The Chancery Rosewood
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The generous in-room amenities include suede-feel slippers and a leather toiletry bag to take home, filled with personal care products and a lovely hand cream from British wellness brand Never Go Alone.
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The hotel’s art concierge gives tours of the astonishing, revolving collection of 700 pieces, ranging from commissioned works to pieces by artists such as Grayson Perry and Anthony Grace.
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For journeys of less than two miles from the hotel, guests can hop into one of the house cars.
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The rooftop bar draws a well-dressed crowd with city views and a cocktail menu, inspired by the “golden age of Americana.”
For most of my lifetime, London's glamorous Grosvenor Square was associated with Finnish modernist architect Eero Saarinen’s imposing American Embassy building. Completed in 1960, its diagrid exterior, clad in Portland stone, sought to blend in with the rest of the upscale Mayfair neighborhood while asserting itself as an impenetrable fortress.
Then, in 2017, embassy staff and security filed out to new digs, and, suddenly, the building went under wraps—literally—for eight years. It was the talk of the town: the building was to become a Rosewood hotel (the second in the capital), transformed by David Chipperfield Architects in a reported $1.3 billion overhaul. A spattering of other luxury hotels opened nearby, but none garnered as much attention and excitement as the Chancery Rosewood, which finally made its debut in September last year. It was just named to T+L's 2026 It List , celebrating the best new hotels of the year.
Gone were the armed guards; instead, dapper footmen welcomed my husband and me up the stairs into the foyer, a gorgeous space in warm tones. After our swift check-in, we were led to our corner suite, which was the size of an enviable Mayfair apartment with floor-to-ceiling views over the square and its towering plane trees. We languished in the expansive living area, sinking our toes into plush carpet, browsing a coffee table book on brutalism, and fantasizing about the dinners we would throw around the enormous dining table and the cost of the beautiful marble in the bathroom.
The sexy Eagle Bar was calling us to snap out of our reverie. Up on the seventh floor, a Friday night crowd of hedge funders and well-dressed guests was sinking cocktails from a menu celebrating the “golden age of Americana”. I swigged at a spring break, which wasn’t as messy as it sounds—a fresh spritzy mix of gin, mastiha, basil, and fig leaf soda. My husband chose the hotel’s interpretation of a Mayfair classic, the three martini lunch, a rousing mix of gin, fortified wine, burnt leek, and white balsamic.
Then, we headed for dinner to the hotel’s first-floor restaurant, Serra. Although named for the celebrated American artist, the influences here are pan-Mediterranean, from a toothsome sesame koulouri to a melting braised lamb neck fillet with tzatziki. Over glasses of Greek white wine, we decided it was one of the best new restaurants in London—that is, until we tried Tobi Masa the next day.
Read on for my full review of the Chancery Rosewood.
The Rooms
The Chancery Rosewood has 144 suites, ranging from spacious to absolutely huge. For those looking to splurge and spread out, there are two penthouses on the seventh floor, along with six private houses designed for maximum seclusion. All the interiors have been carefully curated and designed by French powerhouse Joseph Dirand, hitting a sweet spot somewhere between Mayfair bachelor pad and Milanese design apartment. Beds, however, are American-sized, with a commensurate number of pillows. Amenities and extras include lovely touches like milk in the fridge, mixed cocktails, and a seemingly endless supply of shortbread. And my favorite touch: a chamois cloth appeared every time I put my glasses down and left the room.
Food and Drink
There will eventually be a grand total of eight restaurants on the property, but, so far, the main eateries are Serra and Tobi Masa. Jacqueline, named for Jackie Kennedy Onassis, is the place for afternoon tea and cocktails, while the pavement-side cafe, GSQ, billed as a “neighborhood delicatessen”, serves impressive (and impressively pricy) viennoiserie and cakes.
Of the lot, Tobi Masa is the star of the show, a London home for chef Masayoshi Takayama, whose New York City restaurant has three Michelin stars. We dined here on a rainy February evening, and despite the weather, it was still packed with a mix of couples, groups celebrating birthdays, and financiers entertaining clients from overseas. The menu promises elevated Japanese cuisine inspired by the chef’s travels. I’m still thinking about the lobster cocktail, a whole lobster on a bed of ice; the perfectly seared tuna steak with a tangy ponzu sauce; and all this before the omakase sushi flight.
The Spa
Eighty-two-foot-long pools, several floors below street level, are now no longer a novelty in London’s top-tier hotels—they are a must-have. As a bit of a pool snob, I am always keen to see how these hotels make theirs stand out. Here in the 12,000-square-foot Asaya Spa, alcoves with loungers are like small sitting rooms. (You could definitely take an important work call without anyone listening in.) Next to the pool, a tiny cold plunge pool is the perfect place for dipping after the sauna, steam, and heated marble seats.
Accessibility
The hotel has 10 accessible suites. All public areas and event spaces are accessible through a ramped entrance on the ground floor and elevators.
How to Book
The Chancery Rosewood is part of the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts collection . Card members receive daily breakfast for two, early check-in (based on availability), guaranteed late check-out, a room upgrade (based on availability), and a $100 food and beverage credit.
Nightly rates at The Chancery Rosewood start from 1,520 British pounds or $2,000.
Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values .
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