Claridge's vs the Connaught vs the Berkeley: Which to Book
Three Maybourne hotels, one city: scored, priced and matched to the trip.
By Biirdee Travel, Luxury Travel Concierge · Updated October 1, 2026
Maybourne runs three of London's best-known hotels: Claridge's and the Connaught in Mayfair, and the Berkeley in Knightsbridge. Under the ownership framework that took effect in July 2026, Claridge's belongs to Regis Maybourne and the other two to Constellation Hotels, but the same company manages all three.
They are still three different propositions, and on our numbers the differences are sharper than the shared management suggests. Here is how they compare on guest reviews, same-dates rates, awards and what our own clients book, with our verdict at the end.
The Short Answers
- Best reviewed: the Connaught, 9.79 out of 10 with 1% of guests under 7, the highest of the 14 London luxury hotels we scored. Claridge's scored 9.21 and the Berkeley 9.12.
- Easiest to book: Claridge's and the Berkeley, both on sale on all four of our test stays. The Connaught had no rooms on our engine on any date; it sells through Maybourne's reservations team and partners.
- Cheapest: the Berkeley from November to April (from $1,049 a night in January and March); Claridge's from July to September, when it holds at $1,239.
- Awards: all three are Forbes Five-Star; Claridge's and the Connaught hold Three MICHELIN Keys and are in The 50 Best Hotels 2026 (No. 13 and No. 49), and the Berkeley has Two Keys.
- Our desk: London stays are short, about 1.3 nights on average across our Claridge's and Connaught bookings.
- Our pick: the Connaught if you can get in; Claridge's for a first or festive London trip and for summer value; the Berkeley for winter and spring value and a pool.
The Three at a Glance
| Claridge's | The Connaught | The Berkeley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Brook Street, Mayfair | Carlos Place, Mayfair | Wilton Place, Knightsbridge |
| History | A hotel since 1812; Claridge's since 1856 | Opened in 1815 as The Coburg | The Berkeley since 1897; on Wilton Place since 1972 |
| Rooms (Michelin's count) | 269 | 122 | 190 |
| Owner (2026 framework) | Regis Maybourne (UK) Ltd | Constellation Hotels | Constellation Hotels |
| Forbes 2026 | Five-Star | Five-Star; Aman Spa Four-Star | Five-Star |
| MICHELIN Keys 2026 | Three | Three | Two |
| The 50 Best Hotels (2025 / 2026) | No. 16 / No. 13 | No. 29 / No. 49 | Not ranked either year |
| Signature dining | Dante Mayfair (since mid-June 2026) | Hélène Darroze at The Connaught (three Michelin stars) | La Môme London; Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley |
| Bars | Claridge's Bar, the Fumoir, the Painter's Room | The Connaught Bar, the Coburg Bar, the Red Room | The Berkeley Bar & Terrace; a rooftop pool bar in summer |
| Spa and pool | Claridge's Spa, with a heated pool | Aman Spa, with a pool | Rooftop pool; Surrenne Belgravia access in every stay |
How We Compared Them
On 1 October 2026 we priced all three through our own booking engine (the one behind hotels.biirdee.com) on the same four stays, 10–13 Nov 2026, 27–30 Dec 2026, 12–15 Mar 2027 and 15–18 Jul 2027, plus a two-night midweek stay in every month of the coming year, and we scored each hotel's 100 most recent verified guest reviews ourselves. Rates are the lowest per night the engine charged at booking; taxes the hotel collects at checkout are extra. Live rates change daily, so treat these as the rates on 1 October 2026.
The Connaught had no rooms on our engine on any of those dates, so on price this is a two-hotel comparison, with what our desk has paid at the Connaught as the reference.
Guest Scores, Side by Side
Our scoring of each hotel's 100 most recent verified reviews on our booking platform (mean out of 10, the share scoring 9 or more and the share under 7), with the platform's long-run score and who wrote the reviews.
| Claridge's | The Connaught | The Berkeley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recent guest score | 9.21 | 9.79 | 9.12 |
| Guests scoring 9 or more | 89% | 95% | 78% |
| Guests scoring under 7 | 8% | 1% | 5% |
| Review window | January to August 2026 | April 2025 to August 2026 | October 2025 to August 2026 |
| Rank among the 14 London hotels we scored | 9th | 1st | Joint 10th |
| Long-run platform score | 9.5 (779 reviews) | 9.6 (308 reviews) | 8.9 (365 reviews) |
| Couples / solo travelers / families | 68% / 14% / 15% | 61% / 20% / 11% | 53% / 25% / 18% |
What Guests Mention
Our text analysis of the written English reviews among each hotel's 100 most recent: the share that mention a topic and, in brackets, the mean score of those reviews.
