London, United Kingdom

Rosewood London

Price per night from$623.40

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (GBP493.75), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

English Rose

Setting

High Holborn’s pearly gates

The grandest dame of High Holborn, there’s nothing understated about Rosewood London, a heritage hotel that exudes contemporary opulence. The former headquarters of Pearl Assurance, the building’s Neoclassical exteriors boast seven storeys worth of voussoirs arches, Corinthian columns, and an impressive wrought-iron gate to boot, but inside, this dependably dapper rose takes a surprisingly homey turn. Communal spaces are garnished with comfy nooks and fanciful fripperies; books splayed open inside glass tables, cabinets stacked with sculptural nods to Magritte, Clockwork Orange and Animal Farm, avante-garde floristry, and a British Bulldog in a Vivienne Westwood collar. Hop from art-themed afternoon tea in the jewel-toned Mirror room and across the rose-gold gallery with it’s Versace-esque mosaic floor, straight to a fireside spot at Scarfes bar, where local judges come to hang up their wigs for an evening of jazz-infused schmoozing.

Smith Extra

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A bottle of Holborn Dining Room gin

Facilities

Photos Rosewood London facilities

Need to know

Rooms

308, including 45 exceptionally spacious suites.

Check–Out

12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £592.50, including tax at 20 per cent.

More details

Rates exclude breakfast which can be purchased at the hotel for £29 a person.

Also

There are multiple wheelchair-accessible rooms available; each with handrails, a bathroom zimmer-frame set-up, low wardrobe rails and a red cord in-room.

At the hotel

Fitness suite, spa, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: minibar, Nespresso coffee machine and tea-making kit, 46-inch TV, Geneva sound-system with iPod/iPhone dock, free newspaper app, bathrobes, DR Harris bath products.

Our favourite rooms

While London square footage is notoriously snug, The Manor House Wing is larger than the average house with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and its own private elevator. In fact, it’s the only suite in the world with its own postcode.

Spa

Sense Spa takes a uniquely British approach to healing, with a focus on local products and traditions from the magnesium-rich Epsom salts of Surrey to – you guessed it – the beautifying properties of the good old English rose. Set across seven atmospheric wooden treatment rooms, including two for couples, Sense offers four individual treatments that can be combined to create ‘journeys’ (the spa equivalent of a personalised playlist, if you will) and each guest receives a wellbeing consultation to advise on their chosen route beforehand. If it’s a facial you’re after, Face Place has just the ticket; their analytic approach to skincare has made this coveted clinic a favourite of A-listers and beauty experts alike, with seats in West Hollywood and New York. Turn back the clock with skin peels, collagen facials, and LED light therapy, or keep time at bay the old-fashioned way at the Fitness Suite, where two naturally lit rooms are fitted with state-of-the-art Technogym equipment. Keep an eye out for Harry Jameson, too, the in-house personal trainer who runs a three-day fitness retreat for the most stoic Rosewood residents including pre-testing, meal-planning, custom work-outs, sports-focused spa treatments and even a five-week follow-up programme.

Packing tips

For a bit of backstory, nab yourself a copy of John Lehmann’s Holborn: An Historical Portrait of a London Borough. A stash of paracetamol may also come in handy considering the 525 gin varieties available to try at Holborn Dining Room.

Also

Look closely and you’ll find nods to the building’s past life as the seat of Pearl Assurance, not just in the hotel’s board rooms named after former chairmen, but in the materials, too.

Pet‐friendly

Pets are very welcome. For no extra charge, pampered paws of all shapes, species and sizes will receive a bed, welcome treats, litter box, fun toys, food and water bowls – even their own embroidered pillow. See more pet-friendly hotels in London.

Children

Welcome. There are extra beds (£75 a night), cots, babysitting (£40 an hour, minimum three hours) and children’s menus available, as well as age-appropriate activities like Rosewood Explorer treasure hunts.

