Five-star Two MICHELIN Keys Whitehall, London
Corinthia London
A Victorian hotel on a triangle of land between Trafalgar Square and the Embankment, back in business in 2011 after decades as government offices.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- Two Keys, 2026
- Built
- 1885, as the Metropole Hotel
- Reopened
- 2011, as Corinthia
- From the airport
- About 50 minutes to an hour from Heathrow by car
The hotel
From the Metropole to the War Office and back.
Gordon Hotels began building in 1883, and the Metropole opened two years later on the corner of Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall Place. In August 1914 Field Marshals French and Haig both slept here the night before the army sailed for France. From 1936 the government leased the whole building, and in the Second World War Room 424 was the first home of MI9 and the Special Operations Executive.
The Ministry of Defence stayed on for decades, and the building stood empty from 2004. A group led by Malta's IHI bought it in 2007 with the house next door at 10 Whitehall Place, and Corinthia reopened it as a hotel in 2011. The lobby is hung with a Baccarat chandelier of 1,001 crystals, and the spa now runs over four floors. In the bar, Velvet, the drinks are by Salvatore Calabrese.
- Biome The spa over four floors, with an indoor pool on the thermal floor.
- The penthouses Seven of them, each with roof access and a terrace. The Royal Penthouse spans two floors and looks toward the London Eye.
- Velvet An adults-only cocktail and Champagne bar run with Salvatore Calabrese, with live music after dark.
Rooms & suites
Marble bathrooms below, penthouses on the roof.
Standard rooms have king-size beds and marble bathrooms. Suites run from 47 to more than 100 square metres.
- Suites Corinthia suites From 47 to more than 100 square metres.
- On the roof Penthouses Seven duplex penthouses, each with its own terrace and a butler on call around the clock.
- Signature Royal Penthouse Two floors, a 180-degree view over the city and a terrace facing the London Eye.
Dining
Tom Kerridge, Francesco Mazzei and a crystal chandelier.
Restaurants and bars as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Kerridge's Bar & Grill British Tom Kerridge
- Mezzogiorno Southern Italian Francesco Mazzei, opened November 2025
- The Garden British; Alpine dishes in winter Outdoors, in the courtyard
- Velvet Cocktails and Champagne Salvatore Calabrese
- Afternoon tea Afternoon tea Under the Baccarat chandelier
Recognition
Ratings.
- Two MICHELIN Keys 2026
- La Liste Top Hotels 96.5 points, 2026
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm. Sources differ on check-out time; we confirm it with the hotel when booking.
- Children Welcome at any age. Children under twelve stay free in an existing bed.
- Pets Sources disagree. We check the current rule with the hotel before booking.
Getting there
Flying to London.
Heathrow is the nearest long-haul airport, about fifty minutes to an hour by car, our estimate. Private jets usually land at Farnborough, about an hour and a quarter away, also our estimate. London City is closer for aircraft on its approved list.
- Paris 50 min
- Geneva 1 h 20
- Nice 1 h 40
- Dubai 7 h 35 long-range jet
- New York 7 h 35 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Corinthia London have?
- Two, in the 2026 selection for London.
- What was the building before it was Corinthia?
- The Metropole Hotel, opened in 1885. The government took it over from 1936, and the Ministry of Defence used it for decades. It reopened as a hotel in 2011.
- Who runs the restaurants at Corinthia London?
- Tom Kerridge has Kerridge's Bar & Grill, and Francesco Mazzei opened Mezzogiorno, a southern Italian restaurant, in November 2025.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to London?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to London, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in London
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Claridge's Art Deco rooms on Brook Street in Mayfair, and one of six London hotels with three MICHELIN Keys.
- The Connaught A Mayfair townhouse hotel with Hélène Darroze's three-star dining room inside.
- The Savoy Between the Strand and the Thames, with river views from the rooms on the Embankment side.
- The Peninsula London A newer house at Hyde Park Corner, brought to London by the Hong Kong group.
- Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park An Edwardian facade on the edge of Hyde Park, and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal on the ground floor.
- Raffles London at The OWO The Old War Office on Whitehall, turned into a hotel a short walk from Westminster.
- The Dorchester On Park Lane facing Hyde Park, home to Alain Ducasse's three-star restaurant.
- The Ritz London Louis XVI style on Piccadilly beside Green Park, with a dining room holding two MICHELIN stars.
- The Berkeley A Knightsbridge address a few minutes on foot from Hyde Park and Harrods.
- The Lanesborough A Regency building at Hyde Park Corner, with two MICHELIN Keys.
- Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel Opened in 1837 at 23 Dover Street by James Brown and his wife Sarah Willis, once a maid to Lady Byron.
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane A tower on Hamilton Place by Hyde Park Corner, with its spa on the tenth floor.
- Rosewood London The Edwardian home of the Pearl Assurance company on High Holborn, entered through a carriage courtyard.
- The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London Lillie Langtry once lived in part of this Sloane Street building, and Oscar Wilde was arrested in room 118 in 1895.
- Bvlgari Hotel London Off Knightsbridge near Hyde Park, with a 25-metre pool and a private cinema below street level.
- The Langham, London Open on Portland Place since 1865, and the home of the Artesian bar and the Palm Court.
- Shangri-La The Shard, London Rooms from the 34th to the 52nd floor of the Shard, above London Bridge station.
- Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge The 1922 headquarters of the Port of London Authority on Trinity Square, facing the Tower.
- Pan Pacific London Opened in 2021 two minutes from Liverpool Street, with 237 rooms and an 18.5-metre infinity pool.
Staying at Corinthia London?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to London, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.