Set across floors 34 to 52 of the tallest building in western Europe, Shangri-La The Shard has some of the most stirring views in the capital. Floor-to-ceiling windows encase rooms providing a city backdrop to your stay in just about every spot; from landmark-spotting in the marble bathtubs to waking up to vistas of the River Thames and beyond.

The Hoxton started life as a Shoreditch car park before being turned into one of the neighbourhood’s buzziest spots, with freelancers in the lobby during daylight and after-work drinkers at the concrete bar by nightfall.

When Justin Salisbury took over the family-run B&B in Brighton, little did he know it was the start of one of the UK’s quirkiest boutique chains. The signature art-crammed theme is found in this former Pimlico pub, with each of the ten uniquely designed bedrooms filled with limited-edition prints and vintage furniture.

Surrounded by Redchurch Street’s independent and arty shops and in skipping distance from several excellent restaurants, Boundary is the work of Sir Terence and Vicky Conran. As you would expect from two of the UK’s most influential designers, any vestiges of the warehouse’s former life have been gutted to create a design-led hotel.

This plush hotel in the heart of Soho is named after the essayist William Hazlitt, who lived here in the 1800s. Bars and nightclubs hum on the doorstep, while inside warren-like corridors and period features make it feel like not much has changed in the 152 years since Hazlitt’s days here.

London’s oldest hotel and the site of the very first phone call by Alexander Graham Bell in the capital, Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair has hosted royalty, writers and celebrities throughout its many years.

More Amazon rainforest than just off Oxford Street, the Mandrake is as beautiful as it is bonkers. The hotelier Rami Fustok has transformed an office block into a riot of modern art, including works from Salvador Dali and a Frankenstein’s monster-like snake-ostrich creature in Yopo, the South American restaurant.

Named after Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century herbalist and astrologer, the Culpeper is an old East End boozer that’s been given a glow-up worthy of east London’s hipster crowd. The second-floor bedrooms nod to Scandi style with muted walls, wooden-stump side tables and preserved fireplaces.

Nowhere does opulence and old-school glamour quite like The Ritz, which has entertained Queen Elizabeth II, Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Onassis in its 115-year history. Bedrooms and suites are largely done in Louis XVI style with lemon yellow furnishings, gold leaf and marble fireplaces.

A rather grand slice of history in one of London’s buzziest neighbourhoods, Town Hall Hotel has gone from a council building to movie set to an award-winning hotel.

The only hotel to hold a royal warrant and across the road from Buckingham Palace, the Goring has long tempted the monarchy out for a visit — including the Duchess of Cambridge, who spent the night before her wedding here.

At one point the home of a ham and tongue dealer, the site at 41 Buckingham Palace Road has a varied history. Its latest incarnation is a five-star luxury hotel set across the fifth floor of the Edwardian townhouse.

Little did Oscar Wilde, the Kray twins or Emmeline Pankhurst know during their trials at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court that the ground beneath their feet would eventually become one of London’s most lauded hotels.

The work of hotelier and interior designer Kit Kemp, Ham Yard Hotel has 91 individually designed bedrooms, all sporting her signature style of bright patterns and block colours. Soho’s nightclubs and bars are on the doorstep, but the Croc, a 1950s bowling alley imported from Texas, is just as fun.

Previously an insurance company’s headquarters, the grade II listed Rosewood feels a lot older than its 100 years. The hotel’s entrance, on the busy thoroughfare of High Holborn, is a grand affair, found through iron gates and across an Edwardian courtyard.

With only 15 bedrooms and a long garden that stretches down to the Thames, Bingham Riverhouse is a slice of tranquillity in Richmond.

At one time the site of a Baptist church, L’Oscar in Holborn has been given a sumptuous makeover by the Parisian designer Jacques Garcia. The result is a grown-up decadence as mirrored ceilings and purple-tasselled sofas are combined with original stained-glass windows and marble floors.

Don’t be put off by the unattractive 1960s office-block exterior; Treehouse Hotel is one of the city’s most fun hotels. Taking its name quite literally, the hotel is inspired by childhood tree-climbing and fun — and the views from the long windows give the sense of being above the clouds.

Sister hotel to Surrey’s Beaverbrook Country House — which is the former home of press baron and wartime MP Lord Beaverbrook — this Sloane Square property is inspired by his city life.

An ode to British eccentricity, the Zetter Townhouse is based around the fictional character of Aunt Wilhelmina, an heir to a fortune made from trading spices. The Georgian townhouse is filled with mementoes — keep an eye out for the stuffed kangaroo — and mismatched vintage furniture, all of which lends a feeling of homeliness.