Beyond the Doric portico of a white stucco neo-classical mansion, this boutique hotel captures the eclectic charms of glamorous and bohemian Notting Hill.

Hip and convivial, this modish Spitalfields gastropub-with-rooms is a stroll up the colourful street from the Whitechapel Gallery.

The designers have gone to town on this city sister to Cliveden and Chewton Glen (see index), spread over a row of Georgian townhouses on Half Moon Street in swanky W1.

The epitome of Edwardian grand-hotel luxury, with its liveried doormen, dazzling interiors, glamorous bedrooms and Michelin-starred dining, the Goring is, for all its cachet, welcoming and unaffected, with an acres of garden at the rear.

Eccentric, fun and colourful, this Pimlico town house in a leafy residential street is as much neighbourhood hangout and art gallery as a place to sleep and eat.

The elegance is timeless, the style is Jazz Age glamour, the feel is New York fun – all of which makes The Beaumont, in the heart of Mayfair, one of London's leading luxury hotels.

Beyond a pristine, Greek Revival-style John Nash exterior, this family-friendly hotel, bursting with colour, has a glamorous basement pool, library, gym, treatment rooms and all-day bistro.

In vibrant King's Cross, this Victorian townhouse hotel mixes comfort with studied eccentricity, so expect upcycled coal-hole covers and repurposed airline trolleys alongside modern air con, smart TVs, good wines and platters in the TOAST B&B lounge.

This is an exuberant, hip, modern hotel, from its residents-only roof terrace to buzzy basement bar, bedrooms decorated with a sense of fun, vast restaurant, spa and 1950s bowling alley.

Guests are treated like royalty at this luxury hotel overlooking Buckingham Palace's grounds, with sophisticated chocolate-and-cream bedroom décor, marble bathrooms and opulent Grill Room.

Under the south tower of One Crown Place, on the Shoreditch/City border, six 18th-century town houses form the front of this new hotel.