OpeningsWaldorf AstoriaLondon, United Kingdom
A first look at Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch
Admiralty Arch becomes a hotel
Expected Early 2027 Reservations open
Not open yet — books direct on Waldorf Astoria’s official site.
First look
Admiralty Arch, at the Trafalgar Square end of The Mall, has never been a hotel. Sir Aston Webb, who also gave Buckingham Palace its east front, designed it for Edward VII as a memorial to Queen Victoria, and the Latin dedication carved on it is dated 1910. For most of the century since, it held government offices, the Admiralty’s first and latterly the Cabinet Office’s, with the First Sea Lord’s official residence inside. Waldorf Astoria was first announced here in 2017. The Reuben Brothers took over the building in 2022, and Hilton will run it as 114 rooms, suites and residences, with residential and signature suites taking more than half of the room space.
Two chefs carry the food. Clare Smyth’s Coreus, a seafood restaurant drawing on Britain’s coast and farms, goes into the First Sea Lord’s old home, and she has a bar too, Whiskey & Seaweed, stocking whisky from every distillery in the UK. Daniel Boulud has the roof: an all-day Café Boulud whose south-facing terrace looks straight down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.
What we’ll be watching
Whether the rooms below the suites get the building. Residential and signature suites take more than half of the room space, so the rest of the 114 keys share less than half of it, and those are the rooms most bookings will be for. We’ll be watching how much of the arch reaches them.
Whether the hotel stays calm with the public inside. A ballroom for up to 500, a rooftop restaurant and a 60-seat bar from Inception Group, who run Mr Fogg’s, will bring a lot of people from outside into a hotel of 114 keys. We’ll be watching whether the floors above feel like a hotel on a busy Saturday.
How it handles ceremonial days. The arch sits on the processional route from Buckingham Palace, and The Mall closes to traffic for state occasions. That’s either a front-row seat or a car that can’t reach the door, and we’ll want to know how the hotel gets guests in and out on those days.
Whether Coreus stands apart from Core. Clare Smyth already runs Core in Notting Hill. A second fine-dining room across town, built around seafood, has to give Londoners a reason to book a table here and not there.
Photos
Renderings and press imagery, courtesy of the hotel. Details may change before opening.
Want to know the day it opens?
Get notified
We’ll email you the day it opens, and again once it has a Fat Score.
Joins the Fat Voyage list; leave any time.
Before it opens
When does Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch open?
Hilton says it opens in late 2026. When we checked on 30 October 2026, the first night on sale was 1 February 2027, and Hilton has said earlier dates will follow as it nears opening. Rooms book on Hilton’s own site, for cash or Hilton Honors points.
Where is Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch?
Inside Admiralty Arch itself, Aston Webb’s Edwardian arch at the Trafalgar Square end of The Mall. Buckingham Palace stands at the other end of The Mall, so the roof looks down to the Palace one way and over Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column the other.
Is it the same hotel as the Waldorf Hilton?
No. The Waldorf Hilton, which first opened in 1908, is a separate hotel on Aldwych at the other end of the Strand. Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch is a new hotel in a different building, so a search for the Waldorf in London can bring up either.
How many rooms does it have?
114 rooms, suites and residences. Residential and signature suites take more than half of the room space; Hilton has named the Nelson Suite and the Victory Residence, the second after Nelson’s flagship.
What restaurants, bars and spa will it have?
Clare Smyth runs Coreus, a seafood restaurant in the First Sea Lord’s former home, and a whisky bar called Whiskey & Seaweed. Daniel Boulud has the roof with an all-day Café Boulud, and Inception Group, behind Mr Fogg’s, is opening a 60-seat bar called The Admiral’s Mess. The spa uses OSKIA treatments and has a hydrotherapy pool with a sauna and steam room, and the ballroom takes up to 500.
Will Fat Voyage score Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch?
Once it’s open and enough guests have stayed and written about it. The Fat Score is built from those reports, and no hotel can pay for one, so until then this page is a first look.
