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Reservations are now open for the Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch, the highly anticipated new luxury hotel built inside the historic Admiralty Arch monument on The Mall, directly opposite Buckingham Palace.
The hotel is expected to open this autumn, and bookings are live now for stays from 1 March 2027.
Here’s what we know so far.
The property
Admiralty Arch is a Grade I listed monument, commissioned by King Edward VII and designed by Sir Aston Webb, the same architect responsible for the Buckingham Palace façade.
It has stood at the end of The Mall for over a century (it was finished in 1912) and it originally served as the headquarters and home of the British Royal Navy’s First Sea Lord.
The new Waldorf Astoria will have 114 rooms, suites, and residences, with more than half of that space given over to larger residential and signature suites. Several of the named suites reference the building’s naval history, including the Nelson Suite and the Victory Residence, named after HMS Victory (Nelson’s flagship at the battle of Trafalgar).
There are two restaurants attached to the hotel – Coreus, a fine dining concept from Clare Smyth focused on British seafood and produce, and Café Boulud, an all-day rooftop restaurant from Daniel Boulud boasting views over St James’s Park and towards Buckingham Palace.
Between them, the two chefs hold eight Michelin stars across their existing restaurants, so it’s probably safe to say that the dining options will be very good and will come at a premium price.
There’s also a spa with a hydrotherapy pool and a ballroom that, we’re told, includes a restored nine-metre Murano chandelier (which leads me to ask, how big is the ballroom?!).
What’s bookable
Standard Room awards start from 160,000 Hilton Honors points per night (yesterday, when bookings first opened, they started from 170,000). Cash rates start from around £670 ($890) per night.
At the time of writing, only dates in March, April, and May 2027 have been released for booking. Earlier dates, including anything covering the autumn 2026 opening period itself, haven’t gone on sale yet and are expected to follow closer to the actual opening.
Quick thoughts
This is a property that a lot of Hilton fans have been waiting for and I know a few Londoners who have been waiting to see what will be revealed when all the building works are completed, so it’s exciting to know that we’re nearly there.
This Waldorf Astoria is going to be occupying a beautiful building, it’s going to be one of the more iconic properties in the Hilton portfolio, its location couldn’t be more central to a lot of what London has to offer, and it will be a considerable step up from properties like the Conrad London, the Trafalgar (which sits next door) and the Waldorf London, so I’m looking forward to finally getting a look inside.
Price-wise … 160,000 points a night is a steep redemption cost by any measure, but, sadly, it’s very much in step with what we have come to expect from the very top Hilton properties so this isn’t really a big surprise.
Whether 160,000 points represents good value depends entirely on what you’d otherwise be paying in cash, and at $890 a night, the maths works out to a little over 0.5 cents per point.
That’s roughly in line with the price at which Hilton often sells its points, so at this level, this is neither a good nor a bad deal.
There is, however, no doubt that when more dates are released for booking, we’ll see nightly rates move past $1,000, and for anyone with a large points balance and/or one or more Hilton Honors free night certificates to burn, that’s when there will be real value to be had and when points purchased in one of Hilton’s frequent sales could be put to good use.
On a more practical note, there are two things to consider.
Firstly, there’s the limited booking window. Only March through May 2027 is currently open for reservations, so anyone hoping to be among the first guests when the hotel actually opens this autumn will need to wait for further dates to be released (which we’re told they will be).
Secondly, and more importantly, if, as we’re told, more than half of the accommodation space is being given over to larger residential and signature suites, just how many standard rooms (i.e. rooms bookable with a Hilton Free Night Certificate) will this property have?
Let’s hope this doesn’t become one of those properties where award nights are technically bookable, but no one can ever find award availability.
Bottom line
The Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch is now open for reservations, with Standard Room awards starting from 160,000 points per night and cash rates from around £670 ($890).
Only dates between March and May 2027 are currently bookable, with earlier availability, including the autumn 2026 opening window, expected to follow.
Link to the Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch homepage
