Whizz up in the lift to level 34 of the Renzo Piano-designed building to this wow-factor hotel, which is spread across the top 18 floors of The Shard.

Since opening in 1906, princes, politicians and Hollywood stars have all stayed at this five-star hotel on Piccadilly. Palatial suites and Louis XVI-style rooms come with antique furniture and opulent marble bathrooms.

Doormen in top hats greet guests at this art deco masterpiece near Bond Street. Nods to the 1920s can be seen in the geometric lines of the rooms and suites (the hotel has a history of collaborating with designers).

Elevate your stay in the capital with a stay at the cloud-tickling Treehouse. Gorgeously botanical bar The Nest is your perch from which to drink in a 360-degree vista and spot the London Eye, Canary Wharf and Regent’s Park from a wraparound terrace.

Right in the heart of Mayfair, The Connaught has it all: contemporary rooms designed by Guy Oliver and the late David Collins; the chic Aman Spa, with a black granite pool; and a pair of excellent restaurants, Jean-George at The Connaught and the sensational three-Michelin-starred Hélène Darroze at The Connaught.

It’s hard to miss the huge sculpture of a robot-like figure by Antony Gormley on one side of The Beaumont building. It houses ROOM, a one-off suite designed to encourage guests to switch off. The rest of the rooms feel grown-up and masculine with dark wood furniture, black and white artwork and art deco detailing.

Walk into the open-plan bar-cum-lobby and it’s immediately obvious which collection of hotels this slick Holborn outpost belongs to. Fun, laidback, and stylish but never trying too hard — all of the Hoxton trademarks can, happily, be ticked off here.

Britain’s first luxury hotel, The Savoy, has been a honeypot for A-listers (Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra) since it first opened in 1889. Rooms are decorated in an Edwardian or art deco style; the best come with knockout views of the Thames.

Brilliantly positioned for anyone wanting to tick off seeing some of the capital’s most famous landmarks, including Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, The Corinthia overlooks the Thames at Whitehall.

Housed in a restored Edwardian mansion a 15-minute walk from Covent Garden, Rosewood London is perhaps best known for gentleman’s club-like Scarfes Bar, named after artist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe whose paintings hang on the walls, and chef Calum Franklin’s The Pie Room restaurant.

From plush regency-style rooms to ornate decorative detailing throughout (frescos, hand-painted trompe l’oeil and chandeliers), The Lanesborough is the epitome of opulence thanks to a beautifully crafted renovation by interior designer Alberto Pinto in 2015.

Tucked away behind Buckingham Palace, this historic family-owned hotel has a royal warrant. Rooms are classically decorated with silk-lined walls, antique furniture and crisp Italian linens on the beds.

Studio 54 founder-turned-hotelier Ian Schrager is behind The London Edition, which sits just minutes away from the shops on Oxford Street.

Set right among the hubbub of Regent Street yet blissfully quiet inside, this storied hotel, once a haunt of Oscar Wilde, has been sympathetically restored by David Chipperfield Architects. Many of the serene rooms have stone walls that mirror the façade of the surroundings outside, contrasting with herringbone floors and colourful furniture.

Nobu’s futuristic exterior will catch your eye as soon as you see it — and its interiors won’t struggle to keep your attention either.

You’ll be hard pushed to find a more convenient hotel in the capital: step out of King’s Cross station and the Great Northern is mere metres away. It’s the perfect end to a long journey — or a great start to another, with St Pancras and the Eurostar directly opposite.

Like quirky? You’ll love nhow’s outpost in east London. Neon signs add a glow to reception, where walls pop with a riot of colour, vintage candy machines keep guests sweet and a 39ft Big Ben modelled in the shape of a rocket is your cue to expect the unexpected.

The Mama Shelter brand is known for its tongue-in-cheek budget hotels and this outpost is no exception. Everything about the design by Parisian studio Dion & Arles is playful and eclectic, from the chalkboard ceiling and fringed 1970s-style lampshades in the restaurant, to the cartoon-character masks that encourage selfies in the rooms.

The ground floor of Ruby Lucy — tucked away behind Waterloo Station, a short walk from the South Bank — is dedicated to its 24-hour cocktail bar, kitted out with plush colourful velvet chairs, circus-inspired drum tables and brass lamps.

Central London locations don’t come more in the thick of it than this, slap bang between the National Gallery and always-lively Leicester Square. This pad, which opened in 2021, has one of the best postcodes in town and puts you in striking distance of the buzzy West End.

Housed in former 19th-century carpenters, Hart gives plenty of nods to its past with touches of east London craftsmanship throughout.