Sustainability efforts

The hotel aims for sustainability through small but noble gestures; glass bottles, refillable, recycled amenities, and minimal plastics. In the restaurant, waste is carefully managed; coffee grounds are fully recycled and 150kg of wine corks are sent annually to a charity for recycling. There's a bee and herb garden on site and, remarkably, the hotel has raised over £100,000 for their partners at Great Ormond Street Hospital since 2016.

Food and Drink

Photos Rosewood London food and drink

Top Table

In the Holborn Dining room, nab one of the red banquette seats under studded Hollywood lights. In the Mirror Room, the closer to the Champagne bar the better, we think.

Dress Code

Category is: ‘best of British’. Opt for tweed, tartan, or an eclectic mix of both.

Hotel restaurant

Designed by Toni Chi, the Mirror Room is a jewellery box of geometric walls and ceilings where light splinters off the yellow sofas and colourful flower arrangements. Expect more formal fare here, including the à la carte breakfast and an all-day menu of seasonal salads and sharing plates. The art-themed afternoon tea is a must; depending on the season, you’ll find executive pastry chef Mark Perkins whipping up delectable Dali delights or polka-dot Yayoi Kusama cakes. Across the gallery in the Holborn Dining room, head chef Simon Young pays homage to British comfort food, most notably, the humble pie. His glistening pastry creations are made in an old-school brass Pie Room, where the scent of nostalgia wafts in with every opening of the oven. Book it out for an exclusive dining experience or else, for a private pie-making workshop, chefs’ whites included. The gargantuan scotch eggs are most definitely something to write home about, that is, if you can still hold a pen after sampling the 525 varieties of gin on offer. Outside, the summer garden of the Courtyard Terrace turns into a heated chalet come winter. Offerings change each season depending on the sponsor, which have included Patrón Tequila. Expect a cacti-studded suntrap where handmade tacos, quesadillas and creamy guacamole accompany an agave-centric cocktail list.

Hotel bar

A Holborn institution, Scarfes bar is as popular with the locals as it is with guests. Named after the iconic cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, the bar has the feel of a private members’ club with mahogany panelling, bookshelves lined with antique hardbacks and aggressively cosy velvet sofas arranged around a roaring hearth. You’ll find plenty of his irreverent cartoons, too; cheeky panels depicting everyone from the Beatles and Stones to the Royals. There’s live music each night, and an ever-changing cocktail list that’s sure to get you on your feet. Ask for the T&T; the recipe is a closely-guarded mystery, but involves some combination of gin and tomato salt.

Last orders

Breakfast is served in the Mirror room Wednesday to Sunday between 8am and 11am, and afternoon tea from noon till 5.45pm. Holborn Dining room is open daily from 7am to 9.45pm, and Scarfes bar pours Monday to Saturday from 4pm till late.

Room service

Get a midnight snack delivered straight to your door with 24-hour room service.

Location

Photos Rosewood London location
Address
Rosewood London
252 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EN
United Kingdom

A stone’s throw away from Holborn station, Rosewood London occupies prime position in central London, sandwiched between the British Museum, Royal Opera House and a plethora of historic pubs.

Planes

London City is closest though flights here are limited. Alternatively, Heathrow is an hour’s drive away, and Gatwick is easily reachable by train.

Trains

Serviced by the Piccadilly line, Holborn Station is a three-minute walk from the main entrance.

Automobiles

There’s limited parking at the hotel for £50 a day.

