Height against heritage. Shangri-La The Shard, London, the dearer, glazes all 202 rooms floor to ceiling high above London Bridge, for a first trip built on the view; The Ned keeps its draw at street level, seven restaurants in Lutyens's old bank, for architecture lovers dining under one roof.
Levels 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
First London trip
Special occasions
Short city breaks
Couples
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.
Lutyens's Midland Bank, reopened as 250 bedrooms above a ground floor that now holds seven restaurants, with the best of it kept for members.
£££From about £433 a night
Choose The Ned if
Architecture lovers
Eating in-house
Short City stays
City Airport flyers
The catch
The rooftop pool and its terraces belong to Ned's Club members and their guests. The only guest access the hotel publishes is 7am to 10am, for children.
Height against heritage. Shangri-La The Shard, London, the dearer, glazes all 202 rooms floor to ceiling high above London Bridge, for a first trip built on the view; The Ned keeps its draw at street level, seven restaurants in Lutyens's old bank, for architecture lovers dining under one roof.
Good questions about Shangri-La The Shard, London vs The Ned
Shangri-La The Shard, London or The Ned?
Height against heritage. Shangri-La The Shard, London, the dearer, glazes all 202 rooms floor to ceiling high above London Bridge, for a first trip built on the view; The Ned keeps its draw at street level, seven restaurants in Lutyens's old bank, for architecture lovers dining under one roof.
Is Shangri-La The Shard, London worth it?
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.
Does Shangri-La The Shard, London have a pool or a beach?
It has an indoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Is The Ned worth it?
Book it for the building and for the fact that seven kitchens sit between your bed and the street. Check that your rate includes the pool and the gym, and treat the rooftop as somebody else's club. A loud, public, restaurant-led hotel inside a Grade I listed bank, two minutes from Bank station and squarely in the middle of the City. The bedrooms are the quiet part and the ground floor is the point, so expect to eat in and expect company while you do it.
Does The Ned have a pool or a beach?
It has indoor and outdoor pools. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The view