Raffles London at The OWO

Sandwiches were nice, scones lovely, cakes excellent. Service top notch. Live music good. Impromptu tour of the hotel afterwards was a nice bonus.

I was entertained by my family at Raffles for afternoon tea. We sat in the library with a view of Horse Guard's parade through the window. The staff were extremely helpful and hospitable. The youngest guest was a young baby who was made to feel very welcome. Our host Kremma was especially helpful. Our tea was supposed to be for one and a half hours but we were there for nearly three hours. The food was delicious [sandwiches, scones,cakes]. The cakes were Christmas themed. The library was decorated for Christmas and there was a ginger bread house out in the courtyard. A lot of food is provided and the staff were happy to pack the surplus cake and scones into a smart box to carry away. One day I would love to come back to stay and sample the cocktail bar.

We were gifted an Afternoon Tea as a Christmas present. Delicious fresh sandwiches (you can order more without charge!) a small savoury tart, warm plain and fruit scones with jam and cream, and mouthwatering cakes. A wide variety of teas available. We chose to try the green teas. Very nice! Afternoon Tea takes place in the stunning drawing room. A pianist playing in the background. We sometimes feel out of place in upmarket venues but we were made to feel very welcome. We were very lucky as we had Sebastiano and Aldrich looking after us. Nothing was too much trouble for them. They explained the menu and the history of the building and the renovations that had taken place. We even left with a bag of 'childhood' sweets chosen by Aldrich! As we were leaving another member of staff, Alexandre (he is doing his internship here) was in the Foyer and asked if we had seen the courtyard. He showed us around and then we were lucky enough to have a mini tour of the first floor. The corridors were plush and the views spectacular. Again he was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the building and the renovations. The hotel is beautiful and the staff are welcoming and friendly. Although we haven't stayed here (yet!) we would highly recommend the afternoon tea. Definitely have a look around if you get the chance.

I had high expectations for Raffles London, especially given the brand’s reputation for excellence. Unfortunately, the pre-arrival experience has been underwhelming. Despite reaching out well in advance with a simple query about the benefits under the HERA rate and my Accor Diamond membership, it took over 11 days and two replies, neither of which actually answered the question. The delay and lack of clarity do not reflect the level of attentiveness one would expect from a property of this calibre. If this is the service before arrival, it doesn’t inspire much confidence for the stay itself.

Absolutely amazing experience trying out the new Spies tour and afternoon tea package with Steve Clark, our tour guide, and the staff at Raffles London. Steve was passionate, knowledgeable, and friendly throughout and provided a uniquely interesting tour through central London. He went out of his way to accommodate our group during the tour. The afternoon tea that followed was delicious and relaxing in the beautifully restored OWO building’s drawing room. Cannot recommend this experience enough!!