The Lanesborough, Oetker Collection

Visited the Lanesborough hotel for the Bridgeton afternoon tea. It was such a lovely time with delicious sandwiches, scones and sweet treats all themed. The tea was fresh, hot, sweet and spicy. They offered a gluten free menu which was presented beautifully. The service was spot on and the hotel is dreamy. The best time definitely recommend this place for an elegant yet relaxed tea in London.

I decided that we had reached the age whereby we stopped buying birthday gifts and instead had a treat. I arranged for us to have lunch here. We had a lovely walk along Green Park into an oasis of calm and taste. From the doormen to the cloakroom attendant, everyone was attentive and helpful. The Lanesborough Grill was very relaxed although the decor was on the formal side. All very tasteful. We arrived early and were able to enjoy a glass of Champagne. We chose the fixed menu, which is definitely in the short side, but both of us were happy to choose something from each course. The food, the wine - so tasty and beautifully presented. We worried that the portions may be so tiny that we would be grabbing something to eat on the way home, but there was no chance of that. We were completely satiated (I am lying down as I write!). We had the cheddar soufflé, the Glazed Beef Short Rib, and we each chose a different desert. We were offered side dishes - I chose the hash browns, and my husband chose the Cornish new potatoes. They provided fresh bread too. So tasty. We only really needed one side dish. We had a lovely experience and at the end they presented Dave with a tiny birthday gift. This is an an experience, and it is expensive without a doubt - at least to us (could be many, many hundreds of pounds depending upon the wine you chose), but it’s easy to spend a few hundred pounds on birthday presents without thinking that are soon forgotten. We won’t forget today in a hurry. This isn’t a restaurant we would visit regularly, but for us, as a treat, it was just wonderful. We will definitely return. One happy couple, and had a wonderful experience. Perfect in every way!

I recently contacted The Lanesborough’s concierge with what I thought was a fairly simple request for assistance some help with making a couple or restaurant bookings. Not even recommendations. To my surprise, I was met with a flat refusal, with the explanation that their “expertise is limited…” and that they couldn’t assist with anything outside of that. No effort was made to go the extra mile — no offer to reach out to a sister property to help, no attempt to recommend someone who could help in their network, not even a phone call or email to the venues to try and assist. Just a quick dismissal. At a hotel of this calibre, you expect a “nothing is too much trouble” attitude, especially when part of a luxury collection known for its service standards. What I experienced instead was a clear unwillingness to try. It left me genuinely disappointed. Five-star hotels and clubs should pride themselves on proactive, solution-oriented service. Sadly, that wasn’t the case here.

I came to The Lanesborough not for a bed or a view. I came because it still feels like a hotel made for people who listen to silence. It’s the kind of place where time doesn’t just move slowly, it holds still. The kind of place that doesn’t need to impress you with tech or trends. Because it already knows who it is. And it knows you, too, if you belong. From the moment you step in, it feels like entering a private world. Not cold. Not distant. Just carefully measured. The lobby carries a hush that doesn’t need to be enforced. It just exists. Naturally. Our room was a private kind of reverence. Heavy curtains. Dim lamps. A writing desk that felt more like an invitation than a piece of furniture. I didn’t unpack quickly. Somehow, even my clothes felt the need to behave. But not everyone came for the same reason. There were those, philistines with money, who walked the halls like they were owed something. Loud. Distracted. Under-dressed. Wearing shorts and oversized t-shirts like they’re poolside in Ibiza., blasting their phones on speaker, treating staff as if the staff weren’t human. One gave the cleaning lady a look like she was interrupting his life. But how could they know better? You have to be taught how to respect a place like this. How to lower your voice. How to nod to the doorman like he’s the one who owns the building. And they weren’t taught. Born rich, maybe. But never raised. Still, the hotel held its dignity. Even while they trampled through it. I spent most of my nights in The Library Bar. Not drinking fast. Just drinking until the room felt even softer than before. Not talking much. Just writing. Reading. Letting the hours pass like they used to in another time. The light in that room doesn’t feel like electricity. It feels like memory. Even the chairs felt like they’d been designed for conversation, not for posing. I walked the corridors at 2AM. Not to go anywhere. Just to walk. Just to feel. That thick hush of carpet underfoot. That softness in the air. That strange comfort of knowing you’re in a place that was built for stillness. I stopped outside my door and stayed there for a while. The wallpaper. The sconces. The silence. It all made me feel small in the best possible way. I didn’t take photos. Didn’t check my phone. Didn’t tag the bar or the room. Because some things aren’t for show. They’re for being there. And The Lanesborough, like a few other rare hotels in the world, gives you that gift: to step out of the present and sit quietly in the company of something older, slower, and more human.

My wife and I have just enjoyed 3 perfect days at the Lanesborough: our first and hopefully not last visit. It was reassuring to be able to leave my car in the garage. We arrived late after a long drive from Yorkshire, were greeted warmly by all staff who were courteous, friendly and helpful through our stay. We had a spectacular dinner with friends in the grill, enjoyed late drinks in the bar and also ate in the withdrawing room (this wasn’t quite up to the high standards of the rest of the hotel)…. Our suite was extremely comfortable and had everything we needed. Breakfasts v high quality too. Excellent gym and spa. My wife has coeliac disease and there were no problems accommodating her dietary needs. Thank you for an enjoyable stay.