Iconic East Meets Storied West at the Newly Opened Raffles London at the OWO

ONCE UPON A TIME it felt like a figurative forcefield confined London’s most celebrated luxury hotels to Mayfair and Knightsbridge: convention had it that the ultra-high-net-worths who pay the highest rates wouldn’t deign to bed down in less prestigious postcodes. But the opportunity to occupy one of Britain’s most monumental ex-governmental buildings, the Old War Office, has encouraged London Raffles to break ranks: its inaugural English hotel sits in a momentous billion-pound development now rebranded as The OWO in Whitehall, a serious riverside political hub flanked by 10 Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament.

The building is a stunner, not unlike the original Raffles Singapore in its heft and sense of grandeur. In the lobby, a grand marble staircase capped by a Venetian-crystal chandelier provides a photogenic centerpiece. Occasional tours introduce guests to civic and decorative elements they might easily miss—a spot where Winston Churchill gave a speech, say, or an impeccably restored Georgian fireplace.

But for all the building’s historical significance, the London Raffles team worked for years on its pre-opening strategy to ensure its amenities would impress present-day and future travelers. A subterranean excavation yielded room for a pool set under double-height ceilings. A Guerlain spa offers fancy treatments. Alongside a lobby lounge that serves afternoon tea, dining options extend to not one or two, but three restaurants overseen by Mauro Colagreco. I’d expected a British or Singaporean chef would lead at least one of the hotel’s culinary offerings, but the Argentine-born chef, famous for his celebrated Mirazur in the south of France, is undoubtedly talented.

At his eponymous signature restaurant here, the menu puts seasonal vegetables and fruit center stage—so a serving of turbot might support prime cabbage (rather than vice versa), or a cut of duck could accompany pear steeped in spiced wine. While a dearth of fellow diners dented the atmosphere somewhat, my meal was otherwise note perfect, including the service stellar. Though my waiter acknowledged weeknights were occasionally quiet, his team had noticed an uptick particularly in visitors from China after the restaurant gained traction on the country’s Little Red Book app and a number of Chinese influencers visited.

For drinks, the speakeasy-style Spy Bar plays loosely on the building’s connections with James Bond, but its cocktails were too complicated and serious for me. The wood-paneled Guards Bar, though, is a delight, with its views towards Horse Guards (the official entrance to Buckingham Palace) and the soldiers in their finery who remain stationed here on horseback. Its riff on the original Raffles’ Singapore Sling, the London Sling is the cocktail to choose: a mix of gin, linden tea, strawberry and cherry.

As for the London Raffles’ 120 rooms and suites, I found myself wishing the standard accommodations were bolder. Though the building offers so much history and beauty, the interior designer Thierry Despont took a conservative approach to many of the bedrooms. Starter rooms are finished in a pale palette and feel a bit repressed; it was surprising too that Depont apparently made a conscious decision not to include electric Toto toilets in many of the room categories as part of his vision to “preserve the DNA of the Old War Office building.” Though London has been slow to adopt this technology, it’s a norm I now expect at this price point (and I feel it’s a concession towards modernity of which Churchill would have approved).

But it’s a completely different story in the hotel’s five Heritage signature suites, and not just because they make an exception when it comes to the toilets. All unique, but perhaps featuring restored stucco work, rich wood panelling, towering ceilings and the odd flash of extravagance like a standalone bathtub in shimmering gold, they are among the most beautiful residences I have seen within any hotel, not just in London but in Europe. Coupled with the Raffles name, they undoubtedly have the star power to lure some of those aforementioned UHNW individuals to Whitehall.

Rooms from $930; raffles.com

BOOK YOUR STAY AT RAFFLES LONDON VIA BOOKING.COM

Images courtesy of Raffles London.

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