Raffles London at The OWO

Whitehall's Most Consequential Conversion

Approaching from Whitehall's broad ceremonial corridor, the Old War Office reads as government architecture first and hotel second — which is precisely the point. The Edwardian baroque facade, where Winston Churchill and countless defence secretaries once deliberated, offers no neon signage, no liveried doorman theatrics, no softening of its institutional weight. Walking through the entrance is less arrival and more admission into a building that spent a century as one of Britain's most secure addresses. That tension between public history and private hospitality defines what Raffles London at The OWO is, and what distinguishes it from the Mayfair and Belgravia properties that dominate London's luxury hotel tier.

London's five-star conversion market has grown considerably over the past decade, with historic civic and commercial buildings becoming the preferred canvas for trophy hotel projects. The OWO sits at the upper end of that cohort — ranked 31st on the World's 50 Best Hotels list in 2025, after placing 13th in 2024, and awarded 98 points in the 2026 La Liste Leading Hotels ranking. Those credentials place it in a peer set that includes Claridge's and The Connaught by awards visibility, even if the building's character operates on a different register. Where Mayfair's grand dames lean on social history and salon culture, The OWO leans on institutional power and a certain deliberate mystique.

The Day and Evening Divide Across Three Restaurants

The F&B programme here, all three restaurants under the direction of chef Mauro Colagreco, follows a clear day-to-evening arc that shapes how guests engage with the building at different hours. Daytime at The OWO resolves into Saison, the all-day restaurant with double-height ceilings and a hand-painted mural that runs from breakfast through to lunch. The space reads bright and relatively relaxed against the building's heavier corridors, and the breakfast service includes an oyster bar , an early signal that the hotel's hospitality register doesn't drop to convention-centre buffet norms even at 8am. Saison's daytime character suits the surrounding Whitehall foot traffic: civil servants, Trafalgar Square visitors, and guests moving between Westminster appointments.

The shift from afternoon into evening changes the register of the entire building. Mauro Colagreco at The OWO, the signature fine-dining restaurant, positions itself as the destination for the building's most considered service: a vegetable-focused tasting menu format that signals ambition in a London market where protein-led tasting menus remain the default. That vegetable emphasis places it in a smaller category of fine-dining rooms where sourcing and seasonal technique carry the menu rather than premium protein. For those seeking something more contained, Mauro's Table operates as a chef's table in a private room , a format suited to special occasions and corporate entertaining where the group dynamic benefits from enclosure and dedicated service.

Above the restaurants, Kioku by Endo occupies the rooftop with a Japanese-Mediterranean concept and views across to Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. The evening rooftop format captures a different guest segment from Saison's daytime all-day crowd: those arriving for cocktails-plus-dining rather than a full tasting sequence. In a city where rooftop dining is often more about the view than the plate, Kioku's Japanese-Mediterranean framing positions it as a content-first destination rather than pure spectacle. For readers considering where to anchor an evening at The OWO, the distinction between Kioku's rooftop informality and the tasting menu discipline of Mauro Colagreco at The OWO is the clearest editorial choice on the property. See our full London restaurants guide for broader context on the city's fine-dining tier.

The Guards Bar and the Spy Bar: Two Drinking Registers

London's hotel bar culture has largely moved past theme-led gimmickry toward program-led credibility, and the Guards Bar operates within that shift. The name references the Household Cavalry stationed opposite the building, but the execution prioritises a drinks menu with structural intent: cocktails split between British garden herbs and ingredients from further afield. That binary isn't arbitrary , it maps onto the building's dual character as a London institution that also operated globally. Evening drinks here occupy a space between serious cocktail bar and hotel lobby social, which suits the Whitehall location's mix of international guests and local professionals. See our full London bars guide for comparison across the city's hotel bar circuit.

The Spy Bar operates on different logic entirely. Subterranean, signage-free, and accessible only by escort from the concierge team, it is open exclusively to hotel guests until 1am with a no-photography policy. The format descends from a long tradition of members-only or invitation-only hospitality within historic institutions, but here it functions as an experience layer rather than a gatekeeping mechanism. The bar's association with the building's intelligence history gives it narrative weight that few hotel drinking spaces can generate organically. It is, bluntly, the kind of detail that makes otherwise indifferent guests extend their stay.

