Both suit a special occasion, and both pools are small. Claridge's is Mayfair art deco with a 7,000 square foot spa, for city spa days; Shangri-La The Shard, London has no spa floor but puts your room on levels 35 to 51, for the view and a first London trip.
The grand oneMayfair's art deco grand hotel, and since 2022 it has a seven-treatment-room spa and pool three floors below the lobby.
££££From about £750 a night
Choose Claridge's if
The catch
No Michelin star in the house in the 2026 guide, and the dining room has changed hands twice since 2021.
The viewLevels 34 to 52 of Western Europe's tallest building, and the one London address where the view is the whole of the argument.
££££From about £615 a night
Choose Shangri-La The Shard, London if
The catch
Superior Shard and Premier Shard rooms face south, away from the river. The views north over London's landmarks start at the City View categories, so the picture that sold you the hotel is a paid upgrade.
| Best for | Claridge's | Shangri-La The Shard, London |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in London | On the list | On the list |
| Best spa hotels in London | On the list | Not on the list |
| Best central hotels in London | On the list | On the list |
| Best quiet hotels in London | On the list | Not on the list |
| Best hotels with a view in London | Not on the list | On the list |
Claridge'sShangri-La The Shard, London
Claridge's
Shangri-La The Shard, London
The verdict
Both suit a special occasion, and both pools are small. Claridge's is Mayfair art deco with a 7,000 square foot spa, for city spa days; Shangri-La The Shard, London has no spa floor but puts your room on levels 35 to 51, for the view and a first London trip.
Questions people ask
Both suit a special occasion, and both pools are small. Claridge's is Mayfair art deco with a 7,000 square foot spa, for city spa days; Shangri-La The Shard, London has no spa floor but puts your room on levels 35 to 51, for the view and a first London trip.
Claridge's is the London grand hotel that fixed its one real gap, and the spa is now as good a reason to book as the Foyer. Go for the building and the service, and plan your dinners elsewhere. A famous classic in the middle of Mayfair, run on service, priced accordingly and photographed constantly. The draw is the original art deco and the spa underneath it, not privacy and not the restaurant.
It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Nowhere else in the city puts you this high, and the hotel prices that knowledge into the view categories rather than the entry rate. Come for the glass and for level 52, and take the rest as very good rather than singular. A large, contemporary, expensive city hotel whose whole case is the glass and the height. It is as central as London gets, sitting on top of a mainline station, and it is thin on wellness for the money.
It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.