Why We Love This Westminster London Hotel

When well-known, all-inclusive Spanish brand Riu, opened its first hotel in the UK in 2023, one thing stood above all else: location. In the heart of Westminster, this 435-room hotel in central London is surrounded by numerous shops, restaurants, pubs and bars. Guests flying in to Gatwick airport can easily board the express train directly to Victoria train station, steps from the hotel. And, while there are hotels aplenty in the English capital, few cater as well to families on leisure trips with a trifecta of value (breakfast buffet included), walking proximity to prominent sites (Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Houses of Parliament), and spacious rooms that can accommodate up to four guests (most rooms in the city only allow two guests per room). 

Plaza is the designated brand of Riu’s city hotels, and, on my recent visit, it seemed to also encompass a community workspace concept of sorts. Conference goers filed in to the lobby, and, in a corner near the bar, booths with velvet seats allowed guests to chat away via virtual meetings.

Business aside, the main profile of guests is North Americans and continental Europeans taking in the sites of the capital. At breakfast, high chairs are not uncommon and a variety of languages spoken by groups of families creates a pleasing hum.

Laid out in two separate buildings divided by a street, guest rooms span either side. My deluxe family king room looked out over the skyline with the London Eye, the Shard and The Walkie-Talkie in plain view as the sun rose and set casting a rosy tint on these icons. It took a little time to adjust to the layout of the bathroom, separated into two non-adjoining rooms with toilet on one side and sink and shower on another. Unlike the sometimes-cramped showers of Europe, however, this one even had a tiled bench and ample space. Rooms have a subdued appearance with predominantly greys, whites and blacks and the occasional mustard colour.

Slightly more flamboyant is the lobby bar with its nod to 20s Miami cool – sinuous flamingo wallpaper, pink semi-circle feather tassels draped from sconces and navy-blue coffered ceiling. Pop in for a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Overall, this is a comfortable city hotel well positioned to take in many of London’s most famous sites.

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This original article first appeared in the WINTER 2025 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.