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London isn’t short on luxury things. We’ve got Mayfair’s glitzy art galleries, designer shops and restaurants, then down the road there are the megamansions of Knightsbridge. And we can’t forget about the tower blocks of luxury flats that seem to be appearing in the city every other day.
Now, Forbes Travel Guide has crowned the best luxury hotels in the world. And it’s no surprise that two of them are in the Big Smoke.
Every year, Forbes sends out a crack team of ‘incognito investigators’ to assess hotels on their quality of service (which amounts to 70 percent of the score) as well as the quality of the facilities (the other 30 percent). It then compiles a list of the best establishments around the world.
In the 20-strong global list, the London hotels that made the cut were... drumroll please. The Cadogan and Raffles London at The OWO.
Raffles at The OWO is no stranger to accolades. The uber posh hotel, which opened in 2023 in the former Old War Office building, was named one of the world’s greatest places to stay by TIME magazine in 2024, and was named one of the world’s best hotels last year by National Geographic.
The Belmond-owned Cadogan is quite a bit older. It opened on Sloane Street in 1887 and is known for its propa Bri’ish service, which includes butlers, afternoon teas and garden picnics.
See the full global list of the world’s best luxury hotels here.
Our ranking of the 100 best hotels in London.
All the London restaurants that won (and lost) Michelin stars in the 2025 Michelin Guide.
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