Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / London / One Aldwych
One Aldwych
London, United Kingdom · Independent · High Luxury
Mewès and Davis, the architects of the London and Paris Ritz hotels, built Inveresk House on the old Gaiety Theatre site for Lord Glenesk's Morning Post, completing the early steel-framed Norwegian-granite pile between 1907 and 1910. Winston Churchill worked at the paper and edited the British Gazette here in 1926 from presses that once stood where the basement pool is today. Gordon Campbell Gray opened the Grade II building as One Aldwych in 1998, and in November 2024 it became the first five-star hotel in London to earn B Corp certification.
- 102 rooms
- Opened 1998
- Neighborhood: Mayfair
- Rooms from 226 sq ft (21 m²)
- Architect: Mewès and Davis; Jestico Whiles Associates
- Interiors: Mary Fox Linton; Robert Angell
About One Aldwych
- Until 1937 the building was headquarters of the Morning Post; from 1928 it also housed the Illustrated London News.
- Jestico Whiles Associates converted the Grade II-listed Edwardian shell into a hotel in 1998 while keeping the facade.
- Founder Gordon Campbell Gray installed a 400-piece art collection with works by Cecilia Vargas, Emily Young, and Justine Smith, among others.
- A 2019 renovation by Robert Angell refreshed the independently owned hotel of roughly 100 rooms and suites.
- The Lobby Bar serves a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-themed afternoon tea in the former newspaper reception hall.
History
One Aldwych occupies a landmark Edwardian building on the Strand in Covent Garden, commissioned by Lord Glenesk to house The Morning Post newspaper and completed in 1907 by the celebrated Anglo-French architects Mewès and Davis, the same firm behind the Ritz hotels in London and Paris. Built on the site of the old Gaiety Theatre with an early steel frame clad in grey Norwegian granite, the building later housed magazines such as The Tatler and the Illustrated London News, and public bodies including the Ministry of Defence; it received a Grade II listing in 1986.
With its Grade II protection intact, the building was converted into a hotel by Jestico Whiles Associates with interiors by Mary Fox Linton, opening in 1998 under founder Gordon Campbell Gray as a pioneer of London's contemporary boutique-hotel movement. The independently owned five-star hotel offers around 86 rooms and 16 suites, with a basement swimming pool where the newspaper's printing presses once stood. A 2019 renovation by Robert Angell followed, and in November 2024 One Aldwych became the first five-star hotel in London to earn B Corp certification.
The setting
One Aldwych puts guests in Covent Garden, London. National Portrait Gallery is roughly 8 minutes' walk, and The National Gallery is roughly 8 minutes' walk. This is Covent Garden and the Strand: theatres, market halls, and a West End night that is not Mayfair. 6-minute walk to River Thames.
Restaurants and bars
- Eneko — Restaurant · Basque · Chef Eneko Atxa
- Indigo — Restaurant · British ingredients, inventive dishes
- The Library — Restaurant
Experiences
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea — Afternoon tea inspired by Roald Dahl's story, with fizzy lifting drinks and a warm chocolate dip.
- Chlorine-free lap pool — An 18m/60ft chlorine-free lap pool with music and exotic fish projections, plus children's swimming times.
- Donmar supporters' evening — Invitation to a Donmar Supporters' Evening with a drinks reception, a post-show Q&A and a chance to meet the cast.
- Spa treatments — Highly personalised spa rituals using Natura Bissé and OSKIA products.
- Health Club gym — Gym with Technogym and Peloton equipment, free weights and stretching space, plus sauna and steam room.
- Private dining in the Press & Type Room — Private dinner for up to 40 seated guests on the mezzanine, with set menus reflecting Indigo's cuisine.
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Sauna
- Hammam
- Fitness center
- Cinema
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
Open One Aldwych in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in London
- Broadwick Soho — Independent · High Luxury
- Cambridge House, Auberge Resorts Collection — Auberge Resorts · High Luxury
- Charlotte Street Hotel — Firmdale Hotels · High Luxury
- Conrad London St. James — Conrad · High Luxury
- Covent Garden Hotel — Firmdale Hotels · High Luxury
- DUKES LONDON — Independent · High Luxury