A Place to Sleep

Among the chain hotels near Victoria Station is the Best Western Corona. Sleep here. Luxuriate elsewhere. Okay, it’s basic, and from the inside it doesn’t look all that fancy, but the price is right and the location is convenient. There’s easy access to tube stations at Victoria and the much less-crowded Pimlico.
85-89 Belgrave Rd.
Victoria SW1V 2BQ
+44 (0)20 7828 9279
www.coronahotel.co.uk/

Molto Trendy

Don’t be fooled by the austere, Georgian-like exterior, The Halkin Hotel is all looks on the inside. Courtesy of Laboratorio Associati of Milan, this tribute to high-end contemporary design exudes Italian chic: combed-wood paneled corridors in black, curved ceilings, and a barrel-vaulted roof emit a sculptural feel, while the Valentino Vago skyscape ceiling mural is a work of art in itself. Added proof that this 41-room Belgravia hotel is fashionable: The entire staff is swathed in Armani.
5-6 Halkin St.
+44 (0)20 7333 1000
www.halkin.como.bz

Student Digs

Money saver: Stay at the Imperial College London in South Kensington when school’s out. The standard rooms have shared bathrooms, so be sure to ask for a room with “en suite,” if that’s what you want. Available late June to September.
Southside Hall (has en suites), Garden Hall (shared bathrooms)
Princes Gardens, South Kensington, SW7
+44 (0)20 7594 9507/11
www.imperial.ac.uk/conferences/

Marble Arch Haven

Located on a quiet street a couple of walkable blocks from Paddington Station, the Rhodes Hotel feeds you a nice English breakfast. You can watch Greek TV in your room if you like (British TV, too). And the hotel offers free in-room broadband Internet. But there is no elevator, so be ready for the stairs. The en suite bathrooms have recently been enlarged and upgraded showers added. Guests will love longtime owners Chris and Maria. Uncommercial and comfy.
195 Sussex Gardens
Hyde Park W2 2RJ
+44 (0)870 870 7577
www.rhodeshotel.com/

Oxford Street Adjacent

For convenient shopping on Oxford Street, there’s the four-star Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch. The fixtures and fittings here are very Final Frontier, after the reported $80,000-per-room makeover in 2004. Everyone raves about the lobby. Stylish and artistic, the Cumberland makes a statement.
Great Cumberland Place
Marble Arch W1A 4RF
+44 (0)20 7423 8871, In USA 1 866 763 4553
www.guoman.com/the-cumberland/

Suburban Secret

Not (yet) well known, the Victoria is a perfect get-away-from-it-all hotel. Known as “a restaurant and bar with bedrooms,” you’ll need a London cabbie to find it. Top chef, quiet location, not your average stay in the city. The hotel has all the modern conveniences and is just a short walk from Richmond Park.
10 West Temple Sheen
SW14 7RT
+44 (0)20 8876 4238
www.thevictoria.net/

Living Landmark

The sumptuous Victorian Milestone Hotel in Knightsbridge meets every need 24/7, thanks to its discreet butler service and an eagle-eyed staff. The hotel offers style coupled with unique accommodations to suit an array of personalities. Adventurous types may opt for the Safari Suite (bamboo bound with African wicker baskets and ornate ostrich eggs), while the Princess Suite pampers high-maintenance guests (thanks to a gold damask-draped, four poster bed, and private entertaining area). The Mistinguett Suite, named for the turn-of-the-last-century Follies singer-dancer, is theatrically outfitted with a rabbit-fur bedspread, red fabric walls, and Deco furniture. More functional but no less lavish, the Club Suite meets the needs of the discerning CEO, with striped walls and an antique billiard table.

1 Kensington Ct.
+44 (0)20 7917 1023
www.milestonehotel.com

Creating a Splash

Among the many reasons to stay at the swanky Egerton House Hotel is its glorious Victoria and Albert Suite, complete with private outdoor garden terrace. To celebrate where you are, look to Antonio, the house barman famous for his signature martini. Antonio’s secret: an ice-chilled glass, Sicilian lemons, and a touch of vermouth, all poured in such a way that it creates a bell on top of the glass. Even with typical British understatement, we’re forced to say, “Amazing.”

17-19 Egerton Terrace
+44 (0)20 7589 2412
www.egertonhousehotel.com

Local Color

The décor may be strictly black-and-white, but the experience at Red Carnation’s Hotel 41 is anything but. Start with this high-end property’s location: The closest most of us will ever get to stay in Buckingham Palace. Then, there’s your very own retractable roof, an amenity not even available to the Queen at her place. It is for you, though, should you choose Hotel 41’s spacious Master Suite — which also comes with multiple bathrooms featuring showers and a Jacuzzi tub.

41 Buckingham Palace Rd.
+44 (0)20 7300 0041
www.41hotel.com

Meaning Business

When a trip to London means work, The Montague on the Gardens provides convention hotel business services with no loss of boutique ambience. If anything, this 88-room Georgian manse overlooking a secluded garden in Bloomsbury sets the stage for getting the job done right, thanks to a very efficient secretarial staff, Quadriga for high-speed Internet, interactive TV, up-to-the-minute audio and video equipment, ISDN2 for video conferencing, and a fully-equipped business center.

15 Montague St.
+44 (0)20 7637 1001
www.montaguehotel.com