Set across floors 34 to 52 of the tallest building in western Europe, Shangri-La The Shard has some of the most stirring views in the capital. Floor-to-ceiling windows encase rooms providing a city backdrop to your stay in just about every spot; from landmark-spotting in the marble bathtubs to waking up to vistas of the River Thames and beyond.

The Hoxton started life as a Shoreditch car park before being turned into one of the neighbourhood’s buzziest spots, with freelancers in the lobby during daylight and after-work drinkers at the concrete bar by nightfall.

When Justin Salisbury took over the family-run B&B in Brighton, little did he know it was the start of one of the UK’s quirkiest boutique chains. The signature art-crammed theme is found in this former Pimlico pub, with each of the ten uniquely designed bedrooms filled with limited-edition prints and vintage furniture.

Surrounded by Redchurch Street’s independent and arty shops and in skipping distance from several excellent restaurants, Boundary is the work of Sir Terence and Vicky Conran. As you would expect from two of the UK’s most influential designers, any vestiges of the warehouse’s former life have been gutted to create a design-led hotel.

This plush hotel in the heart of Soho is named after the essayist William Hazlitt, who lived here in the 1800s. Bars and nightclubs hum on the doorstep, while inside warren-like corridors and period features make it feel like not much has changed in the 152 years since Hazlitt’s days here.

London’s oldest hotel and the site of the very first phone call by Alexander Graham Bell in the capital, Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair has hosted royalty, writers and celebrities throughout its many years.

More Amazon rainforest than just off Oxford Street, the Mandrake is as beautiful as it is bonkers. The hotelier Rami Fustok has transformed an office block into a riot of modern art, including works from Salvador Dali and a Frankenstein’s monster-like snake-ostrich creature in Yopo, the South American restaurant.

Named after Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th century herbalist and astrologer, the Culpeper is an old East End boozer that’s been given a glow-up worthy of east London’s hipster crowd. The second-floor bedrooms nod to Scandi style with muted walls, wooden-stump side tables and preserved fireplaces.

Nowhere does opulence and old-school glamour quite like The Ritz, which has entertained Queen Elizabeth II, Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Onassis in its 115-year history. Bedrooms and suites are largely done in Louis XVI style with lemon yellow furnishings, gold leaf and marble fireplaces.

A rather grand slice of history in one of London’s buzziest neighbourhoods, Town Hall Hotel has gone from a council building to movie set to an award-winning hotel.