Waldorf Astoria to Turn London’s Admiralty Arch into a 114-Room Hotel This Autumn

One of London’s best-known landmarks is being transformed into a hotel. Waldorf Astoria, the luxury brand owned by Hilton, is converting the Grade I-listed Admiralty Arch into a 114-room property with suites and residences, due to welcome its first guests in autumn 2026.

Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII in honour of Queen Victoria, designed by Sir Aston Webb, the architect behind The Mall and the main facade of Buckingham Palace, and completed in 1910. It later housed the First Sea Lord’s official residence and served as a wartime intelligence centre and Royal Navy outpost, with past occupants including Winston Churchill and James Bond author Ian Fleming.

A restoration led by London’s top interior specialists

The conversion has been led by an internationally known design team, including Michael Blair, whose past work includes The Ritz, The Connaught and Claridge’s, alongside David Mlinaric, known for restoration work at the Royal Opera House, the V&A Museum and the National Gallery, and historical interiors expert Andrew Damonte. Hilton chief executive Christopher J. Nassetta said the project “marries the timeless elegance of Waldorf Astoria with the historic grandeur of one of London’s great monuments,” while Rafael Serrano, chief executive of developer Prime Investors Capital Ltd, called it a project the team was “delighted” to bring to life.

Michelin-starred dining under one roof

The hotel’s food and drink offer will be led by two of the most decorated chefs in Britain and France. Clare Smyth will open Coreus, a fine-dining restaurant focused on sustainably sourced seafood and seasonal British produce, alongside an intimate Whiskey & Seaweed bar. Daniel Boulud returns to London with Café Boulud, an all-day rooftop restaurant serving breakfast through dinner with a terrace overlooking St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace. Between them, the two chefs hold eight Michelin stars.

Why it matters

The project adds to a wave of historic-building conversions reshaping London’s luxury hotel scene, where developers are increasingly turning government and institutional buildings into five-star addresses rather than building new. For Waldorf Astoria, landing one of the capital’s most recognisable monuments is a statement property in a city already crowded with heritage hotels, and its success will likely be judged as much on how it balances public memory of the building with private luxury as on room rates.