Discover Spy Legacy Of New Raffles Hotel, In Old War Office, London

22.03.2024 - 18:59 / forbes.com / Winston Churchill / Henry Viii VIII (Viii) / Mauro Colagreco / William Young / London

For a truly memorable visit to London, you can stay in the former office of Winston Churchill, Lawrence of Arabia and the infamous John Profumo. The Old War Office was where Richard Haldane, Britain’s first secretary of war, was a key player in the founding of MI5 and MI6 in 1909. Tread the same hallways as Ian Fleming when he worked in intelligence during WWII and the spies (both men and women) who inspired his famous character James “007” Bond. The building has been used in various Bond films, as the MI6 headquarters in Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), Licence to Kill (1989), Skyfall (2002) and Spectre (2015).

After eight years and a painstaking $1.4 billion renovation, using only British materials except Italian marble, this famous building has reopened as Raffles London at The Old War Office (OWO). Guests are greeted with opulence and grandeur from the moment they enter, with high ceilings, oak-panelled walls and a stunning grand staircase with a huge glass chandelier and original Edwardian clock. It is the first property in the UK for the legendary Raffles Hotels & Resorts. Founded in Singapore in 1887, Raffles Hotels can be found around the world in cities including Paris, Istanbul, Warsaw, Bali, Manila, Jakarta and Boston.

The London hotel in the imposing Baroque style, Grade II* listed building, built in 1906 on Whitehall. is in a prime location for sightseeing, across the road from the changing of the Guard and just around the corner from Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Designed by Scottish father and son architects, William and Clyde Young, the War Office was built on the site of the Palace of Whitehall, home for centuries to English monarchs, including King Henry VIII. When it opened in 1906, the OWO housed over 1,000 offices and two-and-a-half miles of corridors that some staff used bicycles to traverse.

Today, Raffles features 120 spacious guest rooms and suites, nine restaurants, including two from chef Mauro Colagreco (of three-Michelin starred Mirazur in Menton), three excellent bars, including an invitation-only basement speakeasy in a space once used for top secret MI5 and MI6 documents, and an extensive spa in partnership with Guerlain and Pillar Wellbeing.

The palatial public spaces, guest rooms and suites are by famed designer, the late Thierry Despont, who restored many other landmark heritage projects like the Statue of Liberty, the Woolworth Building and the Ritz Paris. The Heritage Suites at Raffles were former offices of influential political and military leaders. The Haldane suite, the office of secretaries of war, Winston Churchill, John Profumo and Sir Richard Haldane, can be combined to create a six-bedroom, 500 square meter suite. Known as The Whitehall Wing,