(Photo: Courtesy of Claridge's)

“The Hide London (from £90 [£1 = $1.60]; thehidelondon.com) is an amazing value. It looks quite trendy, with damask wallpaper and modern furnishings. Breakfast is included, and the free wireless Internet is fast. It’s right off the Northern Line, in the Hendon area of Northwest London, which is eighteen minutes from Camden Town.”

—Ruth Gilligan, journalist and author

“I like Philippe Starck’s surrealist décor atthe Sanderson (from £215; sandersonlondon.com). There’s a Dalí thing going on: sofas shaped like lips, eyes on the chairs at the cocktail bar, paintings on the ceiling. They do an Alice in Wonderland high tea with rainbow sandwiches. It’s more playful and stimulating than your average hotel.”

—Jonathan Perlmutter, lawyer

“My top choice is Claridge’s (pictured; from £299; claridges.co.uk) because of its glamorous Art Deco interiors and designer suites by the likes of Diane Von Furstenberg. There’s a grand piano, real fires in the winter, and the tearoom has the best scones in London. It’s right next to Bond Street, which is great for shopping, galleries, and the Royal Academy.”

—Deborah Isaaks, researcher