| Topic | Claridge's | The Connaught | The Berkeley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | 63% (8.83) | 58% (9.9) | 54% (8.73) |
| Food and restaurants | 18% (9.43) | 28% (9.4) | 25% (8.29) |
| Breakfast | 16% (8.83) | 8% (10.0) | 14% (7.75) |
| Noise | 8% (5.67) | 3% (10.0) | 11% (9.67) |
What the Reviews Say
The Connaught wins every review measure, and by a distance: more guests scoring 9 or more (95%), fewer under 7 (1%), and the best-scoring service of the three (9.9 in the 58% of reviews that mention it). Claridge's and the Berkeley are close on the headline (9.21 and 9.12) but different in shape. Claridge's delights more guests (89% scoring 9 or more, against 78%) and disappoints more (8% under 7, against 5%), and its low scores cluster around noise: the 8% of reviews that mention it average 5.67. The Berkeley's weak point is food, breakfast above all: 14% of its reviews mention breakfast, and they average 7.75.
Same Dates, Same Engine: The Rates
Lowest rate per night through our booking engine, priced 1 October 2026; room only unless stated. Taxes the hotel collects at checkout are extra. The Connaught had no rooms on any of our dates.
| Claridge's | The Connaught | The Berkeley | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–13 Nov 2026 | $1,626 | No rooms | $1,205 |
| 27–30 Dec 2026 | $1,839 | No rooms | $1,611 |
| 12–15 Mar 2027 | $1,239 | No rooms | $1,049 |
| 15–18 Jul 2027 | $1,239 | No rooms | $1,637 (breakfast included) |
| Cheapest month on our calendar | Jan 2027 ($1,238) | No rooms in any month | Jan 2027 ($1,049) |
| Priciest month on our calendar | Dec 2026 ($2,039) | No rooms in any month | Jun 2027 ($1,645) |
| What breakfast for two adds (same room and terms) | $115–260 a night | No rates to compare | $107–110 a night |
| What free cancellation adds | 0–18% | No rates to compare | 18% on two stays; on the other two the lowest rate was already refundable |
| Cheapest suite on our engine | None offered on our dates | No rates to compare | From $1,538 (Junior Suite Deluxe, Mar 2027) |
| Taxes collected at the hotel (extra) | About $307 a night on one of our four stays | No rates to compare | About $198–309 a night on three of our four stays |
| What our desk paid (per night, taxes in) | About $800–1,100 for entry rooms on the stay we booked | A median of about $1,650 | No desk figure |
Month by Month: Claridge's vs the Berkeley
Lowest rate per night for the same two-night midweek stay (Tuesday to Thursday of the third week) in each month, priced through our booking engine on 1 October 2026. The Connaught had no rooms in any month. "No rooms" means nothing was bookable on our engine for those dates.
| Month | Claridge's | The Berkeley |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | $2,036 | $1,341 |
| Dec 2026 | $2,039 | $1,137 |
| Jan 2027 | $1,238 | $1,049 |
| Feb 2027 | $1,239 | $1,061 |
| Mar 2027 | $1,239 | $1,049 |
| Apr 2027 | $1,239 | $1,061 |
| May 2027 | No rooms | $1,481 |
| Jun 2027 | No rooms | $1,645 |
| Jul 2027 | $1,239 | $1,645 |
| Aug 2027 | $1,239 | $1,481 |
| Sep 2027 | $1,239 | $1,259 |
| Oct 2027 | No rooms | No rooms |
What the Rates Say
Price splits the year in two. From November to April the Berkeley is the cheaper hotel in every month, by the most around the holidays: $1,137 against $2,039 for a midweek stay in December. From July to September it flips: Claridge's holds at $1,239 while the Berkeley runs $1,259–1,645, and on our July test stay Claridge's room-only $1,239 beat the Berkeley's $1,637, although the Berkeley's rate was refundable and included breakfast. Claridge's had no rooms on our engine in May and June.
Two other differences matter for the bill. Breakfast costs more at Claridge's ($115–260 a night for two, against $107–110), and only the Berkeley offered suites on our engine (from $1,538 a night). The taxes collected at checkout also varied by rate at both hotels, from nothing to about $309 a night, so compare the terms as well as the headline rate.
