Hotel Café Royal:
Few addresses in London carry the weight of Café Royal. Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf and Winston Churchill all passed through its doors. It has occupied this position on Regent Street, at the meeting point of Mayfair, Soho and St James’s, for more than 150 years. Today it operates as a five-star hotel under The Set Collection, with the original heritage spaces sensitively restored and contemporary guest rooms alongside them. It is part of a group that includes Conservatorium in Amsterdam and Lutetia in Paris, which gives some indication of the standard of hospitality it achieves.
For weddings, the hotel offers sixteen named event spaces ranging from the Grade II listed Pompadour Ballroom, which holds up to 250 for a reception, to intimate signature suites designed by Sir David Chipperfield. All spaces have a midnight licence with a 1am extension available on request. Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, the hotel’s two Michelin-starred restaurant, can serve its menus in other event spaces for significant celebrations, which gives the wedding breakfast a culinary dimension that very few London venues can match.
The Pompadour Ballroom
The Pompadour Ballroom is the principal wedding space. It is Grade II listed and decorated in Louis XVI style, with fluted Corinthian pilasters, mirrored panels with gilded frames and a ceiling depicting scenes of love in fresco. It holds up to 250 for a standing reception, 110 for a banquet and 80 for dinner and dancing. Large double doors open onto a pillared outdoor terrace overlooking the full sweep of Regent Street, which provides one of the more dramatic outdoor spaces available at any central London wedding venue. In addition, the terrace has patio heaters and the team can arrange it with poseur tables or seating depending on the format.
Further Event Spaces
The Queensberry room holds up to 150 for a reception and spans the bottom sweep of Regent Street. Floor-to-ceiling windows give views over Piccadilly Circus, and fumed oak wall and ceiling panels conceal fully integrated AV technology. It suits mid-sized ceremonies and wedding breakfasts where natural daylight and a central location are priorities.
The Domino is a historic private dining and events space. The team has sensitively restored its original features alongside modern updates. It holds up to 90 for a reception and 60 for a seated dinner. It also works well as a pre-wedding private dining room or an overflow space alongside the Ballroom.
Ziggy’s takes its inspiration from David Bowie and has a private bar. It holds up to 40 and suits intimate gatherings, late-night drinks and post-wedding celebrations equally well.
The Gallery overlooks the hotel’s grand lobby and holds up to 160 for a reception. As a result, it suits welcome drinks and cocktail receptions where guests move through the hotel before sitting down.
Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal holds two Michelin stars and seats up to 50. The kitchen can also serve its menus across other event spaces for wedding celebrations, which means couples can bring two Michelin-starred cooking to a reception of any size within the building.
The Signature Suites
The hotel has six signature suites available for private events, intimate ceremonies and VIP hosting. Sir David Chipperfield designed both the Oscar Suite and the Club Suite. The Oscar Suite has a Siena marble dining table for six and can host up to ten guests. The Club Suite features original red and gold gildings and a Siena marble dining table, and can host up to 20.
The Celestine Suite takes its name from the wife of Café Royal founder Celestine Nichols. It has original golden gilding and a Siena marble dining table for eight, and holds up to 30 standing guests.
The Dome Penthouse sits on the sixth floor, in a space the building’s original occupants used as a fire lookout. It is circular and open-plan with three bedrooms, two terraces and panoramic views across Westminster, Big Ben and Piccadilly Circus. It holds up to 30 guests and suits the most intimate and private celebrations in the building.
Dining and Wellness
Cakes and Bubbles is the hotel’s patisserie bar, associated with celebrated pastry chef Albert Adrià. It suits pre-wedding celebrations and post-ceremony gatherings. The Café Royal Grill serves all-day dining and afternoon tea.
Akasha is the hotel’s holistic wellbeing concept. It includes a state-of-the-art gym, a large lap pool, sauna, jacuzzi, a private Hammam and a full treatment menu. It is available for pre-wedding preparations and bridal party treatments.
Accommodation
The hotel has 159 guestrooms and suites including the seven signature suites. The suites range from the intimate Tudor Suite, with original Elizabethan panelling and a Tudor fireplace, to the two-bedroom Royal Suite with views of Regent Street. The Oscar and Club Suites both connect into larger wing configurations for exclusive use. As a result, the hotel can accommodate everything from an intimate couple’s stay to a larger wedding party spread across interconnecting suites.
Is Hotel Café Royal Right for Your Wedding?
Hotel Café Royal suits couples planning a luxury London wedding where heritage, location and the quality of food and drink are central to the brief. The Pompadour Ballroom’s Regent Street terrace, the two Michelin-starred restaurant, the Chipperfield-designed suites and the David Bowie bar give the hotel a range of experiences within one building that is genuinely hard to replicate elsewhere in the city. In addition, the midnight licence and 1am extension mean the celebration does not need to end early.
However, it is not suited to couples wanting a very large wedding above 250 guests, an exclusive use countryside property or a more minimal contemporary setting. Civil ceremony licensing should be confirmed directly with the hotel before booking.
For couples considering other historic and luxury options in the capital, explore our guide to grand hotel wedding venues in London and our wider collection of luxury wedding venues in London.
- Grade II listed Pompadour Ballroom: up to 250 reception, 110 banquet, 80 dinner and dance, Regent Street terrace, midnight licence
- Queensberry: up to 150 reception, Piccadilly Circus views
- Domino: up to 90 reception, 60 dinner, historic interiors
- Ziggy’s: up to 40, David Bowie-inspired, private bar
- The Gallery: up to 160 reception, overlooks grand lobby
- Alex Dilling: two Michelin stars, up to 50, menus available across event spaces
- Oscar Suite and Club Suite designed by Sir David Chipperfield
- Dome Penthouse: former fire lookout, panoramic views, two terraces
- 159 guestrooms and suites including seven signature suites
- Akasha spa: lap pool, sauna, jacuzzi, Hammam, treatment rooms
- Cakes and Bubbles patisserie bar
- Part of The Set Collection
- On Regent Street, between Mayfair, Soho and St James’s
- Midnight licence, 1am extension on request
Full details, civil ceremony licensing and availability on enquiry.
Getting There
Hotel Café Royal sits at 68 Regent Street in central London. Piccadilly Circus Underground station is immediately adjacent, served by the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines. Oxford Circus is a five-minute walk. Green Park, Bond Street and Leicester Square are all within easy reach. For guests arriving by national rail, Charing Cross and Victoria are both accessible within ten minutes by taxi. Heathrow is reachable via the Piccadilly line direct to Piccadilly Circus, making international travel straightforward.
Other Luxury Wedding Venues in London
Hotel Café Royal is one of a distinguished collection of historic and five-star hotel wedding venues in central London. Explore our grand hotel wedding venues in London guide and our full collection of luxury wedding venues in London to compare landmark spaces, heritage hotels and five-star venues across the capital.