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Fortunate in its riverside setting, the Savoy is London’s top traditional hotel – a dignified, clubby place with few airs and graces. Leisure facilities include a small rooftop pool.

This circular hotel is a Knightsbridge landmark – views get better and more expensive the higher you go. Business guests are well catered for.

Centrally located near the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, this modern hotel is a good choice for fitness fanatics – guests have free use of a basement fitness centre and 25-m (83-ft) pool.

Dating from the 19th century, this hotel has a marble-clad lobby with ornate ceilings. The grandeur of this room, and the dazzling Reflections restaurant, are enough to make you want to stay. It has a fully-equipped business centre.

The Court Hotel is a favourite of Australian and South African backpackers. Basic accommodation is offered in single or shared rooms, and reduced weekly rates are available. Internet Facilities.

Originally opened in 1892, this hotel retains a relaxed,fin-de-siàcle feel. Persian rugs, potted palms and paintings are in keeping with the elegance of the building, and rooms are furnished with antiques. The restaurant is also recommended.

When you walk into this dazzling white, Zen-inspired hotel, you’ll think you’ve reached Nirvana. Immaculate and stylish, it has a central atrium from which five floors radiate. Each room is individually designed in a minimal Japanese style. The restaurant serves Thai-Japanese cuisine.

In London’s most luxurious hotel, the Regency decoration reaches a peak in the Oriental Conservatory restaurant, while all the rooms, with deep pile carpets and gleaming mahogany, are fitted with the latest entertainment and communications technology. There is also a fitness centre.

A warren of rooms has been linked together to create a brilliant hotel that evokes Victorian London, with a Gothic touch. It takes its name from the gang of thieves who once haunted this area near Smithfield market.