The Berkeley

This 125-year-old heritage hotel has been masterfully modernized without losing its soul.

What strikes me most is how The Berkeley balances its history with genuinely fresh collaborations rather than resting on legacy alone. The spa stands out even among London's crowded luxury spa scene, and the small design details throughout feel carefully considered rather than generic. It's a rare heritage property that still feels current.

After touring Scotland and the Lake District, ending our trip at The Berkeley felt like the perfect finale — Adrian and Mohammed took care of everything.

We only had two nights but it was enough to fall for the place. Adrian and Mohammed arranged transport and pointed us to sights without being asked twice, and the Grolet café is genuinely not to be missed. It's not cheap, but among London's legacy hotels, this one earns its place at the top of the list.

My room reeked of marijuana when I arrived with my one- and two-year-old, and I couldn't believe I'd been placed there.

The hotel's own signage warns of a $1,000 fine for smoking in rooms, so I don't know how I ended up in one that smelled that badly. I flagged it to the concierge immediately and asked to be moved so my kids wouldn't have to breathe it in. Not the experience I expected at this price point.

I paid £1000 a night with no breakfast included, and then couldn't even get my son into the pool.

The rooftop pool was always too busy to use, and when I tried the indoor pool instead, my son was turned away. For the money, I expected this to be a smooth family experience and it just wasn't. I'd steer other families elsewhere — this isn't built for kids despite how it's marketed.

The house car, personalized robes, and butler made me feel like I was staying with family, not at a hotel.

We stayed in the Hyde Park Suite and every touch felt considered — the butler service, the monogrammed robes, having a car on call. It's the kind of thing every luxury hotel should copy but few pull off this smoothly. My whole family felt genuinely welcomed, not just accommodated.

We had a rough start with a room mix-up, but once we were settled, the beds and location won us over.

We waited nearly an hour after being given the wrong room, which wasn't a great first impression. But once we got into our actual room, the beds were some of the most comfortable I've slept on, and the location let us walk to Harrods, the King's Road, and Piccadilly with ease. Staff throughout the stay were friendly despite the rocky start.

The rooftop pool and bar are the real draw here, and even the standard doubles feel spacious for London.

Staff came across as friendly and efficient throughout my review visit, and the range of room types is dizzying in the best way — even entry-level doubles don't feel cramped, which is rare for a London five-star. The rooftop remains the signature feature that sets this hotel apart from its competitors in the neighborhood.

We chose The Berkeley to celebrate a birthday and a proposal, and the team pulled off a flawless surprise at the Emory's rooftop bar.

From the moment our car pulled up, the welcome felt genuine, and the hotel guaranteed 10am check-in even though we gave less than 24 hours notice. Room service reheated leftovers from Gymkhana perfectly, and the team helped orchestrate a proposal at the rooftop bar with real enthusiasm, not just professionalism. We stayed in the Terrace Junior Suite, which came with a complimentary upgrade, and our room had a beautiful view of the church across the street — the whole property has that rare mix of exclusivity and warmth.

This is our favorite hotel in London, and Sergio came to the rescue with a jaw-dropping suite when our room wasn't ready in time.

We come here with our two boys to celebrate birthdays and the welcome from David and Paul's team is always the best in town. This time, one room wasn't ready during a heatwave rush, but the Director of Guest Services upgraded us to the Knightsbridge Pavilion suite, which was out of this world. Breakfast at ABC was, as always, delicious with a great view of London passing by outside.

The spa day and the Japanese loo in my bathroom were unexpected highlights I'm still thinking about.

Service was fantastic throughout, and my room's bathroom felt like a dream with its Japanese toilet. The café is lovely but skip it if you're watching your budget — £36 for a club sandwich is steep, so I'd eat elsewhere for meals. The pool was lovely with excellent smoothies, and I can't recommend the face gym facial and downtime massage enough.

I've been coming here for years and it still has that welcoming, home-like feel every single time.

The staff are consistently attentive and genuinely seem to care, and the location couldn't be better. Church view rooms are a real highlight for the natural light they bring in, and it's nice to see the hotel keeps upgrading. That said, a few things in my room weren't working properly this time, and the shared pool hours with The Emory for children didn't seem enforced during my stay.

Between the doormen, the wine knowledge at ABC Kitchens, and the tranquility of the Surrenne spa, I was already asking when I could come back.

Every part of the stay hit five-star-plus for me — the doormen were knowledgeable and friendly, reception staff were consistently professional, and Giorgio at ABC Kitchens made the wine experience memorable. The Surrenne spa was pure tranquility, and the Cedric Grolet bakery elevated breakfast beyond anything I expected. This is the kind of hotel that makes you start planning your return before you've even left.

Traveling with our first child, the doorman team handled everything so smoothly we barely noticed our bags disappear.

Mohammed and the front door team helped us get our child out of the car safely and took care of our luggage without us even realizing it happened. At the desk, we got a room upgrade and the hotel supplied genuinely nice organic Kith and Kin baby products, not cheap substitutes. Room service arrived in about 10 minutes, and after staying at other top London hotels, this is the one we're sticking with going forward.

We booked through a card program for the perks, but honestly the staff alone made this our new favorite luxury hotel anywhere.

Waleed checked us in early, upgraded us to a junior suite, and got us coffee while our room was finished — small gestures that set the tone for the whole stay. The room itself was spacious and modern with an incredible view, and the automatic bidet toilet was a fun surprise. Traveling with our baby, the hotel provided a crib, diaper pail, and Kith and Kin baby supplies without us even asking twice, and breakfast service at ABC from Suzanna was wonderfully accommodating. Dinner at La Mone was solid, and the Emory's rooftop bar next door gave us an unbeatable nightcap view of London.

This used to be my favorite hotel and I'd rave about it constantly — now, after a GM change, it feels like a completely different, much worse property.

At $1,000 a night I expect royal treatment, but this stay had a falling-apart ceiling, a shower with no door, and a toilet I couldn't even fit into comfortably. Room service couldn't take my order properly and staff barely acknowledged me the whole stay. I was also told a 10am check-in was guaranteed by email, only to find out on arrival that wasn't true — I won't be coming back.

I'd still pick The Berkeley over The Dorchester, but a pre-arranged flower and welcome card order simply went missing from our room.

I'd arranged flowers and a welcome card days ahead, and after an upgraded room and a 10-minute wait, neither showed up — worse, the welcome card in the room was addressed to a different guest entirely. It took nearly half an hour on the phone before the concierge admitted my email had actually been received and just never acted on. To their credit, the staff were apologetic and arranged a lovely romantic turndown with Billecart-Salmon rosé and rose petals as an apology, but compared to The Dorchester, L'Oscar, and the Saint James in Paris — where similar requests were handled flawlessly — this fell short.