London Hotels

London real estate is among the most expensive in the world if we leave aside Tokyo, where only a yen billionaire can afford a handkerchief size garden. Top of the range hotels are currently valued at more than $330,000 a room; and a rule of thumb calculation is that the daily rate should be about $1 for each $1,000 of capital cost. Hence, the $330 plusper night room. At the same time, London also has some of the world's best hotels, offering indubitable value for the money. In any case, more luxury hotels are being built, notably at Hyde Park Corner and Marylebone Station.

The stated, or "rack," rate is seldom the real one: there are corporate, long stay, group, and weekend rates, among others. Remember, though, that between May and October there's a dire shortage of rooms, so you won't have much choice if you haven't reserved well ahead of arrival. Because of the staggering variety of hotels, we have put the best into two categories: grande luxe and deluxe. We've listed airport hotels separately here.

Grande Luxe

Berkeley, Wilton Place, SWI. Tel.: 235 6000. Fax: 235 4330. Rooms/ suites: 160. Stylish, in the heart of Belgravia and Knightsbridge; countryhouse elegance married to modern comfort. Management of this Savoy group hotel is Italian at its finest. Rooftop pool overlooking Hyde Park. Excellent restaurant. Intriguing, mobile office can be wheeled from suite to room. One of London's top trio of hotels.

Claridge's, Brook Street, Wl. Tel.: 629 8860. Telex: 21872. Fax: 4992210. Rooms/suites: 189. The Queen comes here for private dinner parties, and it's a discreet favorite for other great and grand social occasions. What more can one say? Room service is probably the best in London, and the custom made beds may be the most comfortable (King Hassan Il of Morocco bought 20 of them). Claridge's is a world apart, with superb, original art deco touches. A fashionable restaurant and the less formal Causerie, where smorgasbord's the specialty.

Connaught, Carlos Place, Wl. Tel.: 499 7070. Telex yes, but the hotel doesn't disclose the number, a clue to its discretion. Fax: Likewise. Rooms/suites: 114. The Connaught's manager is the envy of all other London hoteliers: the place is nearly always full in spite of its seldom being advertised. Key words: privacy, dignity. Mahogany everywhere; formal dress required. The bar has a clubby feeling to it; the restaurant is Lucullan, and there is also a grillroom.

Dorchester, Park Lane, Wl. The Sultan of Brunei liked this place so much that he bought it. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor led the parade of stars who made "the Dorch" into London's most fashionable hostelry for the glitterati. Deciding that even the best wasn't good enough, the sultan closed it for a virtual rebuild costing $115 million. It has reopened with air-conditioning, a new kitchen, health club, nightclub, and a new Oriental restaurant. Rooms have been enlarged and reduced in number to 260. The Hyde Park view is the same.

Grosvenor House, Park Lane, Wl. Rooms/suites: 463. If you see a small, elderly man with a mustache and twinkling black eyes scurrying through the lobby, you can say: "Good morning, m'lord." This is the flagship of Lord Forte's TrustHouse Forte group, and very proud he is of it. The Great Room is a focal point of social and cultural life, with the annual British film and TV awards ceremony, the antiques fair, and dinners given by trade associations. The Crown Club floor is for the globetrotting business executive, and the concierge's desk can handle a planeload of demanding lawyers without blinking. Gourmet food in the Ninety Park Lane restaurant, good Italian trattoria (Lord Forte is Italian by origin), health club with pool.

Halkin, Halkin Street, SWI. Rooms/ suites: 41. Latest venture of Asian multi-millionaire B. S. Ong, who already has London's Inn on the Park, Singapore's Hilton, and Bali's Hyatt. A luxurious mixture of Far Eastern and contemporary Italian styles. The hotel has been sculpted, as much as just built, within a Georgian framework. High on security for well-heeled executives. Recommended restaurant.

Hilton, 22 Park Lane, Wl. Rooms/suites: 613. Four executive floors; and the 26th-floor executive lounge is the best of its kind in London, with fine views. Five restaurants, including one on the rooftop with bands, and Trader Vic's. A social and business hub with many services; casino next door. New owner Ladbrokes has a small hotel in an adjoining building that caters especially to traveling businesswomen.

Howard, Temple Place, WC2. Rooms/suites: 141. On the Thames embankment and close to both the City and the West End, the Howard is one of the newer luxury hotels, with extraordinarily elegant decor and lavish furnishings. Reproduction antiques in the bedrooms.

Hyatt Carlton Tower 2 Cadogan Place, SWI. Rooms/suites: 233. Full-security presidential suite. Hyatt spent three years and $28 million refurbishing this handsome hotel, built in the 1960s. The Chelsea Room restaurant looks out on Cadogan Place Gardens, there are other restaurants and bars, and the duplex Peak Health Club is probably the only gym in London with a view. Highly rated business center; private dining rooms are geared for executive gettogethers.

Hyde Park Hotel, 66 Knightsbridge, SWI. Rooms/suites: 186. Very English, very Edwardian, with marble-clad lobby, distinguished public rooms, and a view of Rotten Row, the part of Hyde Park along which ride both the gentry and the soldiery. Impeccable food, gracefully served; the Cavalry Grill specializes in English roasts (beef, lamb, pork) in the ambience of a gentlemen's club.

Inn on the Park, Hamilton Place, Park Lane, Rooms/suites: 228. Winner of many awards, the Inn is a favorite with the French, who head for the Four Seasons restaurant-and right they are to do so: the wine list is one of London's most eclectic. The hotel stresses service; rooms are large and luxurious.

Inter-Continental, I Hamilton Place, Rooms/suites: 497. The Interconti group's London exemplar of international hotellerie at its best. Located at the Hyde Park Corner end of Park Lane; large, comfortable, soundproofed rooms; fitness center, business services.