Book the Raffles London at The OWO with VIP Benefits

Raffles London at The OWO is one of London's most ambitious luxury hotels, set inside the former Old War Office on Whitehall. It is a grand city hotel with a powerful address, not a quiet neighborhood hideaway. Guests come for history, scale, dining, wellness and the rare feeling of sleeping inside a landmark that sits between Westminster, St James's, Trafalgar Square and the Thames.

The building gives the hotel much of its drama. Corridors, staircases, stonework and formal rooms carry the weight of government history, while the rooms, restaurants and spa bring the property firmly into the present. The result is polished and theatrical, but also very functional for travelers who want central London at a high level.

Location & Arrival

The OWO sits on Whitehall, close to Horse Guards, Downing Street, St James's Park, Westminster Abbey and the National Gallery. This is one of the most symbolic addresses in London. It works very well for guests with plans around Westminster, Mayfair, St James's, Covent Garden or the West End.

The location is also useful for first-time visitors who want landmarks close by without staying in a purely tourist hotel. Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and the South Bank are within easy reach. Traffic can still be slow, but many central sights can be reached on foot or by a short car ride.

Rooms & Suites

Raffles London at The OWO has 120 rooms and suites. The best categories use the building's proportions to strong effect, with high ceilings, deep windows and a sense of ceremony. Some rooms feel more urban and inward-looking, so view and category matter more here than at a simpler new-build hotel.

The design is rich and controlled, with Edwardian character balanced by modern comfort. Guests should expect a more formal London mood than at many newer lifestyle hotels. The suites are the main event for travelers who want the full OWO experience, especially those that make use of the building's heritage rooms and grander volumes.

For couples, the hotel can feel like a special-occasion address. For business travelers, the Whitehall location and service depth are practical. Families can also make it work, though the tone is more grown-up than playful. Raffles Butler service helps with packing, transfers, restaurant bookings and the small details that matter on a dense London schedule.

Dining & Drinks

Dining is one of the hotel's biggest strengths. The OWO brings together nine restaurants and three bars, giving guests far more range than most London luxury hotels. Mauro Colagreco leads a major part of the culinary program, including his signature restaurant and Mauro's Table.

Mauro Colagreco's cooking focuses on seasonality and the flavors of the English garden. Saison offers a more relaxed Mediterranean mood. The Guards Bar and Lounge is the main Raffles bar, overlooking Horse Guards and serving both hotel guests and outside visitors. It is a strong choice for a drink that still feels tied to the building.

Other venues across The OWO broaden the offer, including rooftop dining at Kioku by Endo, the speakeasy-style Spy Bar, Pillar Kitchen and additional destination restaurants. The advantage is obvious: guests can stay several nights and still have different dining moods without leaving the address.

Spa & Wellness

The Guerlain Spa is a major reason to choose this hotel. It spans four levels and is paired with Pillar Wellbeing for movement, nutrition and recovery. The spa includes a 20-meter pool, treatment rooms and serious beauty and wellness programming, making it one of central London's most complete hotel wellness setups.

This matters because Whitehall can be busy and ceremonial. A deep spa gives the hotel a private, restorative layer below the grandeur. Guests can spend the morning at galleries or meetings, return for a treatment or swim, then dine in the building without losing momentum.

The wellness offer is not an afterthought. It is part of the reason the hotel feels like a full destination rather than only a room above restaurants. Guests who care about spa time should plan it before arrival because prime slots can be in demand.

Service & Atmosphere

The service style is formal, polished and carefully choreographed. That suits the building. This is not a casual check-in-and-disappear hotel. It works best for guests who enjoy being looked after and who want a staff presence that can handle luggage, cars, dining, spa and special occasions without fuss.

Atmosphere is grand and public in parts, especially because The OWO attracts diners, residents, spa guests and London visitors as well as hotel guests. Yet the hotel areas still feel controlled. It is a good match for travelers who like a sense of occasion and less ideal for those who prefer discreet townhouse intimacy.

How It Compares

Claridge's remains the Mayfair benchmark for classic London glamour, with a more established social scene and a softer residential feel. The Peninsula London has a newer Belgravia address and a strong sense of arrival near Hyde Park Corner. Raffles London at The OWO answers with Whitehall history, a huge dining ecosystem and one of the city's strongest wellness offers.

The Lanesborough is more intimate and aristocratic, with a Hyde Park Corner location and butler-led service in a smaller grand-hotel frame. Rosewood London has a stronger Holborn and legal-quarter position, with a different courtyard mood. The Savoy is better for guests who want Strand, theatre and river heritage. The OWO is best when Whitehall, St James's and Westminster are central to the trip.

Compared with these peers, Raffles London is still the newer arrival, and that can be felt in both its ambition and its visibility. It is not the quietest choice. It is, however, one of the most complete choices for guests who want history, restaurants, spa and a landmark address in one package.

Who Should Book

Book Raffles London at The OWO if you want a grand London stay with Whitehall history, serious dining, a major spa and easy access to Westminster, St James's, Mayfair and the West End. It is especially strong for special occasions, high-level business stays, culture-focused weekends and travelers who want the hotel itself to be part of the London experience.

Think twice if you want a quiet village-like neighborhood, a small townhouse hotel or a room rate driven mainly by square footage. This is a high-profile landmark hotel with big public energy. For the right guest, that energy is the point: a London stay with scale, theatre and enough substance behind the spectacle.