Hotel Cafe Royal

My wife and I stayed at Hotel Café Royal in London from 12 to 14 May 2026. When we travel to London, location matters a great deal to us. I often need to take care of business while my wife enjoys the city, looks around and does some shopping. We have been to London many times and have previously stayed at hotels such as The Ritz and The Dilly, so our expectations are not based on brochures alone. I am also a member of the GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme, mainly because a number of my previous stays in other cities have been at Kempinski hotels, including the Adlon in Berlin. This time I wanted to see what another hotel within this loyalty universe could offer, and that is why we chose Hotel Café Royal. We arrived early, left our luggage at the hotel and went for a long walk in London. When we returned, we were allocated a Deluxe Room, which in fact reflected the double upgrade available through the GHA DISCOVERY programme. That kind of recognition matters. It is one of the reasons why loyalty programmes only make sense when the benefits are actually delivered in practice. The room itself was very good. It was well designed, comfortable and in excellent condition. The bathroom was very nice, and the entrance area had good wardrobe space, which matters more than many hotels seem to understand. The room felt updated, calm and properly maintained. The staff deserve real credit. Across the hotel, the attitude was service-oriented and professional. In this respect Hotel Café Royal clearly outperforms at least one of the other London hotels I have mentioned. This is important, because guests do not book a five-star hotel only for marble, location and a good bed. They book it because they expect service. Hotel Café Royal seems to understand that. We had breakfast on both mornings, and it was an excellent experience. If you stay here and have the time, you should give yourself and your partner that start to the day. We also used the bar and in-room dining, and both were fully satisfactory. We also used the pool and jacuzzi, and that deserves to be mentioned. There is something quite special about swimming in a calm, well-kept pool just steps from Piccadilly Circus. To be able to retreat from one of the busiest and most central parts of London into that kind of quiet, almost hidden, space is a luxury in itself. Bathing this close to such a central landmark is an experience you only find in a small number of selected hotels around the world. This hotel wins first on location. It is difficult to imagine a much better base in London if you want to combine business, shopping, walking and simply being in the middle of the city. But it also wins on the quality of the rooms, the spa facilities, the loyalty recognition and the attitude of the staff. Everything felt as if it had been thought through and kept in proper order. Hotel Café Royal is now clearly at the top of my list for future stays in London, whether I come for business, leisure — or, as often happens, a combination of both.

This is a belated review, but we had another wonderful stay at Hotel Cafe Royal this past winter. Our Amex FHR benefits were all honored, with a very nice upgrade and welcome treats. This is our favorite hotel in London - the location on Regent Street is perfect, the staff wonderful, and the rooms as well as the amenities are excellent! We had a little hiccup when our TV cable connection prevented us from watching a Premier League match that we were looking forward to, but the hotel tried mightily to get it restored. It was a cable company issue, not the hotel's fault. Nevertheless, Kurtis more than made it up to us. Thank you Kurtis for your wonderful handling of this! You are a true asset to the hotel. And always a shout out to the superb concierges who offer great advice and land sought after reservations. Looking forward to our return!

The BEST personnel you could have encounter when visiting Hotel Cafe Royal. Giuseppe at Concierge is always smiling and accommodating with any requests and very knowledgeable. Tommy at the door is superlative, Mustafa leading the porters, Roy in Cakes &Bubbles with Cherlyn and Daniel are always going the extra mile. Ultimately, the whole hotel is and will always be my favorite home in London.

Best place ever. We went multiple times. Every room is beautiful. Restaurant is anciant and you should get lunch here (not afternoon tea sorry). Every detail is kept in mind. Thank you.

My husband and I stayed for our 10th wedding anniversary and had the most amazing time. The team on reception were very welcoming and Paul and Nick went the extra mile to ensure our stay was special. Thank you! We spent some time in Cakes and Bubbles, which we would highly recommend. Roy was lovely, and the food and drinks we had were absolutwly delicious. We also spent some time in Akasha, the spa, which was a real highlight. Whilst we were there as a couple, we'd absolutely recommend the hotel to families as it seemed very family friendly. We'll definitely be visiting again!