CompareLondon
Overall, The Lanesborough is the stronger stay.
The Lanesborough for winding down.
Fat Favorite, 17.5 out of 20. The Lanesborough
Fat Favorite, 16.5 out of 20. COMO Metropolitan LondonLondon, United Kingdom · Oetker Hotels
Butlers who remember thermostat settings a year later and a doorman greeting guests by name at the curb carry this score.
A Regency-style Oetker Collection hotel in Knightsbridge, London, facing Hyde Park, with a basement wellness centre and hydrotherapy pool.
Read the full verdictLondon, United Kingdom · Como
Nobu on the ground floor gets singled out for breakfast.
A 54-room Como hotel on Park Lane in Mayfair, within walking distance of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.
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Out of 20
Overall +1
Overall: The Lanesborough 17.5 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 16.5 out of 20.Service +0.5 Why
Service: The Lanesborough 18.5 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 18 out of 20.The Lanesborough: Butlers who remember thermostat settings a year later and a doorman greeting guests by name at the curb carry this score, though a lost-property accusation shows it isn’t flawless.
COMO Metropolitan London: Ali on the door and Maryam and Vasil at the desk get named constantly, often for small things like sorting luggage or a birthday gift.
Rooms & Design +1 Why
Rooms & Design: The Lanesborough 16.5 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 15.5 out of 20.The Lanesborough: Alberto Pinto’s 2015 refresh of the old St George’s Hospital building splits opinion: maximalist Regency rooms that some call a dream and others call dated.
COMO Metropolitan London: Rooms lean calm and minimalist, with heated floors and Japanese toilets, though one traveller found the look too generic for London.
Location Level Why
Location: The Lanesborough 18 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 18 out of 20.The Lanesborough: Hyde Park Corner, the park across the road and the tube at the door put this above most London rivals on pure convenience.
COMO Metropolitan London: Steps from Hyde Park and a walk across the park to Buckingham Palace, with easy access to Mayfair shopping and theatre country.
Dining +0.5 Why
Dining: The Lanesborough 15 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 15.5 out of 20.The Lanesborough: The Grill and Library Bar get real praise but the Bridgerton afternoon tea draws the sharpest complaints about stale sandwiches and thin flavor.
COMO Metropolitan London: Nobu on the ground floor gets singled out for breakfast, though the wider food and drink program feels secondary to the rooms upstairs.
Wellness +3
Wellness: The Lanesborough 16.5 out of 20, COMO Metropolitan London 13.5 out of 20.Strengths of The Lanesborough
Strengths of COMO Metropolitan London
Trade-offs of The Lanesborough
Trade-offs of COMO Metropolitan London
The Lanesborough COMO Metropolitan London Only at The Lanesborough
Only at COMO Metropolitan London
The Lanesborough is 93 rooms in a converted Regency hospital at Hyde Park Corner, and the thing people actually talk about isn't the building, it's the staff. A doorman who remembers your name on the second visit. A butler who found out a guest's mother had been hospitalized and sent flowers to her room without being asked. The service here is the reason regulars keep coming back instead of trying the new openings. One traveller who's cycled through the Connaught, Rosewood and the OWO said this is still the one that feels like home.
The rooms split people. It's maximalist Regency decor, chandeliers, rich fabrics, nothing minimalist about it, and if that's not your taste you won't be converted by a good stay. The decor won't work for everyone, and that's a real preference, not a flaw. The more consistent complaint is the Bridgerton afternoon tea: several guests paying £300-400 for two found the sandwiches dry and pre-made, the cakes bland, and the tea selection thin for the price, even as others call it the best in the city. Breakfast queues on busy weekends and a stiff door policy at the cigar lounge are the other recurring gripes, worth knowing before you book a packed holiday week.
None of that touches what happens upstairs. Guests who travel with kids get a miniature butler uniform and a backstage tour, the house cat Lilibet has her own following, and the quiet here, even steps from Hyde Park Corner traffic, keeps coming up as a genuine surprise. Book it for the staff and the Library Bar, skip the themed tea if food quality matters more than the photo.
The pitch here is simple: a Mayfair address, a five-minute walk from Hyde Park, and a staff roster that seems to remember your name by the second morning. Ali on the door shows up constantly, greeting kids with presents and handling luggage without being asked twice, and the front desk (Maryam, Vasil, Iolanda) gets thanked for the same thing over and over: fast, warm, no fuss. Rooms run calm rather than showy, caramel tones, velvet, marble, heated bathroom floors, and more than one guest mentioned a Japanese toilet and automatic blinds framing the London Eye.
Where it gets complicated is money. One guest was hit with a £350 charge for alleged carpet stains after checkout, with thin documentation and only a partial refund offered; that's a real risk at these rates, and worth asking about at check-in if you're travelling with kids. The design itself splits opinion too: some find the minimalist look a genuine relief from London's usual chintz, others think it could be a hotel in any city and doesn't feel distinctly London at all. The food and drink program is Nobu-adjacent rather than a destination in its own right, and there's no real spa story to speak of, so this isn't the pick if wellness is the point of the trip.
Book it for the location and the people at the front of house, both of which show up constantly in what guests say. Skip it if you want a hotel with a view (Four Seasons Park Lane is a block away for that) or a serious spa. For a couple or a family wanting Mayfair with genuine warmth at the door, it's a strong, dependable choice.
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The Lanesborough: Butlers who remember thermostat settings a year later and a doorman greeting guests by name at the curb carry this score. COMO Metropolitan London: Nobu on the ground floor gets singled out for breakfast. Overall, The Lanesborough is the stronger stay.
The Lanesborough is ahead on winding down. COMO Metropolitan London is ahead on the food. The Lanesborough adds Heritage, Wellness, Family and Architecture; COMO Metropolitan London adds Design and Culinary. Both are tagged Urban and Romantic.
The Lanesborough leads on this. The Lanesborough: Alberto Pinto’s 2015 refresh of the old St George’s Hospital building splits opinion: maximalist Regency rooms that some call a dream and others call dated. COMO Metropolitan London: Rooms lean calm and minimalist, with heated floors and Japanese toilets, though one traveller found the look too generic for London.
The Lanesborough leads on this. The Lanesborough: Butlers who remember thermostat settings a year later and a doorman greeting guests by name at the curb carry this score, though a lost-property accusation shows it isn’t flawless. COMO Metropolitan London: Ali on the door and Maryam and Vasil at the desk get named constantly, often for small things like sorting luggage or a birthday gift.
Both are in London, about 326 m apart — close enough that the choice is the hotel, not the neighbourhood.
