USD
Once home to MI5 and MI6 agents, the Army and the author of James Bond, Ian Fleming, Raffles London at the OWO is London’s newest luxury hotel dripping in history.
Despite being the birthplace of the British secret service, and featured in James Bond films, it’s hard to go undercover at Raffles London at the OWO (Old War Office). From the moment I walk into the grand baroque Edwardian landmark-turned-luxury hotel, nothing goes unnoticed.
My dripping umbrella is whisked away and replaced by a refreshing lemongrass and ginger iced tea. Once checked in, I pause briefly, walking along some of the four kilometres of corridors, which alerts a staff member that I am somewhat lost and they accompany me all the way to my suite. But rather than feeling as though I am under surveillance, the sense is one of utmost care and attention.
Located a stone’s throw from Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, the OWO was the military heart of Britain. Completed in 1906, the imposing property clad in Portland stone served as the administrative headquarters of the British Army until 1964.
It was the bustling workplace for more than 2500 army and civil service personnel, including Ian Fleming, author of the Bond novels, who worked for the Naval Intelligence Division during WWII and T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). Political and military heavyweights such as Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Lord Kitchener all had offices here (Churchill was based here as Secretary of State for War and as prime minister during WWII).
Now, after an eight-year renovation costing over $2 billion, the building has been transformed into one of London’s most prestigious hotels, boasting 120 suites, nine restaurants, three bars, a ballroom and an expansive subterranean spa and wellness centre.
I expect you to dine, Mr Bond
There’s no better place to make an entrance than through the grand lobby where a Piastraccia marble staircase and glittering eight-metre-high chandelier of handblown Venetian crystal sweeps you up towards the luxurious suites. In times past, only high-ranking officials could use the staircase.
I rub one of the carved lions at the foot of the staircase for good luck, as was Lawrence and Churchill’s tradition. The first-floor balcony is where Churchill would address his staff, while state offices and the grander staterooms on the second floor have become some of the property’s most sought-after suites, named after their previous occupants, such as war secretary Lord Haldane and Churchill himself.
Perhaps the most striking is The Granville Suite, which honours Christine Granville, a Polish secret agent who opened an information corridor through Nazi-occupied Poland and neutral Hungary. In what sounds like a fantastical plot for a novel, Granville skied over the Carpathian Mountains with exploding cigars, microfilm sewn into the lining of her gloves and a cyanide tablet tucked into her skirt hem. It seems fitting then that one of the Allies’ brightest stars also gets one of the most breathtaking suites, which includes a glimmering copper bathtub in what must be London’s most beautiful bathroom.
My own expansive corner suite, named after Churchill’s wife Clementine, features royal red drapes and a chaise lounge, inspired by the coats of the Horse Guards who stand sentinel just across the road. The suite’s generous proportions, the pillowy, custom-made bed linen, bespoke amenities (with a scent developed exclusively for the hotel) all make me want to request a Bond-style martini, but there’s so much more to explore.
The hotel’s nine restaurants include three by Michelin-starred Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco, with a special mention going to Mauro’s Table, which accommodates up to 20 guests and elevates humble vegetables sky-high. Wellness isn’t a second thought here as the enormous Guerlain spa and wellness centre offers sensational treatments and facial massages, as well as a shimmering 20-metre pool, thermal vitality pool, sauna and steam room.
After all that relaxing, it’s time for a drink in the hidden Spy Bar (only available to in-house guests). Set in a former interrogation room in the hotel’s depths, I open a dark timber door and enter the secret speakeasy. Behind the bar is half an Aston Martin DB5 (as seen in the Bond film No Time to Die). As I sit, sipping a martini, I can’t help but feel shaken and stirred by Raffles London at the OWO.
Discover London
This article was originally featured in the fifth issue of Dream by Luxury Escapes magazine. Get your copy of the latest issue here.
