What it’s like to stay in a suite at London Raffles
I check in to the capital’s newest super-luxury hotel
I’m very excited to bring you this hotel review - it’s one I have been waiting to write with anticipation. I had the wonderful opportunity to check into a suite in Raffles London at The OWO this month and what can I say, but, “wow!”
This enormous hotel is in The Old War Office in Whitehall, so you could not get a more central location. The vast 76,000 square-metre building is divided into two, with 85 private residences and 120 hotel rooms and suites, plus a four-storey spa.
Everything about the hotel is grand and extremely high-end – once fully-opened, it will have nine restaurants and three bars, including three by triple-Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, fabulous courtyard eatery Café Laperouse and a Japanese rooftop destination.
The Old War Office, was, as its name suggests, the hub of war-time operations and spy-central and the hotel’s suites are named after some of its famous former inhabitants, including the ‘female James Bond’ Christine Granville and Winston Churchill. The corner suites – of which I had one – are named after female spies or notable women connected to the OWO, including including spies Virginia Hall, Vera Atkins and D-Day Intelligence Officer Christian Lamb, 103, who even visited the hotel on its launch. They also come with their own butlers.
I stayed in Margot Suite, named after military nurse Margot Turner, who was famous for her book about being incarcerated in Tenko. My suite was enormous, with a large entrance area, dining and sitting-room, bedroom and bathroom, overlooking Horse Guards. It was tastefully furnished with plush cream carpets, red velvet sofa and a remarkably comfortable bed with sink-into-them pillows, plus extras like a Dyson hairdryer (how good are they?) and hair-straighteners. Bespoke amenities were by British perfumer Azzi Glasser.
As tempting as it would be to sit in my suite the whole day, I took a history tour of the building with Emiel Danneels who gave very lively insights into the building’s former life, including hair-raising facts about a resident Satanist and shenanigans in the basement. He pointed out where Winston Churchill made his daily address from the top of the marble and alabaster Grand Staircase, and the Churchill suite, complete with his original desk.
Roping in my sister Lindsey for the arduous task of sampling the London Sling versus the Singapore Sling in The Guards Bar, we concluded the British version of the gin cocktail was delicious, although she couldn’t go past the Singapore original.
We followed up with an outstanding tasting menu at Mauro Colagreco’s restaurant. The Argentinian chef has created a menu celebrating British ingredients and each course is built around a fruit or vegetable. The simple premise, however, belies the complex flavours each course brings.
His brasserie Saison, is stunning – where the tasting room is purposely plain, Saison is a beautiful glass-roofed arcade with a giant mural. Afterwards, we went down to the basement to locate the secret Spy Bar, hidden in the old coding rooms. Inside is James Bond’s Aston Martin – naturally.
The next day I visited the Guerlain Spa for a much-appreciated treatment. Spread over four floors, the spa includes a 20-metre underground swimming and vitality pool, plus sauna, steam rooms and gym. There’s also a pool butler, who hurried over to give me some slides. I then had a blissful personalised facial and massage in the Royal Suite, staring up at the lovely ceilings, carved with butterflies.
It’s hard to articulate how fabulous Raffles is - a heritage brand, heritage location and an incredible £1 billion renovation, it has all the ingredients you want in a luxury hotel. The service was outstanding – the plentiful staff could not do enough for you, in fact I couldn’t think of anything for them to do most of the time, except show me the way, because I kept getting lost. In my defence, back in the day, messengers cycled around the building’s 2.5 miles of corridors…
It is however, extremely high-end – be warned, this is at the very top of the London hotel market and the prices reflect that, throughout. But for a slice of paradise, wonderful treat and an experience you’ll never forget, I could not recommend this hotel more highly. I just need to find a reason to go back.
I was a guest of Raffles
The Travel List
Where: Raffles London at The OWO, is in Whitehall.
What: Raffles has nine restaurants, three bars and an enormous Guerlain spa.
Rate: Rooms start at, gulp, £1,100 per night.
Try: For a lovely taste of the hotel, book a history tour and afternoon tea.
For more information: Visit raffles.com