you can even order a massage for an additional cost. There's a 24-hour desk too, well suited for playing as hard as you work. 

The Hoxton is a good bet for an affordable, modern and well-located stay with heaps of character. The hotel may have a stylish bar-brasserie run by exclusive members club Soho House but their first-come, first-served prices reveal its egalitarian vibe. A particular draw for creatives and startups is ‘The Apartment’ – a design-led meeting and events space with free wifi, large LED screens and flipcharts, and a kitchen stocked with complimentary beverages and snacks. That'll ensure all the juices are flowing. After you close on that brief, step outside, you're in Shoreditch baby, time for fun. Of course, you're also near all the quirky offices should you need to pay someone a visit. Old Street is nearby too. 

London’s first ME by Meliá, designed by Foster + Partners, is a thing of beauty, with light, minimalist decor and expensive finishings. It sits next door to Marconi House, from where the fledgling BBC made its first radio broadcast in 1922, and is directly opposite Somerset House. Business guests are well looked after with free wifi, Nespresso machines and soundproofed room walls, as well as seven meeting rooms and a 24-hour gym. The sleek STK restaurant and chic Radio Rooftop bar are stylish spots in which to entertain clients; the latter also offering fabulous views of the Thames. Should you find yourself with an evening spare, go to the West End (go onnnnn!) it's a five-minute walk away. There's 24-hour room service for those all-nighters too. 

Alright, it's business time. The welcome at the super-luxe, Grade II-listed Savoy begins before you even arrive at the famous cul-de-sac, with a phone call to ascertain your particular requirements. Those looking to host a business meeting at this central hotel can choose from myriad function rooms, guided by a member of the dedicated events team. Individual guests have access to the 24-hour business centre and luxury spa and pool. Dining/imbibing options include Gordon Ramsay’s grill, champagne bar, gourmet deli counter and the hotel’s famous American Bar, known for its martinis. Shaken not stirred, please. When you're not lavishly conducting your business, step out and take a five minute walk over to covent garden. 

The Shangri-La is known for its upscale guest rooms with unbeatable skyline views from floor-to-ceiling windows. These same views can also be enjoyed from its conference rooms, for meetings at which you want to impress. The hotel starts on floor 35 of the Renzo Piano-designed pyramid structure, where there is a spacious foyer and restaurant, while the pool and gym are all the way up on floor 52. Other plus points for business travellers include multilingual staff, free wifi throughout, and the hotel’s proximity to London Bridge station and the City. You should absolutely consider dazzling clients or celebrating wins at GŎNG, also up on the 52nd floor, which has London's highest champagne and cocktail bar. Nice.