Raffles London at The OWO

Where Power and Hospitality Share a Postcode

Whitehall has always been a street that rewards attention. The processional route connecting Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square is flanked by government ministries, ceremonial parade grounds, and buildings that have housed British state power for centuries. When Raffles London chose to occupy part of the Old War Office — a Grade II* listed Edwardian Baroque building that took eight years and hundreds of skilled craftspeople to convert — it was stepping into that institutional weight deliberately. The hotel does not neutralise its address; it works with it. The result is one of the more architecturally serious luxury openings London has seen in the past decade, and the property's trajectory on the Our full London restaurants guide circuit reflects that: ranked #13 on the World's 50 Best Hotels list in 2024 and #31 in 2025, alongside a 98-point score from La Liste's Leading Hotels ranking for 2026.

Among London's current field of heritage conversions , a category that includes NoMad London in the Bow Street Magistrates' Court and the various club-hotel hybrids occupying Edwardian townhouses , Raffles London occupies a different register. It is larger in scale, more ceremonial in atmosphere, and more insistent on its own history than most. That positioning puts it in a peer set closer to The Savoy or Claridge's than to the intimate, under-stated model favoured by The Connaught or The Emory.

Daytime at The OWO: Light, Oysters, and a Different Tempo

The editorial angle that matters most here is how differently the building behaves across the day. The lunch and breakfast hours are governed by Saison, a restaurant whose double-height ceilings and hand-painted mural give it a brightness that stands in contrast to the building's more solemn exterior. Breakfast includes an oyster bar , a detail that signals the kitchen's orientation toward produce rather than comfort-food convention. The daytime mood across the property is correspondingly more accessible: the architecture does the heavy lifting, the service is present without ceremony, and guests move between the dining room, the Guerlain Spa, and the surrounding streets with relative ease.

Whitehall's geography supports a daytime itinerary that few London hotels can match from their front door. Horse Guards Parade, the Cabinet War Rooms, the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square, and St James's Park are all within a short walk. The Household Cavalry changes guard opposite the hotel on a daily schedule, a detail that gives even the most routine morning a sense of occasion. Waterloo and Charing Cross stations are both close, making the hotel a practical base for guests arriving by rail.

Evening: Three Restaurants and One Decision

As the afternoon light drops across Whitehall, the property shifts register. Three distinct dining formats operate under chef Mauro Colagreco, whose multiple Michelin stars at Mirazur in Menton and broader reputation for vegetable-focused, sustainability-led cooking give the restaurant program a coherent culinary philosophy without reducing it to a single experience. The choice between them is essentially a choice of intensity.

Saison, which runs from breakfast into dinner, carries the most versatile brief: seasonal ingredients, local sourcing, and a format that works equally well for a long business lunch and a post-theatre supper. Mauro Colagreco at The OWO narrows the focus considerably, with tasting menus built around vegetables at a level of technical attention that places the restaurant in the fine-dining conversation rather than the brasserie one. For groups requiring privacy, Mauro's Table operates as a chef's table in a dedicated room , a format that has become standard practice at high-end London hotel restaurants but which benefits here from the building's existing sense of historical occasion.

Kioku by Endo takes a different approach entirely. Positioned on the rooftop, the Japanese-Mediterranean concept operates in a separate register from the Colagreco program below it, and comes with views across Big Ben and Buckingham Palace that make it the property's most atmospheric evening option for guests whose priority is setting as much as plate.

The Guards Bar and the Spy Bar: Two Very Different Evenings

London's cocktail culture has moved steadily away from speakeasy theatrics toward more transparent, ingredient-led programs in recent years. The Guards Bar occupies a middle position: the thematic reference to the Household Cavalry stationed opposite is present but controlled, and the drinks menu is structured around a binary that makes genuine sense , cocktails using British garden herbs on one side, those drawing on international ingredients on the other. The Herbal Global, combining tequila with lemongrass umami vermouth and cucumber agua fresca, is cited by the hotel's inspectors as worth ordering. The bar's evening atmosphere leans sophisticated rather than performative.

