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Sweet dreams: The London hotels taking sleep seriously

09 Jun 2023 | | By Anya Meyerowitz

Desperate for a good night’s rest? These are the luxury hotels offering eight hours, and then some

So fundamental is a good night’s sleep to the quality of a luxe staycation – or any holiday for that matter – that we often overlook it as a criterion. But a new, and ever-growing, understanding around the importance of catching Zs has led to a surge in some of London’s top hotels creating custom sleep retreats and taking their dedication to the art of slumber to entirely new heights.

No longer are we a nation content with a pillow menu and turndown service. Now the emergence of concierge services entirely committed to sleep, special doze-inducing spa programmes and even forty wink-focused workshops at some of the capital’s most sought-after addresses are showing us a new way forward. Dreamy, right?

Below, we’ve curated a clutch of the best London hotels taking sleep more seriously, ensuring that guests leave feeling rejuvenated, relaxed and ready to step back out into reality.

Pan Pacific London, The City

The Pan Pacific London is one of the capital’s newer addresses – a slick haven blending Singaporean hospitality with contemporary British design, enveloped into the heart of the city – and even more recent is the introduction of its Sensory Sleep Programme. Exclusively reserved for guests staying in suites, the initiative includes full use of the Wellbeing floor – complete with relaxation pods and a mindfulness studio – before you retire to your room, set up with the hotel’s revolutionary Ooler Sleep System by Chilisleep.

This luxurious sleep aid utilises a water-based mattress pad with a temperature range from 13°C to 46°C, designed to adjust to individual body temperature and ultimately enhance sleep. Proven to soothe stress and ease feelings of anxiety, a Mela weighted blanket helps lull you into a deep state of rest. And don’t worry about a morning alarm either, as the programme includes a guaranteed late check-out, as well as a lavish breakfast at Straits Kitchen.

From £645 per night, panpacific.com

Rosewood London, Holborn

As though a grand country hotel was airlifted into the centre of London, the Belle Époque building, surrounding a private courtyard, that houses the Rosewood London, is both elegant and full of humour – and a much-loved favourite for some of the city’s most well-heeled residents. And now, its Alchemy of Sleep programme cements it as one of the best all-rounders in the capital.

The hotel has partnered with plant-powered skincare brand Votary to encourage guests to make the most of their slumber. Guests who take part bed down here for two nights, in between which a whole host of sleep-inducing treatments are administered, including a two-hour intensive Votary Antidote Sleep Treatment – a combination of shiatsu, passive stretching, acupressure, chakra-balancing and reflexology. A 60-minute CBD facial or massage, plus two 60-minute ‘awe’ sessions (choose from Pranayama breathing, restorative yoga, or meditation) add to the zen. Guests will also receive a curated Sleep Box containing a Sleeping Beauty wash bag, pillow spray, bath and body oil and a Super Sleep supplement.

From £638 per night, rosewoodhotels.com

The Four Seasons London at Park Lane, Mayfair

four seasons london park lane spa

This year, the Four Seasons Park Lane is throwing its pillow into the ring as one of the best night’s sleep in London, with a whole range of sleep-inducing additions to its luxurious hospitality experience. The aim? To help time-sensitive Londoners and travellers reset and refocus on their health and wellbeing, without ever having to leave the city.

Hear to the spa and try the Signature Deep Sleep lavender massage: a blissful 60- to 90-minute combination of aromatherapy-infused hot mitt and hands-on full body massage using organic essential oils formulated to induce a deep slumber, as well as foot acupressure to detoxify and relieve tiredness. You can also use up excess energy in the state-of-the-art fitness centre and vitality pool before retiring to a room equipped with luxurious Toto bath products and orthopaedic pillows. In between all that pampering, it’s imperative you find time to dine at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Amaranto, serving modern Italian cuisine with a creative twist (or enjoy the extensive in-room dining menu, if you can’t quite make it out of your pyjamas).

From £990 per night, fourseasons.com

The Cadogan, Knightsbridge

Ahead of the curve, The Cadogan – a string of five stylish buildings renovated by Belmond in 2019 – launched its Sleep Concierge a few years ago, in partnership with top hypnotherapist Malminder Gill. Thanks to this thoughtful service, guests can find sleep-inducing meditation recordings in their rooms via the hotel app, choose from a pillow menu with options to suit all guests’ sleeping preferences and cosy up under a weighted blanket with a cup of bedtime tea developed by The Cadogan specifically for the Sleep Concierge. Add a spritz of pillow mist and you’ve got yourself quite the recipe for a restful night’s sleep, and all within walking distance of the capital’s top landmarks, including Hyde Park and the V&A.

From £767 per night, belmond.com

The Langham, Marylebone

the langham london suite

The Langham first opened in 1865 and has been delighting guests ever since with its opulent decor, dramatic marble columns and glistening chandeliers – all just out of earshot of some of London’s most famous shopping streets. And its Sleep Matters by Chuan programme only adds to the feeling of ultimate relaxation that pervades the plushly-carpeted corridors here.

Featuring an array of exclusive amenities and services, as well as soothing treatments curated by Chuan Spa and bespoke room packages, guests can curate a plan sure to soothe them into slumber. From a bespoke bath based on one of the five elements of Traditional Chinese medicine, to specially-designed breathing techniques to calm the nervous system, balance your elements and relax your body for a better night’s sleep.

From £560 per night, langhamhotels.com

Ham Yard Hotel, Soho

ham yard hotel bedroom

Super short on time? Forget checking-in for the night and simply spare a few hours to pop into Soho’s colourful, boutique offering, Ham Yard Hotel. Here – among the city’s most sartorially-savvy, creative types – the sleep package is carried out in the soothing surrounds of the Soholistic Spa. The experience sees top therapists carry out specially-created treatments to help put you into a deep state of relaxation so you’ll be hard-pressed not to clamber into bed for a five-star night’s sleep at home.

The package begins with a 75-minute facial, followed by a reflex pressure point foot massage, designed to relieve tension, before you spend time languishing in the steam room and relaxation area to let the benefits really soak in. Then, once you’ve been given a Silent Night Kit to take home, you’ll be on your way.

£150 per person, firmdalehotels.com

Brown’s Hotel, Mayfair

brown's hotel mayfair

If you can spare a little more time, or are just in real need of some assistance when it comes to catching forty winks, then the Brown’s Hotel ‘Forte Winks’ package has your name on it. The grande dame of Mayfair has played host to esteemed guests like Rudyard Kipling and Agatha Christie and its contemporary take on classic luxury still attracts the capital’s creme-de-la-creme to this day. Aside from its old oak-panelled bar and Adam Byatt's seasonal menu at Charlie's, the hotel is dedicated to providing guests with “dreamy, undisturbed sleep”.

After checking in, a welcome pack awaits in your room, which includes a silk sleepover kit from sleepwear brand Yolke, a lavender-infused sleep mask from Masters of Mayfair and Irene Forte Hibiscus Night Cream. Then it’s time to settle in for the hotel’s signature 90-minute Buona Notte Facial in the subterranean spa. Back in your room, herbal teas at turndown, mindfulness cards with mantras to help reduce anxiety and, the following morning, a hearty breakfast, delivered to your room, are all part of the ‘treatment’.

From £1,700 for a two-night stay, roccofortehotels.com

Read more: The best wellness retreats in the UK