What Our Desk Sees
Our clients use these hotels for short London stays: our Claridge's and Connaught bookings average about 1.3 nights each. Connaught bookings cluster around New Year and in spring and early summer, at a median of about $1,650 a night, taxes in. At Claridge's we booked an extended, multi-room early-summer stay, with entry rooms at about $800–1,100 a night, taxes in. Because the Connaught never showed on our engine, it is the one of the three where booking through an advisor matters most.
Who Each One Suits
| Book it for | Think twice if | |
|---|---|---|
| Claridge's | A first London trip or a festive one, afternoon tea in the Foyer, a social Mayfair base, and summer value (a flat $1,239 a night from July to September on our calendar) | You are noise-sensitive (reviews mentioning noise averaged 5.67), want a suite on our live rates (none offered on our dates), or are watching the budget in November and December |
| The Connaught | The happiest guests in our London sample, a three-Michelin-star dinner, the Connaught Bar and discreet service | You need to book in two clicks: it showed no rooms on our engine on any date |
| The Berkeley | Winter and spring value ($1,049–1,061 a night from January to April), a rooftop pool, Knightsbridge shopping and solo trips (25% of its reviewers) | Breakfast matters (reviews mentioning it averaged 7.75), or you are traveling in June or July, its priciest months ($1,645) |
Our Verdict
This is our call, not a ranking. If the dates are fixed and the budget stretches, ask for the Connaught first: no hotel in our London sample leaves its guests happier, and Hélène Darroze and the Connaught Bar are reasons to stay on their own. If you want to book today, Claridge's is the icon on our live rates, and from July to September its flat $1,239 makes it the better buy of the two that sell through our engine. Pick the Berkeley for winter and spring trips, for a pool and for Knightsbridge, but take it room only: breakfast is where its reviews sag.
Booking beyond these three? The all-suite Emory sits beside the Berkeley, and our guide to London's best luxury hotels covers the rest of the city.
Claridge's vs the Connaught vs the Berkeley: FAQs
Which is better: Claridge's, the Connaught or the Berkeley?
On guest reviews, the Connaught: 9.79 out of 10 from its 100 most recent guests, against 9.21 at Claridge's and 9.12 at the Berkeley, and only 1% of its guests scored a stay under 7. Claridge's is the one we would pick for a first or festive London trip, and the Berkeley for value and a pool. All three are Forbes Five-Star.
Which is the cheapest?
The Berkeley for most of the year: $1,049 a night midweek in January and March on our calendar, against $1,238 at Claridge's in January. From July to September it flips, with Claridge's at $1,239 and the Berkeley at $1,259–1,645. The Connaught had no rooms on our engine; our desk's median there is about $1,650 a night, taxes in.
Can you book the Connaught online?
Not through our engine: it had no rooms on any of our four test stays or in any month of the next year. It sells through Maybourne's own reservations team and its partners, including travel advisors. Send us your dates and we will request them.
Which has the best restaurant?
The Connaught. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught holds three Michelin stars in 2026 and is the only starred restaurant across Maybourne's six hotels. Claridge's now has Dante Mayfair, from New York's Dante team, which Michelin lists without a star; the Berkeley has La Môme London, from Cannes.
Do all three have a pool?
Yes. Claridge's Spa has a heated pool in the hotel's five-floor basement, the Connaught's Aman Spa has a pool, and the Berkeley has its seventh-floor rooftop pool, plus access to Surrenne Belgravia at the Emory next door.
The Three, With Live Rates
Claridge's
Brook Street, Mayfair
9.5Exceptional · 779 guest reviews9.21 from recent guests; Three MICHELIN Keys, No. 13 in The 50 Best Hotels 2026, and Dante Mayfair since June 2026. On sale on all four of our test stays, and the cheaper of the two we could price from July to September.
Guests praiseClean and spacious roomsAmazing staff serviceExcellent location
from $1,238/night (Jan 2027)
The Connaught
Carlos Place, Mayfair
9.6Exceptional · 308 guest reviews9.79 from recent guests, the best of the 14 London hotels we scored, with Hélène Darroze and the Connaught Bar. No rooms on our engine, so we book it on request.
Guests praiseExceptional serviceGreat locationClean and cozy rooms
about $1,650/night, taxes in (our desk median)
The Berkeley
Wilton Place, Knightsbridge
8.9Very good · 365 guest reviews9.12 from recent guests; the rooftop pool, La Môme London and Surrenne access in every stay. The cheapest of the three from November to April on our calendar.
Guests praiseFriendly staffGreat locationLovely rooms
from $1,049/night (Jan and Mar 2027)
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