The Emory

I've had a great experience at The Emory over the past couple months and would 100% stay there again.

It's exactly the kind of hotel I love — everything clicked for me on this stay, and I have no hesitation recommending it.

Honestly, I found the whole experience soulless — other than the price tag, none of it felt genuinely FAT to me.

I expected the personal touches that used to define these hotels, but that's largely gone now unless your family name carries weight. It felt more corporate than personal, which was disappointing given what I was paying.

The cigar lounge staff were cold and honestly rude — one took my cigar off the ashtray without even asking if I was done.

The atmosphere in the lounge itself is genuinely nice, but a hotel at this level needs to have service that matches the setting. I felt unwelcome, and the environment was surprisingly hostile for what's meant to be a luxury cigar lounge.

From the reception onward, this felt like a truly refined experience, and the woman at the front desk set the tone perfectly.

I haven't seen the rooms yet, but everything else has been excellent so far. The Christmas decorations were stunning — elegant and tasteful, adding a genuinely luxurious festive atmosphere throughout. You can tell every detail here is carefully curated.

As an expert critic, I'd score The Emory an 8 out of 10 — a Richard Rogers-designed, all-suite property with a genuinely strong culinary and rooftop offering.

The building's design pedigree and Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant give it real credibility beyond the marketing, and the rooftop bar is a standout space in its own right. It's a confident, contemporary addition to London's luxury landscape.

I stayed at The Emory and immediately noticed how deliberately understated the arrival is — no grand facade, just a small glass room tucked down an alleyway.

I booked a Park Junior Suite on the 8th floor, which is where you finally clear the trees for a real Hyde Park view, and the Andre Fu-designed floors were my favorite of the different designer treatments throughout the building. The Toto toilet, excellent light and blind controls, and a well-stocked complimentary minibar made the room feel genuinely special, and sound insulation was impressive given the busy street outside. Our butler and guest services team knew our names by day two, WhatsApp access made every request effortless, and they had the house car ready almost immediately after check-in to get us to lunch.

This was the best hotel experience I've had — I've stayed at Rosewoods, Peninsulas, and Four Seasons, and none compare.

The rooms are modern, luxurious, and genuinely large, with a well-thought-out layout. Everything in the minibar was complimentary, plus a free bottle of wine or champagne daily. The gym was small but excellent, and the pool/sauna/snow shower combo was awesome. The rooftop bar had great views and food, and concierge was top notch — but I'll say this isn't the spot if you want a traditional British feel or want to be seen; it's private and modern instead.

I'd read some mixed reviews from earlier in the hotel's life, but we experienced zero service issues — clearly the early hiccups have been resolved.

We booked the lowest-end suite, a Courtyard Studio, and were still upgraded to a Deluxe Courtyard Studio on arrival. Despite paying around $1,200 a night for the 'cheaper' room, we were greeted by name throughout and got unpacking and pressing, a champagne welcome, a complimentary in-room wine menu, and a butler for any request. The real standout was Surrenne spa — the 22m pool, sauna, steam, and fitness classes were all beautifully maintained, and it's clearly becoming Maybourne's signature spa brand across the portfolio.

This will be my first look when booking our next stay in London — the hard product and service were both excellent.

Check-in was fast and personal, done in a small glass office just steps from the valet, and by day two I was on a first-name basis with the team, including a standout butler named Carlos. Our WhatsApp assistant typically responded in 1-3 minutes, day or night, and could set up everything from dinner reservations to spa treatments to laundry. Breakfast at ABC Kitchen was consistently warm and attentive — one morning three different staff offered to help me carry my plate upstairs. The design and aesthetic are a real departure from traditional London luxury, but everything about the execution was outstanding.

The Emory is the biggest stylistic departure among the Maybourne London properties — modern, minimalist, vibey, yet still discreet.

Compared to the history-steeped Claridge's and Connaught, The Emory feels dramatically more contemporary — heavy on glass and steel outside, sleek and cool inside. Each floor was handled by a different designer, giving the property a hotel-within-a-hotel character that I found genuinely interesting rather than gimmicky. It caters to a crowd that wants restrained, minimalist elegance rather than traditional British opulence.

The Emory felt less like a traditional luxury hotel to me and more like a private sanctuary that trades spectacle for restraint.

I loved that the architecture was striking without being ostentatious — clean lines, warm textures, abundant natural light, and interiors that felt curated rather than decorated. Afternoon tea was one of the standout experiences, served in a serene setting with an impressively varied tea selection and pastries that felt contemporary rather than ceremonial. Service throughout was attentive without being intrusive, professional yet warm. There's a quiet exclusivity here — nothing needs to shout because every detail already speaks of quality.

Check-in dragged on forever and our Signature booking upgrade turned out to be no upgrade at all despite the hotel being empty.

The doormen were excellent throughout, and our room, once we swapped out of one with an awkward shower/tub combo, was spacious with a wonderful bed and living area. But housekeeping missed heavy stains on the wooden floor and mold in a shower corner, several promised welcome items never materialized, and water pooled from the wet room onto the wooden floor. The minibar was generous and mostly customizable, which was a bright spot.

This is absolutely the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in — and I wish we'd booked more than one night.

The entrance was beautifully decorated for Christmas, and every single staff member was friendly and helpful — Carlos, our butler, was amazing. Our room had a view over Hyde Park and the complimentary minibar was brilliant. We had dinner and cocktails at the rooftop bar, followed by a cigar in the lounge, and both were fantastic; breakfast was delicious too.

My kids and I were treated coldly from the start, and staff even tried to move me away from them mid-stay without explanation.

When I asked to speak to a manager about it, I was flatly told no — no apology, no explanation. There was also no on-site concierge, and I was told to walk to another hotel entirely for basic requests like booking a car. For a hotel positioning itself as luxury, this felt more like a budget property in disguise.

Do not stay here — the service level felt more like a four-star hotel than the luxury property it claims to be.

Guests who arrived after us but had booked more suites were given clear preference over us. Nobody accompanied us to our room despite the confirmation promising a 24-hour personalized liaison, and when I asked about the promised unpacking and pressing service, a butler eventually showed up just to tell me that wasn't his job. The room itself had low ceilings, no view, and felt cramped and dark — nothing like what 'suite' implies, and management was nowhere to be found when I tried to raise concerns.

I've stayed at plenty of Forbes top-ten hotels, and it's rare to find one that executes flawless service from start to finish — The Emory did exactly that.

Louis from guest relations contacted me before arrival to arrange transport, and the doorman personally returned later with printed details of exercise classes for my wife. Our butler Barbara had a wonderful personality and handled every request perfectly, and when Louis learned it was my wife's birthday, he arranged a cake and champagne delivered exactly on time. The room was a great size for London with impressive sound insulation, and the rooftop bar staff made excellent cocktails with a view stretching to the London Eye.