#2 in Top 20 London for Business · ★★★★★
The Ritz London
Piccadilly, Palm Court tea for client breakfasts, Ritz Casino downstairs for the deal that needs lubrication.
Piccadilly, Palm Court tea for client breakfasts, Ritz Casino downstairs for the deal that needs lubrication.
"Piccadilly, Palm Court tea for client breakfasts, Ritz Casino downstairs for the deal that needs lubrication."
The Ritz London opened on Piccadilly in 1906 — the first London hotel with electric light and en-suite bathrooms throughout, and the only London hotel to have held a Royal Warrant for hospitality continuously since 2002. One hundred and thirty-six rooms and suites, every one with the Louis XVI-period interior that has remained the brand's signature. The Palm Court (the lobby afternoon-tea room) is the working morning-meeting space — bookings at 11.30am for a working coffee meeting, at 1.30pm for the formal afternoon tea. Ritz Restaurant (Michelin-starred under chef John Williams) is the working business-dinner room. The Rivoli Bar is the after-meeting cocktail room. The Ritz Club Casino — accessed through a private entrance from the hotel, members-only — is the deal-club asset; introductions are arranged through the concierge for senior business guests. The Ritz is the right pick for the London business trip with old-money British clients, with European royalty or aristocratic-family-office clients, with American visitors who want the most-recognisable London address, and with high-stakes negotiations where the address itself is the positioning signal.
The Royal Suite (the flagship) or Berkeley Suite (Park-view, two bedrooms). For working stays, a Junior Suite Park View is the right balance.
Book Palm Court for 11.30am working coffee — the corner two-top by the centrepiece is reservation-only. Ritz Restaurant 7pm is the business dinner; the table near the orchestra balcony is the editor's table. The Ritz Club Casino introduction is concierge-arranged; mention it 24 hours ahead.
The Ritz London sits within our broader Top 20 Hotels in London for Business list. It scored an aggregate 9.8/10 across the three editorial criteria — competitive against the field but, on business-specific factors, the angle above is what earned its rank. For the alternatives in the same London neighbourhood, see Mayfair, Piccadilly and adjacent. For a different city entirely, see the related lists below.
If you have already chosen the dates, our editor recommends booking the room twelve weeks ahead. The best suites with the right view orientation go first, and inventory for the popular months is quoted in months, not weeks. Suite-level rooms with private plunge pools or terraces — the ones that earn this rank — are typically the first to sell out.