Claridge's

About the hotel

Claridge's has been the aristocracy's London hotel since Queen Victoria's reign — Empress Eugénie wintered here in 1860 and made it fashionable for every court in Europe. The 1920s rebuilt it in art deco, and it is that jazz-age glamour, scrupulously maintained, that still defines the hotel: the foyer, the fumoir and the mirrored ballroom are period pieces in working order.

It is quietly known as "the annexe to Buckingham Palace": exiled monarchs sat out WWII here, and the royal family still parks overflow guests in its suites for weddings and jubilees.

Suites & dining

The Royal Suite and the Brook Penthouse are the flagship addresses; the davies street entrance handles guests who prefer not to be seen. Afternoon tea in the foyer, under the Dale Chihuly chandelier, has a months-long waiting list; the Claridge's bar and the Painter's Room carry the evenings.

The celebrity connection

In July 1945, Winston Churchill had Suite 212 declared Yugoslav territory for a day so Crown Prince Alexander could be born on his "own" soil. Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jackie Onassis were house regulars; Kate Moss held her 30th birthday here. Today it is where A-listers stay for London premieres and where the royal family's foreign guests are billeted — the closest thing Mayfair has to a palace with a front desk.