The Spy Bar is a different calculation. This subterranean space is reserved exclusively for hotel guests, stays open until 1 a.m., and is accessed only via an escort from the concierge team. Photography is not permitted inside. The operative cocktail is The Stinger, associated with James Bond , a detail that is either perfectly suited to this address or entirely on the nose, depending on your tolerance for the building's own mythology. Either way, it is among the more genuinely restricted bar formats in London, and the restriction appears to be maintained rather than merely stated.

The Rooms: Heritage Suites and Edwardian Geometry

The 120-room property includes 39 suites. The suite categories most closely tied to the building's history are the five Heritage Suites, converted from the former offices of senior political and military figures, and the eight Corner Suites, each named after notable women and female spies and set within the building's cupolas overlooking Whitehall. The Nearne Suite is frequently cited: a vaulted-ceiling bedroom with a skylight, three curved windows, and a sightline to the Horse Guards change that no other London hotel suite can credibly claim.

Late designer Thierry Despont took responsibility for the room interiors, balancing Edwardian architectural details , marble fireplaces, cornicing, chandeliers , against commissioned carpets with geometric patterns and contemporary fabrics in stronger colours. Technology is handled without cables or visible remotes; room control runs through an iPad covering television, music, room service, and concierge access. Marble bathrooms include heated smart toilets. The rooms work as modern hotel accommodation rather than period recreations, which matters at this price tier.

The Guerlain Spa and the Pillar Wellbeing Club

Spa program at Raffles London occupies 27,000 square feet across four floors, which places it among the larger hotel wellness operations in central London. Nine treatment suites are in the program, including three designated VIP Spa Suites and a private hair and beauty space. The pool is 20 metres, and the supporting facilities include a vitality pool, steam room, and sauna. The Pillar Wellbeing Health Club, attached to the spa, is noted by inspectors for its equipment range: boxing gear, Peloton bikes, and Theraguns. The Pillar Kitchen within the complex serves dishes across a range of dietary approaches, which allows the wellness offering to function as more than an amenity add-on.

Planning a Stay

Hotel sits at 57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX, within Accor's portfolio under the Raffles brand. Waterloo and Charing Cross are both reachable on foot, and the location is practical for guests arriving by any form of transport. Complimentary historical tours of the building are available to guests , a detail worth booking in advance rather than leaving to chance. The Spy Bar requires no booking of its own, but access is via concierge arrangement and is restricted to those staying in the hotel. Guests considering the London property who would also like to explore the broader UK hotel market will find comparable heritage-led properties in properties like Estelle Manor in North Leigh, Gleneagles in Auchterarder, or The Newt in Somerset in Castle Cary , each operating in a different scale and landscape but with similarly high investment in sense of place. For those weighing London-specific alternatives, 45 Park Lane, 1 Hotel Mayfair, and 11 Cadogan Gardens each approach the luxury tier from a different angle. Further afield, properties like Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool, King Street Townhouse Hotel in Manchester, Lime Wood in Lyndhurst, and Scottish options including Gleneagles, Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel, Langass Lodge, Glen Mhor Hotel and Apartments, Dun Aluinn in Aberfeldy, and Burts Hotel in Melrose cover a range of scales and settings for guests building a broader UK itinerary. For international reference points, The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City, Aman New York, and Aman Venice operate in a broadly comparable tier of heritage-anchored urban luxury.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Raffles London at The OWO known for?

Raffles London at The OWO is known for occupying the Grade II* listed Old War Office on Whitehall, one of the most historically weighted hotel addresses in London. The property ranked #13 on the World's 50 Best Hotels in 2024 and #31 in 2025, and earned 98 points in the La Liste Leading Hotels ranking for 2026. Its restaurant program, developed by Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, spans three distinct formats from an all-day brasserie to a fine-dining tasting menu room. The 27,000-square-foot Guerlain Spa and the restricted-access Spy Bar are among its most discussed amenities.

What is the most popular room type at Raffles London at The OWO?

The Heritage Suites and Corner Suites consistently attract the most attention. The five Heritage Suites occupy former offices of senior political and military figures and carry the building's history most directly. The eight Corner Suites, set in the building's cupolas and named after notable women and female spies, offer views over Whitehall and represent some of the more architecturally distinctive rooms in the property. The Nearne Suite, with its vaulted ceiling, skylight, and sightline to the Horse Guards, is the most frequently cited individual room by reviewers and inspectors.