Worth getting out of bed for

Conveniently located between the City and the West End, Holborn’s midtown is perfectly placed for culture with a smorgasbord of London’s top hits on your doorstep. Both the British Museum and the Royal Opera House are a 10-minute stroll from the hotel, but there’s plenty of smaller, more unusual offerings around, too. Next to the hotel, you’ll find the Sir John Soane's Museum, an eccentric private collection of the Neoclassical architect behind the Bank of England and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. One of the city’s most atmospheric institutions, Sir John’s former home is chock-full with peculiar artefacts and artworks placed just the way he left them. In fact, in 1833, Soane miraculously managed to persuade Parliament to pass a law requiring the trustees of his estate to preserve the collection exactly as it stood at the time of his death. Next, though not for the faint of heart, there’s the Hunterian Museum, a collection of anatomical curiosities amassed by 18th-century ‘mad scientist’ John Hunter which includes the nearly eight-foot skeleton of the Irish giant Charles Byrne. The Victorian Gothic Royal Courts of Justice is sure to wow those of architectural persuasions with its imposing turrets and arches, and there’s plenty for bookworms to chew on, too; with the Charles Dickens Museum and literary lanes of Bloomsbury close by – an old stomping ground for the likes of Virigina Woolf and E.M Forster. Book onto a Bohemian Bloomsbury tour, which departs from Holborn station each Tuesday, or better still, plan your own, making sure to schedule in a pit stop at Cittie of Yorke along the way; a 15th-century boozer immortalised by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

Local restaurants

You’ll find two of Holborn’s best eateries within the hotel itself, but should you tire of those golden pies, there’s plenty of alternatives on your doorstep. For a spot of vintage glamour, old-school Italian joint Margot combines a crooning jazz soundtrack with fresh and flavourful dishes like green asparagus with lemon butter and parmesan, and clam linguine. If it’s perfectly executed tapas you’re after, you can’t go wrong with Barrafina Drury Lane, though be warned; queues are likely – these Spanish specialists don’t take bookings; but if you’re patient, you’ll be rewarded with crispy squid chipirones, plump Catalunyan gambas rojas and some rather inventive takes on the classic tortilla.

Local cafés

For the creamiest hot chocolate this side of London, head to Italian Bear Chocolate where rich cioccolata densa is slathered around your cup as you sip. For those with more bitter tastes try Catalyst, a speciality spot at the southern end of Grays Inn Road which has you covered for both early morning espressos and late-night negronis.

Local bars

Leave the debauched all-nighters to the Soho crowd; Holborn is better placed for more measured evenings in one of its many historic pubs. Tucked away behind Hatton Garden’s diamond district, you’ll find (albeit with some effort – the place is touted as one of London's hardest pubs to find) Ye Olde Mitre, a 16th-century watering hole with its fair share of royal secrets, the main one involving Queen Elizabeth, her rumoured lover Sir Hatton, and a cherry tree. It’s best for beer lovers; cosy up with one of seven real ales on tap in the snug interiors. Similarly, former gin palace Princess Louise is known for its ornate interiors; frosted-glass booths and checkerboard floors set the scene for a – surprisingly reasonable – pint or two.

Reviews

Photos Rosewood London reviews
Sofia Levin

Anonymous review

By Sofia Levin, Foodie traveller

I am appallingly underdressed.

We’ve just walked through the grand, wrought-iron gates of Rosewood London’s central carriageway, stepping aside for a top-of-the-range Tesla to pull in. We are treated no differently than the guests in the car: the gentleman manning the door runs to meet us, whisking away our well-loved suitcases (why, yes, that is a euphemism).

The hotel’s historic façade emanates from on High Holborn, all ornate, rustic stone and soaring pillars. It has pride of place in what was once Roman London, but today is a short skip from Holborn tube station, Drury Lane, museums, and the hip wine bars and restaurants of Lamb's Conduit Street. 

Rosewood London first opened in 1914 as the headquarters of the Pearl Assurance Company. Holborn Dining Room and Scarfes Bar, which we passed on the way in, were the east and west banking halls. There are more nods to heritage and eclectic objets d'art than I have room to review. Every surface glimmers, from the mirrors to the marble to the uniform clusters of pearls gracing the necks of women behind reception. Later, I’ll comment to Mr Smith that he should consider asking if our waiter’s tailored plaid pants are available to the general public. 

On our way to our third-floor room, we pass one of the hotel’s centrepieces: a seven-storey Renaissance-style marble staircase estimated to be worth £4 million. Books lay open at each intersection, wayfaring towards rooms and lifts. 

Each door in the hallway has a small, silver animal sculpture fastened to the wall; a deer here, a bird there. My mind switches to review mode, the analytical brain looking for faults – and failing. 

