Raffles London at The OWO

Whitehall had never had a hotel until September 2023. The Old War Office, a Baroque block of Portland stone on the corner of Horse Guards Avenue, was the headquarters of the British Army from 1906 and the building where Churchill, Lloyd George and Kitchener held the post of Secretary of State for War. Raffles London at The OWO opened there after a conversion that took eight years and a reported 1.4 billion pounds, with 120 rooms and suites, 85 private residences and the longest list of restaurants of any London hotel opening in decades.

History

The building was designed by William Young and finished after his death in 1900 by his son Clyde Young and Sir John Taylor of the Office of Works; it opened in 1906 with over a thousand rooms and two and a half miles of corridor. The War Office ran its two world wars from here. The Ministry of Defence kept the building until 2014, when it was sold on a 250-year lease to the Hinduja Group, with the development partner Obrascón Huarte Lain. The Hindujas chose Raffles, the Singapore brand owned by Accor, as operator, and the hotel opened on 29 September 2023.

Architecture and design

EPR Architects handled the conversion, with the New York designer Thierry Despont, who died shortly before the opening, responsible for the hotel interiors. The grand staircase of marble, the oak-panelled offices of the ministers and the mosaic-floored corridors were restored; a new wing was excavated beneath the courtyards for the spa and ballroom. The building's trapezoid plan, forced by the street lines, gives it rooms of odd shape and corner turrets, several of which are now suites.

Rooms and suites

Of the 120 keys, 39 are suites. The Heritage Suites occupy the former ministerial offices along Whitehall, among them the office used by Churchill as Secretary of State for War and the room of Haldane, the reformer of the Army, each with its original panelling and fireplace. The turret suites sit in the corner towers. Standard rooms are large by London measure, in a palette of oak and brass.

Dining

There are nine restaurants and bars. Mauro Colagreco, of Mirazur on the Riviera, oversees three: Saison, the main restaurant on the ground floor, Mauro's Table, a private tasting room, and the Guards Bar. Kioku by Endo Kazutoshi is the Japanese restaurant on the roof, with a terrace over the Whitehall roofscape. Paper Moon, the Milanese trattoria, and Café Lapérouse, from the Paris house, occupy the ground floor. The Drawing Room serves afternoon tea and the Spy Bar, in the former vaults, takes its name from the building's intelligence history.

Wellness

The Guerlain spa runs across four underground floors with a 20-metre pool, a vitality pool, nine treatment rooms, a hammam, saunas and a Pillar Kitchen for spa lunches. It is the first Guerlain spa in Britain.

Weddings and events

The Whitehall Ballroom, new-built beneath the courtyard, seats several hundred for a banquet and has its own entrance from Whitehall Place. The Pillar Hall, with its original columns, serves receptions. The former Army Council chamber and the ministers' offices are let for meetings and private dinners. Weddings use the ballroom and the grand staircase; the hotel holds a licence for civil ceremonies.

Location

The OWO stands at 57 Whitehall, SW1, opposite Horse Guards Parade and two minutes on foot from Trafalgar Square and Downing Street. Charing Cross is the nearest mainline station, with Westminster and Embankment the nearest Underground stops. Heathrow is about 45 minutes by car or by the Elizabeth line to Tottenham Court Road. Among the luxury hotels in London it is the only one on Whitehall itself and the only former government ministry of its size to be converted.