Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United Kingdom / London / The Berkeley
The Berkeley
London, United Kingdom · Maybourne · Grand Luxury
Mail-coach travellers knew the Piccadilly corner as the Gloucester coffee house before it became The Berkeley Hotel in 1897; Richard D'Oyly Carte bought it in 1900. In 1972 the hotel moved into Brian O'Rorke's purpose-built Wilton Place house, for years London's only hotel with a rooftop pool. Pierre Koffmann and later Marcus Wareing ran Michelin dining here under Maybourne.
- 190 rooms
- Opened 1897
- Neighborhood: Mayfair
- Architect: Brian O'Rorke
- Interiors: André Fu; Bryan O'Sullivan Studio
About The Berkeley
- Parents of debutantes trusted the old Piccadilly Berkeley to chaperone their daughters' London seasons.
- Among the first London hotels with air conditioning in the 1920s and double glazing in the 1930s.
- Maitre d' Ferraro of the Berkeley Grill turns up in Dennis Wheatley and P. G. Wodehouse novels of the 1930s.
- Prêt-à-Portea afternoon teas in the Collins Room dress cakes after fashion-week collections.
- After the 2005 Savoy Group sale, the Berkeley stayed with the Maybourne trio beside Claridge's and The Connaught.
History
The Berkeley traces its history to Mivart's Hotel on Piccadilly in the early 19th century. In 1972 the hotel moved to its current Wilton Place location in Knightsbridge in a purpose-built Brian O'Rorke building. Successive André Fu and Bryan O'Sullivan renovations have given it a contemporary luxury sensibility.
The setting
The Berkeley commands Wilton Place at the seam of Belgravia and Knightsbridge, steps from Hyde Park Corner — one of London's great ceremonial junctions, framed by Wellington Arch and flanked by green royal land since Decimus Burton's 1820s redesign. Hyde Park is a four-minute walk, and Buckingham Palace is reachable in seventeen. The surrounding Grosvenor Estate, in continuous aristocratic ownership since the 17th century, has made this triangle of SW1 the most consistently blue-chip residential quarter in Britain, with embassy residences and stucco-fronted townhouses defining every street. 3-minute walk to shops of Knightsbridge.
Restaurants and bars
- Marcus — Restaurant · British · Chef Marcus Wareing
- Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley — Restaurant · Chef Cédric Grolet
- The Blue Bar — Bar
- Pavilion — Restaurant
Amenities
- Bamford Spa
- Rooftop pool
- Fitness centre
- Sauna
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- AA Five Red Stars (2025)
Open The Berkeley in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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