The Ritz Hotel

The Ritz Hotel

On Piccadilly, across from Green Park, a doorman still greets every arrival at The Ritz Hotel, and each afternoon the Palm Court fills with the soft sound of live piano for a tea service that has run since the hotel opened in 1906. The building holds 136 rooms across seven floors, many with restored period interiors, and deluxe rooms run to around 388 square feet, generous by Mayfair standards. Guests can eat at the restaurant, the cafe or the bar, work from the business centre and conference hall, or use the gym, spa and massage room after a walk that takes in Green Park, 50 St James and the Palm Beach Casino, all within a kilometre of the door. A library and an on-site casino are rare additions even among London's grand hotels, and playrooms and babysitting mean the hotel is not built only for couples or solo business travellers. Families with young children, guests marking an occasion, and anyone who wants the details handled by a concierge rather than an app will find staff fluent in seven languages and used to that kind of request. It suits less well the traveller after quiet minimalism or a lower bill: an extra breakfast runs 40 GBP, parking is 60 GBP a day, and a 150 GBP daily deposit applies on arrival. Pets are not permitted. As part of Leading Hotels of the World, the hotel has kept its own rhythm through more than a century of London openings and closings, and the Palm Court tea remains the reason many guests book in the first place. The Ritz Hotel has served Palm Court afternoon tea to live piano since 1906, a ritual few Mayfair rivals can claim. With 136 rooms, a private casino and library, it suits guests who want a concierge handling details, not an app. Pets aren't allowed.