The 9 best hotels near Covent Garden

When it comes to ultra-luxurious stays, the scene is largely dominated by monolithic five-star chains. That isn’t the case with Firmdale Hotels. Instead, owners and designers Tim and Kit Kemp have kept their portfolio modest, resulting in efficiently run, tastefully designed hotels. In 1996, this building became the Covent Garden Hotel, and 30 years on, it’s still a worthy member of London’s hotel crème de la crème. Full of texture, colour, and lavish touches, its 58 rooms balance country-house cosiness and modern amenities. Downstairs, Brasserie Max is buzzy and decadently decorated, while the hotel’s Covent Garden location puts theatre, restaurants, Soho’s pubs and bars right on the doorstep.

Time Out tip: Forget afternoon tea, here you can get Afternoon Cheese! With cheeses, seasonal dishes and drinks, it is as great as you can imagine.

Price: From £550 per night

Walking through the lime green doors to St Martin’s Lane feels a bit like entering a quirky modern art gallery. The decor isn’t for everyone, but it is unique. Everything smells really good too, with the hotel’s expensive-feeling signature lemongrass scent pumping through all the corridors. In the lobby, a row of giant gold teeth double up as stools. My suite was bright with an incredible vista of the London Eye, and panoramic windows covering two walls of the room. The best thing about staying in any hotel is taking a bath, and this had a tub big enough for a swim. The luxurious bed was incredibly comfortable and soft, while colour-changing neon lights above the headboard were a fun addition.

Time Out tip: Shake the hand sticking out the wall in the foyer and you’ll go through the door into the Blind Spot, a grown-up speakeasy serving up delicious, inventive cocktails.

Address: 45 St Martin's Lane, WC2N 4HX

Price: From £500 per night

If you’ve ever walked down High Holborn, you’ll probably have noticed this imposing Grade II-listed hotel. It’s the biggest five-star hotel in central London with a whopping 264 rooms and 44 suites and houses – one with seven bedrooms and its own postcode! But despite the size, it still manages to feel relaxed and homely. The style here is quiet luxury with the odd playful touch – everything is tastefully pared back, with white walls, stylish grey details and mid-mod furniture. There are a few places to get a decent bite, but the main attraction is the pies at Holborn Dining Room. There’s also Scarfes Bar, an atmospheric, moody cocktail boudoir. Excellently well located, chic Rosewood London is a dependably swanky base, and it’s worth checking in for the pies alone.

Time Out tip: The Sense Spa in the hotel is hard to find but properly relaxing to visit.

Address: 252, High Holborn, WC1V 7EN

Price: From £599 per night

A first international outpost for the Berlin-based Amano Group, this 141-room property sits on the site of a former 1980s office block on a quiet backstreet near Covent Garden Piazza. Rooms are minimally decorated in a clean, masculine style, with tones of charcoal grey, soft indirect lighting, hardwood floors and gold accents. Chic, full-size toiletries from German skincare brand Daluma add to the bachelor pad vibe of the place – it’s worth noting that the entire place smells fantastic, like the building itself is wearing an expensive cologne. Ample soundproofing ensured that we slept soundly despite visiting in the middle of a storm. It doesn’t make a song and dance of things, but this is a comfortable spot that’s perfect for a central London business trip with a side of culture. 

Time Out tip: The bar on Amano’s seventh floor is a good shout if you want views of the big landmarks, and it also has some indoor seating for when the heavens inevitably open.

Address: Drury House, 34-43 Russell St, WC2B 5HA

Price: From £180 per night

If you’re planning to visit London for a show at the Royal Opera House, you’ve lucked out: this quaint, boutiquey hotel named after 18th century novelist Henry Fielding sits just opposite. The tourist-trap that is Covent Garden Market is less than a five-minute stroll away, too. Rooms are charming, decorated in pale colours with en suites, tea and coffee-making facilities, wifi and air conditioning. Should you want to work out while you’re in town, hotel guests are granted free entry to the nearby Nuffield gym. 

Time Out tip: They don't serve food at the hotel but there's plenty of places to try nearby. For cheap pasta Bancone has our vote

Address: 4 Broad Court Bow Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 5QZ

Price: From £150 per night

This glorious English Heritage Edwardian property is as stylish as they come. Guests can expect fresh flowers delivered daily to their rooms, Bluetooth-accessible speakers and contemporary interiors with plenty of pastel pink and grey. They also offer 'Film and Fizz', a programme of classic British films screened in their intimate 30-seat cinema, along with a glass of sparkling. Not to mention, there’s a subterranean pool with underwater piped music. Cringe? Yes. But so much fun. Oh, and if chocolate is your thing, then there's a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea that is not to be missed.

Time Out tip: Kids stay here for free, so make the most of that if you're a family!

Address: 1 Aldwych, London, England WC2B 4BZ

Price: From £580 per night

I’m a big fan of this place. I’ve stayed here five or six times now, I think? Sometimes because I’ve missed my last train home (happens a lot), others simply because I’ve been after a reliable, inexpensive hotel with polished service and a decent bar. Moments from Covent Garden Market, Trafalgar Square as well as the South Bank, which is just over Waterloo Bridge, Strand Palace is surrounded by some of London’s best sights. There’s a mishmash of styles here: rooms are contemporary and well-equipped, plus a cocktail bar, the American diner restaurant Joe Allen, a modern British restaurant, and a breakfast bar. Regardless, this place has been around for over a century and had a big refurb in 2025, so they must be doing something right. 

Time Out tip: Don't skip the Mamma Mia afternoon tea. Yep, you heard that correctly.

Address: 372 Strand, WC2R 0JJ

Price: From £169 per night

Equidistant between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square, and walking distance to the rest of the West End, Z Piccadilly is geographically superb. The concept here is compact luxury – rooms are small but come fitted with 48-inch TVs, wall-mounted hanging spaces and under-bed storage. It is definitely one of the cheaper options for such a top location – en suite rooms can be booked from £75. But the real pull here? The free wine and cheese in the evenings. That’s us sold.  

Time Out tip: If you're up for making friends the onsite cafe is the place to be.

Address: 2 Orange Street, Westminster Borough, London, WC2H 7DF

Price: From £75 per night.

ME London hotel is the perfect escape from the tourist-heavy streets of Covent Garden. On its roof you’ll find one London’s best bars: Radio, overlooking Somerset House and the Strand below, with a selection of creative cocktails and Asian-inspired cuisine. Or, tuck into one of the fine steaks at in-house restaurant ST. Rooms are slick, elegant, and not too stuffy with lighting controls that wil keep you busy for days, and the service is top-notch, too. Best of all, pets are welcome, too.

Time Out tip: If you want the best room in the house, book the duplex Suite Me, which has its own panoramic glass-walled living room at the very top of the hotel. 

Address: 336-337 Strand, WC2H 1HA

Price: Double rooms start at £225