The Rooms: Heritage Framing with Modern Infrastructure

The 120 rooms and 39 suites were designed by the late Thierry Despont with a brief to honour Edwardian heritage without producing a period-recreation. The execution favours marble fireplaces, cornicing, and commissioned geometric carpets against dark wooden features , referential rather than imitative. Technically, the rooms are fully current: smart heated marble bathrooms, iPad-controlled room service and concierge access, no visible cables or remote controls.

Most architecturally distinct accommodations are the five Heritage Suites, which occupy former offices of political and military leaders, and the eight Corner Suites named after notable women and female spies. The Corner Suites sit within the building's cupolas overlooking Whitehall. The Nearne Suite, with its vaulted-ceiling bedroom, skylight, and three curved windows, carries the rare distinction of offering sightlines to the Horse Guards ceremony from the room itself , a spatial coincidence that no amount of interior design can manufacture.

The Spa and the 27,000-Square-Foot Guerlain Proposition

Hotel spa programmes at London's five-star tier vary considerably in ambition. Many occupy a floor, serve primarily in-house guests, and operate as amenity rather than destination. The Guerlain Spa at The OWO spans 27,000 square feet across four floors with nine treatment suites, three of which are VIP-designated, plus a private hair and beauty space. The 20-metre swimming pool, vitality pool, and steam and sauna facilities bring it closer to a standalone urban wellness club than a hotel add-on.

The Pillar Wellbeing Health Club, which forms part of the spa complex, is equipped beyond standard hotel gym provisions: boxing equipment, Peloton bikes, and Theraguns reflect a fitness brief that takes the morning routine seriously. The adjacent Pillar Kitchen serves nutritious dishes across diet requirements, completing a wellness circuit that operates independently of the restaurants. For guests whose travel cadence includes maintaining fitness programmes, this level of provision in a central London property is relatively uncommon. Properties like The Emory target a similar wellness-forward guest, but the sheer physical scale at The OWO is in a different category.

Location and Practical Access

At 57 Whitehall, the hotel sits south of Trafalgar Square and north of Parliament Square, in a corridor that covers more institutional ground per square mile than any other in London. Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, and St. James's Park are all within walking distance. Charing Cross station is the nearest rail terminus. The location leans governmental and cultural rather than retail-and-restaurant, which suits guests whose London programme is anchored in the West End or the City rather than Mayfair shopping.

The hotel offers complimentary historical tours for guests , a sensible provision in a building where the architectural and institutional narrative runs so deep that arriving without context produces a fraction of the experience. For those looking to compare this Whitehall position against other London trophy properties, NoMad London occupies the former Bow Street Magistrates' Court in Covent Garden, while The Savoy holds the Strand end of the same ceremonial arc. Each conversion makes a distinct argument about what London's historic fabric can accommodate. The OWO's argument is the most politically charged of the three. Explore our full London hotels guide for broader comparisons across the city's luxury tier, or consider UK alternatives including Gleneagles in Scotland, Lime Wood in Lyndhurst, The Newt in Bruton, and Estelle Manor in North Leigh. For experiences within the property's cultural neighbourhood, see our full London experiences guide.

FAQs

Is Raffles London at The OWO more low-key or high-energy?

The OWO operates at a calibrated register that is neither. The building's Whitehall address and institutional history set a serious, considered tone that differs from the social-club energy of Mayfair properties like 45 Park Lane or 1 Hotel Mayfair. Publicly, the hotel operates across multiple restaurants, rooftop dining, and a cocktail bar. Its more controlled mode , the signage-free Spy Bar, the private chef's table , is reserved for guests. The 2025 World's 50 Best Hotels ranking of 31st and 98-point La Liste score in 2026 reflect a property being assessed on craft and programme depth rather than social energy.

What's the most popular room type at Raffles London at The OWO?

The Heritage Suites, occupying former offices of political and military leaders, and the Corner Suites within the building's Whitehall-facing cupolas represent the accommodations most tied to the building's narrative. Among the Corner Suites, the Nearne Suite is the most architecturally specific: a vaulted-ceiling bedroom with a skylight and three curved windows that frame direct views of the Horse Guards ceremony below. For guests whose reason for choosing The OWO over alternatives like 11 Cadogan Gardens or The Savoy is the building's history, these suite categories deliver the strongest spatial connection to that history.