Hotel Café Royal — Hotel in London

TL;DR: review: True hospitality isn't dead and Hotel Café Royal proves it. Our 15th anniversary stay at Hotel Café Royal was everything I hope for in an aspirational, spoil-you-rotten, live-like-a-celebrity trip. From the junior suite upgrade and thoughtful anniversary treats to the exceptional concierge, luxurious spa, and even small touches like high-quality toiletries and flawless turndown service—every detail exceeded expectations.

FULL review: From the moment we arrived, the service felt both effortless and extraordinary. Anas, our luxury transport driver, set the tone with his warmth and professionalism—AND kindly saw us back home on our return airport transfer, as well! Johan greeted us at the door with a genuine smile and clear enthusiasm for the hotel’s history—giving us a thoughtful tour and introducing us to our room. Andros handled every door and every bag with a smile, making us feel instantly cared for. On departure day, Mustafa managed our bags, transfer, and final details with impressive diligence and precision—keeping us perfectly updated on the timing of our luxury car service and making sure everything went off without a hitch.

We were thrilled to be surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a junior suite as an anniversary treat. Romantic sweets were waiting for us—along with fun Ascot-themed confections that made us laugh. The room itself was another reason we chose Hotel Café Royal—I fell in love with the playful, swinging 60s vibe of the wood-paneled suite, which made me feel like a mid-century superspy living my best glamorous London life.

The minibar snacks, especially the indulgent candied nuts, were such a treat. Room service exceeded every expectation—the Thai veggie green curry and Japanese chicken sando were sensory delights. Breakfast was equally memorable, with a scrumptious bircher muesli and refreshing carrot and green juices that felt like just what we needed to start the day right.

The Akasha Spa was another highlight—luxurious and deeply relaxing. I had an amazing deep tissue hot stone massage that left me completely restored, and the lovely dry hammam was the perfect way to unwind afterward.

Plenty of amenities, flawless daily cleaning and turndown, and YES even two-ply toilet paper! It may sound silly, but the fact that Hotel Café Royal doesn't cheap out on even the smallest details highlights their commitment to your comfort. The in-room shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were all high quality—none of that overly drying stuff so many hotels still use. So many places have cut corners or scaled back post-pandemic—avoiding turndown service, limiting housekeeping, stocking fewer in-room snacks, or swapping out linens and toiletries for cheap alternatives. Hotel Café Royal did the exact opposite. They leaned all the way back into the art of hospitality, reminding us what great hotels used to be, and proving it’s still possible when a property really cares.

The concierge team went above and beyond—securing last-minute Michelin reservations, handling every random question and request with patience and care. I probably didn’t need to plan an itinerary at all, theirs would’ve been better anyway.

I love booking what I call “aspirational” vacations—where I pretend to live like a real housewife for a few days. Hotel Café Royal made that whole dream feel completely real. They treated us like royalty and made this anniversary more magical than we ever could...

Wow! Wow! Wow! There’s so much to say about hotel cafe royal! London was the final leg of our 2 week trip, and I booked Hotel Cafe Royal for 3 nights. We just happened to be celebrating our anniversary, so you know I had to make it special. I called the hotel and spoke with Marcella. I let her know it was our 15th anniversary. I asked if she could have flowers and a bottle of champagne put in the room. She politely let me know she would speak with guest relations, and they would be able to fulfill this request. I called back the following day to confirm and Marcella remembered me and our anniversary (it’s the little things!). We arrived at the hotel at around 9:30p. We were greeted by Michelle at the front desk with a big smile and enthusiasm! She was so friendly. Michelle poured us each a glass of champagne as we checked in. She gave us the run down of the property. Andre took our bags to our room. Michelle gave us a tour of the property and then took us to our room. That is when my jaw dropped. They upgraded us to a suite. The room was immaculate and beautifully decorated. We had a living space in the entry way. A long hallway and a large bathroom decked out in huge marble subway tiles. The room was beautiful .The hotel staff wrote some really sweet words for our anniversary on the entry mirror. There were two beautiful flower arrangements and rose petals placed in the living area and bathroom. Next thing you know a knock on the door came and we were delivered a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and chocolates. They really went above and beyond and set our anniversary out on the perfect note. I had made a bunch of reservations, but Michelle let us know that the concierge could take care of any of our needs. I booked with Amex so our breakfast was complimentary. The food was really good. Try the full English breakfast, but read up on black pudding first lol. Brianna was awesome as our server both days. The manager, Gaudi, offered to open early before our flight to serve us breakfast. She was so sweet! The service here was unmatched and it was genuine. The staff were genuinely friendly and concerned about your comfort. We ran into David our last full day. He was the doorman. He booked us a car to the airport at 7am the following day. Sure enough the car was there right on time. Big shout out to Michelle! She was so kind to us and set our trip off on the right foot. Every evening we’d come in she’d greet us with a smile, remember our plans for the evening and ask how things were. Thanks for the top tier service! We will be back next year! Oh and the hotel is awesome too! Great decor, rooms, restaurants and an amazing spa! You can’t go wrong booking here on your trip to London. It’s right in the mix of everything in soho. If you like to shop and want to see the sights this is your happy place! Once again the service takes it over the top! … and I’m hard...

Having previously stayed regularly at this hotel, after a break since 2021, we returned to spend the Christmas period here. We had very high expectations based on our previous stays (along with stays in other 5-star hotels in London since, none of which compared to our memories of this place), and I have to say we were absolutely not disappointed.||It was such a pleasure to be back. The delightful Tommy from concierge welcomed us as we got out of the car; we received a wonderful check-in from Maja at reception, and Marie-Charlotte kindly came to greet us, having remembered us from previous visits. We instantly felt at home and were reminded why we adore this hotel.||The festive decor was beautiful. Our room was immaculate and maintained to that standard for the entire stay, with twice-daily visits from housekeeping.||Pearson from guest relations introduced himself to us at breakfast on our first morning. He checked in on us frequently during our stay and went out of his way to look after us, ensuring all our needs were accommodated—particularly those of our neurodiverse sons. We are incredibly grateful to him.||On Christmas Day, we enjoyed a carriage ride in central London, organized by the hotel. It was a truly magical experience, one that we will never forget as a family. Throughout the festive period, there were many thoughtful touches delivered to our room, from stockings on Christmas Day to numerous sweet treats from the incredibly talented chefs. On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed carols performed by a local school while we ate a leisurely breakfast (the breakfasts here are superb—one of our favorites among the many hotels we’ve been lucky enough to stay in worldwide).||We dined on two evenings in Barbounia, where the food is delicious. Once again, we were extremely well looked after, thanks to the kindness of the manager (whose name I unfortunately didn’t note). We also received exceptional service from Flávio and Ariu, who went above and beyond to ensure our dining experience was perfect.||This is the only hotel in London where we feel fully relaxed, rested, and so well looked after during a stay—something for which we are incredibly grateful. Thank you so much to everyone mentioned, as well as the entire team, for making this possible. We noticed many staff members working long hours over Christmas and admired how they always maintained smiles on their faces and positive attitudes, ensuring guests like us were cared for seamlessly.||We can’t wait to return and know that from now on, this is the only hotel we will book for our...