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Five of the most Insta-worthy hotels in London

Tom Cramp

Contributor

Luxury hotels are not only great places for you to gather some unique Instagram material, but are also often located inside beautifully ornate buildings steeped in rich history. At these five London dwellings, guests are never more than a stone’s throw away from the action – lavish design is coupled with exceptional service to provide guests with the ultimate platform to experience the city, for business or leisure. If you are looking for a city trip in the new year to wash 2021 out of your system, look no further than this opulent array of high-quality hotels that are guaranteed to energise the soul and leave you and your Instagram feeling pampered and refreshed.

Rosewood London

No. 252 High Holborn is where one of London’s most prestigious hotels can be found, although the address really should include its true location – the upper-echelons of luxury. As you arrive through the wrought-iron gate and into the courtyard, the elaborate façade of this Edwardian edifice is your first photo opportunity. On further inspection, the stylish communal spaces of the interior are full of marble and mahogany; rooms are of quintessential English design (some even include Shakespeare quotes engraved into tables), and the fine-dining experience at the Rosewood’s four restaurants is enough to cement this hotel into the memory of anyone who stays there. Hard to believe that such a hub of extravagance was the headquarters of an insurance company from 1914 to 1989.

Every inch of the building is photogenic, but perhaps the most exclusive shot you can get for your feed is at the Grand Manor House Suite – the only hotel suite in the world to have its own postcode.

The Langham

Looks like a castle, feels like a royal palace – every guest at The Langham will have at one point felt a little magisterial during their stay. The historic Victorian property located off shopping-paradise Oxford Street has over 150 years of heritage for guests to revel in and has been the choice of many famous faces during visits to the capital. The likes of Mark Twain, Napoleon III, Oscar Wilde, Princess Diana, Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, Emperor Haile Selassie and Wallis Simpson, to name but a few.

The striking exterior of The Langham is a photo waiting to be taken, but more exclusive, specialist Instagram material can be found on the inside. A refreshment at Artesian is a must – voted World’s Best Bar four years in a row, a shot of one of their expertly crafted beverages is golden content. Furthermore, food bloggers will be in their element at Wigmore, the hotel’s elegant contemporary gastropub. Don’t forget about the beautifully restored Palm Court and the dazzling Wedgewood Suite – recent beneficiaries of an £80 million refurb in 2009. If The Langham didn’t already ooze class, it does now.

The Ritz London

Few hotels in the world can match the iconic decadence found at The Ritz London. Located in the heart of the city, this hotel boasts a spa, fitness centre, casino, Michelin star-winning restaurant and a wide variety of beautiful rooms. Recent renovations upgraded the facilities but kept the neoclassical design true to its heritage, meaning the façade remains an ideal photo opportunity, particularly at night. Have your phone camera at the ready in the lobby too as you walk through the revolving doors and down the Long Gallery, lined with fresh, sweet-smelling flowers.

Maximum Instagram clout has to come from the hotel’s famous Afternoon Tea. Immaculately dressed staff allow you to peruse a menu of eighteen different types of loose-leaf tea, before bringing over the tiered platter of deliciousness featuring triangle-cut sandwiches, fresh scones with clotted cream and a wide range of pastries. It’s an aesthetically satisfying experience from start to finish and will have your followers in awe.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

This jewel in the crown of London’s five-star hotels is elegance epitomised. Before you check-in, get some shots of the red-brick Edwardian exterior from Hyde Park and you’re off to a great start, made even better by the warm hand towel and lemongrass tea handed to you on arrival by the front desk. This is a snapshot into the Mandarin Oriental experience – incredible hospitality blended with class and sophistication. A major refurb was needed after a fire in 2014, but work was completed in 2019 and the hotel looks better than ever. Fine leather furnishings, marble bathrooms, a huge underground spa, and glass everywhere to reflect light.

Pose with an aperitif at the Mandarin Bar before heading to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, the celebrity chef’s two Michelin star restaurant. His reputation as a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking means that your food snaps are likely to be taken up a level. If your thirst for content has not yet been quenched, the Mandarin Oriental also happens to be a short walk away from many of central London’s tourist hotspots. Just don’t forget to charge your phone.

Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard

While The Shard is a relative newcomer to the London skyline compared to others on this list, it is right up there with the most Insta-worthy locations in the entire city. It doesn’t get much more photogenic than looking out across London from the infinity pool on the 52nd floor. Such is the innovation of The Shard’s design that each room is unique, giving guests their very own view of the city out of the floor-to-ceiling windows and an exclusive cityscape shot for your feed.

Tasteful nods towards Asia can be found around the hotel, as is contemporary and classic art from a variety of acclaimed sources. Shangri-La has expertly found the middle ground between metropolitan and a Zen-like tranquillity – you could have been on a busy tube moments earlier, but as soon as you arrive at the hotel, you know you’re going to be taken care of. In the evenings, head to TING for high-end pan-Asian cuisine, then cocktail bar Gong for a nightcap and a magnificent view of a lit-up London.

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