About this hotel
General information
Hotel Café Royal occupies a building on Regent Street at the point where St James’s, Mayfair and Soho meet. The story began in 1863, when the French wine merchant Daniel Nicholas Thévenon and his wife Celestine arrived in London from Paris; in 1865 they opened the Café Royal, which for more than a century and a half drew writers, statesmen and celebrities, from Oscar Wilde and Winston Churchill to Princess Diana and David Bowie. The building became a hotel in 2012.
The conversion was led by Sir David Chipperfield. The Grade II-listed public rooms of the 1860s and 1920s were carefully restored, while the bedrooms are calm and contemporary in Portland stone, fumed English oak and Carrara marble; the Air Street lobby was later reworked by Piero Lissoni. There are 159 rooms and suites, six of them Signature Suites, four restaurants and a bar, the Akasha spa and seven event spaces including a historic ballroom. The hotel belongs to The Set.
Location
The hotel stands on a corner of Regent Street overlooking Piccadilly Circus. The Piccadilly Theatre is about 100 metres away; Fortnum & Mason, Burlington Arcade, Carnaby Street and the Royal Academy of Arts are around 300 metres, the National Gallery 500 metres, Westminster Abbey roughly 2 km and Buckingham Palace 2.6 km. There is no on-site car park. Guests in a Deluxe Suite or above are collected from and returned to the airport or station by chauffeured car.
Spa
Akasha lies beneath Regent Street and serves both hotel guests and members. It has an 18-metre lap pool with a jacuzzi, a separate pool for Watsu therapy, a sauna, a steam room and a private hammam lined in Carrara marble. Nine treatment rooms, including the double Akasha Suite, combine Western techniques with Eastern traditions, using Valmont, U Beauty, Sundãri, MarocMaroc and Proverb products alongside Therabody devices. Visiting physiotherapists, osteopaths and aquatic bodywork practitioners offer private consultations.
Sports & leisure
Akasha’s gym covers more than 300 m² and is open around the clock, with Life Fitness cardio and strength equipment, Peloton bikes, free weights and dedicated studios for yoga, boxing and stretching. Classes range from yoga and Pilates to boxing and functional training, with personal training and private boxing sessions on request. Hotel guests use the gym, pool and classes free of charge. The concierge handles West End theatre and more, and the Royal Luggage Service delivers bags door to door.
For children
Children’s rooms can be themed on request, with a teepee, personalised mirror messages and age-appropriate welcome gifts. Babies up to two receive a full set of essentials, and children aged two to twelve their own slippers, bathrobes and Little B toiletries. Royal Trunks of toys, books and activities are curated for three age groups, games and consoles are available on request, and the concierge lends scooters and helmets. During school holidays a Kids Corner playroom opens (children stay with a parent). Café Royal Grill and in-room dining have children’s menus, and there is a children’s afternoon tea. Under-16s may swim in the Akasha pool with an adult at set hours, and a Sunday fitness class is held for ages five to twelve.
Restaurants & bars
Dining at Café Royal draws on the building’s past and on two well-known chefs.
- Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal — modern French fine dining with two Michelin stars, tasting menus in a bright room above Regent Street
- Café Royal Grill — a gilded, Grade II-listed room once favoured by Oscar Wilde; British à la carte cooking and afternoon tea with live piano
- Cakes & Bubbles by Albert Adrià — Albert Adrià’s desserts and pastries with a long list of Champagne and sparkling wine
- Green Bar — a tucked-away bar for botanical cocktails, with a summer terrace serving small plates
- The Gallery — breakfast beneath a Venetian chandelier
Pets
Small and medium-sized dogs are welcome in the hotel and its restaurants; larger dogs should be discussed in advance. Beds, bowls and treats are provided, and dogs are not allowed in the Akasha spa. The hotel asks to be told ahead of arrival.
Rooms
The 159 rooms and suites were designed by David Chipperfield in either Portland stone or fumed English oak. Guests in a Deluxe Suite or above have a chauffeured car for up to five hours a day, airport or station transfers and 24-hour VIP service.
