After opening to great fanfare in 2023, the first ever Raffles property in the UK capital has made an impressive debut on The World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking, earning it the Lavazza Highest New Entry Award 2024. Here’s a look at how this magical hotel is charming its guests
Walking through the grand hallways, climbing the statuesque staircases, even just opening the door to the elevator – when you’re in any space at Raffles London at The OWO, it’s impossible not to wonder what happened in that very spot decades ago.
“There’s very much a feeling of, ‘if these walls could talk,’” says Philippe Leboeuf, general manager of Raffles London at The OWO, which recently earned the No.13 spot as part of The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2024.
“The building itself is incredible but, for years, Londoners couldn’t get inside it,” says Leboeuf, who was previously at London’s esteemed Claridge’s and spent years before that with the Mandarin Oriental group in cities including Marrakech, Geneva and Paris. “Opening it up now – not just as a luxury hotel but also a historic building that’s been revived with the highest attention to detail – has been truly special.”
Raffles began renovating the Old War Office in 2016 and opened its doors in 2023
Indeed, the building dates back to 1906, when it housed what was then called the New War Office [OWO standing for Old War Office], with space for 2,500 government and military officials. Over the years, the Edwardian baroque-style building was the home of the British Army administration, acting as a space where Sir Winston Churchill helped devise tactics to overthrow Hitler during WWII and even where Sir Ian Fleming once worked prior to his fame as the creator of James Bond.
By the 1960s, most of the government offices had been moved across the street, and in 2014, the building was sold when the British government was disposing of assets. In 2016, the Raffles group came on board to restore the Grade II–listed property, transforming the 1,000-plus government offices into 120 hotel rooms and 85 private apartments, which finally opened to guests in 2023.
The original woodwork, stonework and architectural elements have all been painstakingly kept and restored, while non-historic walls were knocked down to reconfigure the interior forms. The hotel added two additional subterranean floors to create space for a ballroom, spa, swimming pool and offices for staff. 
The hotel's design pays homage to the building's history, paired with contemporary touches
“We chose Thierry Despont to create the interiors,” says Leboeuf. “We knew an American guest would relate to his style, as the firm was also responsible for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and The Carlyle in New York.” Standard rooms and suites take on a mix of contemporary and historic, with off-white palettes and splashes of colour mixed in with historic woodworking and marble bathrooms. However, the speciality suites offer the opportunity to feel truly immersed in the property’s history.
With its wood panelling, open volumes, sculptural fireplaces and views of Horse Guards Avenue, The Churchill Suite doesn’t just offer more than 139-sq.m of space, it provides the chance to sleep within the walls of a landmark site where history-making decisions were made.
“There were actually a lot of women running the original building, and we wanted to pay tribute to them as well. For instance, our Granville Suite is named for Christine Granville, who was rumoured to be Churchill’s favourite spy and inspired Ian Fleming’s character, Vesper Lynd,” says Leboeuf. The stunning 162-sq.m space features intricate plasterwork, antique fireplaces and a theatrical bathroom, complete with copper tub and draperies that enclose spaces for bathing and dressing.
The building houses nine restaurants and bars, including Mauro's Table
Beyond the remarkable rooms, the property boasts a ballroom that can accommodate 600 guests (it is the only five-star hotel in the city to claim such an event space), as well as nine restaurants and three bars. These range from the acclaimed Japanese rooftop restaurant, Kioku by Endo, to Milanese staple Paper Moon, via a flagship fine-diner from world-leading chef Mauro Colagreco. For those in the know, there’s the speakeasy Spy Bar, complete with one of Bond’s iconic cars displayed behind the bar.
“We are extremely fortunate to have an incredible foundation here, with the rooms, the history, the array of food and dining destinations, but I always tell our teams that it’s not just the room, it’s the extra 5 per cent we give,” says Leboeuf.
“Raffles is known for its dedicated butlers, but the truth is that everyone at Raffles is a butler. I’m a butler, the dishwasher is a butler – it’s not a title, it’s a mindset.” 
The 2,500-sq.m Guerlain Spa spans four floors of the hotel
To that end, Leboeuf encourages the human touch in each aspect of the guest experience. “It’s not just leaving a bottle of Champagne or a bottle of Guerlain perfume in the room, it’s thinking about what else can we do,” he adds.
Those extra touches often include studying a guest’s social media pages to gather insights into their personal taste. “We saw that a guest had recently been married in the English countryside, so we recreated the bouquet of flowers she had on her wedding day and put them in her room. We always want to go a step beyond the tangible and hit at the emotional,” says Leboeuf.
“That’s also why receiving a placement in The World’s 50 Best Hotels is so important to us. We aren’t just a place where guests come once, but a place that they develop a connection with and want to return to.”
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