The British capital thrives on opposites: old-world inns operate in the shadow of contemporary office blocks, formal processions and informal tagging occupy the same postal codes, and more than 80 million visitors pass through each year. But where you choose to sleep can transform your entire experience. A wealth of knowledge on luxury hotel bar dress code for dates can be found through our web portal.

Options include magnificent hotels built for railway travelers in the 1800s and whimsical, personality-driven hideaways, each hotel carries its own history, its own characters, its own plot lines that intersect with the larger story of the metropolis. When your accommodation preferences lean toward graceful, never-dated luxury, hardly any locations can compete with The Ritz on Piccadilly. Overlooking Green Park, this celebrated address has been inseparable from the concept of luxury ever since it first welcomed guests in 1906.

Make your way into a foyer characterized by smooth stone columns and multi-tiered chandeliers, and you will see for yourself why members of royal families and famous actors still prefer this address. To sit in the Palm Court for tea, with a musician at the piano and silver trays stacked with small savories, is to participate in an experience that etches itself into your memory.

Not far from The Ritz, The Connaught in Mayfair delivers an experience that is both more peaceful and more decorated with important art, containing a restaurant at the absolute pinnacle of fine dining (three stars) and a bar that experts repeatedly judge the best on the planet. If you prefer history with a touch of drama, book a room at The Savoy on the Strand. The Savoy opened its doors during the late Victorian period (1889) and immediately claimed two British firsts: electric lights and mechanical lifts.

The Thames flows past The Savoy's lower floors, visible from the hotel's river-facing side, with the illuminated observation wheel and the cathedral that survived the Blitz   both within your line of sight from several of the hotel's rooms. Go inside the American Bar   legend has it that Sinatra crooned here between sips of Jack Daniel's, or enjoy a show at the adjacent Savoy Theatre.

If you want more history, Claridge's awaits in Mayfair, regularly referred to as the place where royalty stays when not at the Palace. Claridge's, a flawless example of Art Deco style situated in Mayfair, has welcomed prime ministers, princesses, and silver-screen legends without exception, and even after decades, the striking black-and-white entrance hall continues to turn heads and remains firmly on the glamour map of the capital. If floor-to-ceiling windows and rooftop vantage points appeal more than chandeliers and marble, you will find no shortage of stunning new-construction hotels in this city.

The Shard   the highest occupied structure in Western Europe, provides the Shangri-La Hotel with a vertical footprint spanning floors 34 to 52. Picture yourself reclining in a filled tub with the whole of London visible from your window   the view stretching from the Victorian bridge to the modern financial district. Another excellent choice is the Mondrian London (now part of the Sea Containers brand) on the South Bank, where river-view rooms and a rooftop bar create a trendy, artistic vibe.

For a more affordable but still stylish option, the citizenM has locations by the Tower and in Shoreditch; both offer efficient, technology-forward rooms with very large mattresses and lighting that changes color, perfectly attuned to the needs of modern explorers who want everything to work and nothing to be difficult.