‘Ah-HA!’ I say to no one in particular as we stand outside room 347. There’s no sculpture outside, just a couple of silver stumps. What are the chances. It’s the only ‘fault’ during our two-night stay, its memory all but erased by general meticulousness everywhere else.

Our grand executive king room is less flamboyant than the rest of the hotel and more like a swanky British residence (I’m not so sure the same can be said of the Manor House, the only suite on the planet with its own postcode – next time, eh?). 

The plush bed is made with pristine Italian linen, the bathroom – with vintage-style taps, marble and smoky mirrored tiles – is stocked with luxury Votary rosemary and chia products. Even the spare roll of loo paper is tucked away in a silver box. Half bottles of Chablis and Ruinart champagne await in the minibar fridge.

Having arrived at 5pm, we decide to eat at Holborn Dining Room, Rosewood’s main restaurant (there’s also art-inspired afternoon tea and all-day dining in the Mirror Room, plus the Pie Room, which is a takeaway kitchen by day and private dining room by night). 

I generally have low expectations of hotel restaurants. They are rarely on my list of places to eat in cities like London, but I’d recommend Holborn Dining Room regardless of whether or not one is a guest here. It’s a gorgeous dining room with high, corniced ceilings and classy, tweed-topped red leather banquettes. 

As soon as we’re seated, I invert the French aluminium salt and pepper grinders to take a picture of the brand, perhaps a giveaway that I’m somewhat out of place. The menu is a cast of England's most recognisable dishes, redone to an exquisite standard. 

A scotch egg resting on creamy caper mayonnaise is extra rich in rare-breed pork and white pudding. The Dorset crab tart sees sweet vestibules of crab meat piled in a thin pastry shell with fresh green peas and lovage mousse. 

We opt for the pie de resistance: a salmon, octopus and saffron number for two, baked in a copper pot with decorative pastry scales and a drinkable jug of bisque on the side. 

On the one occasion Mr Smith goes to refill his water glass, a waiter materialises and smoothly says, ‘Allow me,’ a tray of glasses in his other hand. 

On the second night, after an evening stroll around London, we’re not ready to call it in. I go to push the revolving door of Scarfes Bar, opposite Holborn Dining Room. I’m stopped by security and am politely informed that the four people standing outside are actually a queue. We end up skipping it – hotel guests have first dibs on seating. 

The bar is named after Gerald Scarfe, an English cartoonist who has illustrated for The Sunday Times, The New Yorker, Pink Floyd and Disney to name a few. It’s clear from entry that this place is first-class. Our server explains that Scarfes, now in its 10th year, is aiming to land on the 'World’s 50 Best Bars' list. 

A number of features immediately stand out: the long, wooden bar with high-backed, Edwardian-inspired teal stools; a glowing whiskey cabinet with no fewer than six shelves; a grand fireplace surrounded by 1950s chairs and bookshelves (there are more than 1,000 antique books throughout the venue, sourced by a Portobello antique dealer); and Scarfe’s caricatures on the walls.

Cocktails are split into 10 greatest hits and 10 newbies. We tend towards classics, ordering a Manhattan and scotch whisky over concoctions like the 'Scandal Symbol' (Patrón silver, Aperol, passionfruit, espelette, clarified milk and Ruinart Brut). Although we arrive too late for the nightly live music, the atmosphere provides a more than adequate buzz. 

Back in the room, Mr Smith unfolds a navy-blue cardboard slip that’s been placed beside his laptop. It’s a glass-cleaning cloth, and there’s another beside my messy workstation. An airline-approved plastic bag has been left in the bathroom with a travel-sized Marvis toothpaste, and glass bottles of water and slippers have been placed on either side of the bed. Sliding my bare feet along the geometrically striped carpet, I can’t help but feel slippers are moot. 

In fact, in these lush surroundings, clothes feel somewhat moot. I strip off and dive into the decadent bed. Ironically, I no longer feel appallingly underdressed. 

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Price per night from $623.40