Admiralty Arch has stood at the end of The Mall for over a century, a ceremonial gateway to London that everyone has walked past but nobody has slept inside. That changes this autumn, when the Waldorf Astoria opens its doors inside the Grade I listed monument and welcomes overnight guests for the first time in the building's history.
Reservations are now live for stays from March 2027, though earlier availability will follow as the hotel approaches its autumn debut. The project has been more than a decade in the making. Plans to convert Admiralty Arch into a luxury hotel were first revealed in 2012, with the Reuben Brothers taking ownership in 2022 and maintaining the original vision. The result is 114 rooms, suites and residences spread across 200,000 square feet of meticulously restored architecture, with more than half the accommodation given over to expansive residential suites named after the building's naval heritage: the Nelson Suite, the St James's Residence and the Victory Residence, after HMS Victory.
The food offering raises the bar even for a city with no shortage of exceptional restaurants. Coreus, by Clare Smyth MBE, will be set within the former home of the First Sea Lord. Smyth, the only British woman whose restaurants currently hold four Michelin stars, is building a fine dining concept around Britain's coastal heritage, with menus centred on sustainably sourced seafood and seasonal produce. Her Whiskey and Seaweed bar, inspired by her iconic Potato and Roe dish, will feature a curated collection of whiskies from across the UK.
Cafe Boulud, by Daniel Boulud, will occupy the rooftop, marking the celebrated French chef's return to London. The all day format runs from breakfast and pastries through to dinner, with a terrace offering one of the capital's most distinctive dining settings: sweeping views across St James's Park toward Buckingham Palace.
Beyond dining, the hotel brings a 3,540 square foot ballroom featuring a nine metre antique Murano chandelier restored in Rome, and a spa with individual and couples' treatment rooms, a sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy pool. General manager Guillaume Marly describes the ambition as creating something 'unmistakably London: historic in stature, contemporary in spirit.' With rooms starting around £660 per night and the building itself as the draw, it is hard to argue with the premise.