Every room has a Carrara marble bathroom with a rainfall shower and mirror TV, an electronic safe, in-room dining, a daily newspaper on request, shoe shining and a 24-hour WhatsApp line to the hotel.
Three Bedroom Dome Penthouse
A circular, open-plan three-bedroom residence on the sixth floor, set in a former fire lookout, with two terraces looking over Westminster, Big Ben, Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus and a freestanding Ming-green bathtub. Sleeps up to eight adults; chauffeured car included.
Two Bedroom Royal Suite
The hotel’s largest suite, on the fourth floor overlooking Regent Street, with two bedrooms each with a study and seating area, a large living and dining room and a butler’s pantry. Planned like a private residence.
Celestine Suite
A restored original room in gilded yellow and gold, named after Celestine Thévenon, with a Siena marble table for eight, a high-ceilinged bedroom with dressing area, a guest bathroom and a butler’s pantry. Can be extended to two bedrooms for four adults.
Two Bedroom Tudor Suite
A historic suite with a restored Tudor fireplace, original wood panelling and Jacobean symbols, and a living room with a marble dining table. The main bedroom has a king-size bed and dressing area, and a separate screening room can become a second bedroom; up to six adults.
Club Suite
A living room of original red and gold gilding, restored mirrors and a Siena marble dining table, set against a calm Portland stone bedroom overlooking Regent Street. Dressing area, guest bathroom and kitchenette; up to four adults.
Oscar Suite
A one-bedroom suite in fumed English oak looking over Regent Street and the rooftops, with a dining table for six, a guest bathroom, a large butler’s pantry and a daylit marble bathroom. Up to four adults.
Grand Regent Suite
One of three suites facing Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Westminster: an apartment in Portland stone with a walk-in wardrobe, kitchenette, butler’s pantry and a table for six. The bedroom has a king-size bed and a freestanding Carrara marble bath; for two adults and two children.
Regent Suite
A one-bedroom suite in Portland stone overlooking Regent Street, with a large living room, a marble dining table for six, a kitchenette and a bright king-bedded room. For two adults and two children up to 12.
Westminster Suite
One of three suites with views over Piccadilly Circus, Westminster and St James’s, with a king-size bed, desk, seating area and generous dressing area. For two adults and two children; connects with a Grand Regent Suite to form a two-bedroom residence.
Loft Suite
A top-floor suite in fumed English oak, with a living area and guest shower room that can convert into a second bedroom, and a king-bedded room with walk-in wardrobe and desk. For two adults and two children.
Deluxe Suite
One of four one-bedroom suites in Portland stone, with a separate living area, king-size bed, desk and a marble bathroom with separate bath. For two adults and two children; connects with neighbouring rooms to form a three-bedroom family suite.
Family Suite
One of four family suites, with a living area and three king-bedded bedrooms, each with its own Carrara marble bathroom. Up to six adults.
Grand Junior Suite
An apartment-like space overlooking Regent Street in Portland stone or fumed oak, with a lounge area and desk and a bathroom with marble bath and rainfall shower. For two adults and two children.
Junior Suite
A dressing lobby, an oversized bedroom with lounge area and desk, and a marble bathroom with separate bath, finished in stone or oak. For two adults and two children.
Superior Room
Set in the eaves with views across the rooftops, panelled in fumed English oak, with a king-size bed and a rainfall shower. For two adults.
Grand Superior Room
A light-filled room entered through double doors from a generous lobby, with king-size or twin beds and a marble bathroom with rainfall shower. For two adults.
Deluxe Room
An oak-panelled room in the eaves with views over central London and a king-size bed; the bathroom has a marble bath and rainfall shower. For two adults.
Grand Deluxe Room
A bright Portland stone room with an entrance lobby, work space, king-size or twin beds and a large marble bath. For two adults and one child.
Two Bedroom Family Room
Two bedrooms with king-size or twin beds, a lounge area with desk and two Carrara marble bathrooms, each with a bath. For four adults and one child.
Two Bedroom Grand Regent Suite
The two-bedroom version of the Grand Regent Suite, facing Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Westminster, with a living room, butler’s pantry, kitchenette and table for six, a main bedroom with freestanding Carrara marble bath and a second bedroom with dressing area. Up to six adults.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.