Cover Raffles London at the OWO
Raffles London at the OWO
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Once the headquarters of British military operations, London’s Old War Office is now Raffles London at the OWO—where fascinating stories of intelligence and espionage are woven into a truly one-of-a-kind hotel
Eighty years ago, on May 8, 1945, Winston Churchill reportedly made two telephone calls from London’s Old War Office, otherwise known as the OWO: first, to inform King George VI that the war was over; second, to order 40 cases of Pol Roger champagne from his trusted wine merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd.
It’s also at the OWO that Churchill, in his roles as secretary of state for war and first lord of the admiralty, held war councils and gave daily addresses from the building’s grand staircase.
On a visit to London last October, eight decades after those historic phone calls, I stood on that very staircase, its drama and pageantry still intact, the steps draped in ruby red carpet and surrounded by painfully intricate details cast from Painswick stone, English alabaster, Piastraccia Italian marble and Brescia marble.
The difference is that the surrounding rooms are no longer the offices of some of Britain’s leading politicians and high-ranking military officers— they’re hotel suites.
Above Raffles London at the OWO's grand staircase
Raffles London at the OWO's grand staircase
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The trapezium-shaped Grade II Edwardian Baroque building, originally completed in 1906, is now home to Raffles London at the OWO—a £1.4 billion project that took eight years and an army (don’t mind the pun) of designers and craftsmen to bring to life, opening in September 2023.
Despite its size, the hotel has just 120 rooms, including 39 suites—five of which are branded as Heritage Suites, occupying the aforementioned offices. Beautifully restored, they feature the building’s original oak panelling, ornate plasterwork, floor-to-ceiling windows and Georgian fireplaces. The Haldane Suite, for example, occupies what was once the office of War Secretary Richard Haldane and, later, Churchill, with prime views over Whitehall.
My personal favourite is the Granville Suite. It's named after Christine Granville, a Polish aristocrat and British Special Operations Executive (SOE) who was one of the Second World War’s most remarkable secret agents— rumour has it, she was Churchill’s favourite spy for her guts and grit.
In her Granville biography The Spy Who Loved, author Clare Mulley mentions two separate incidents where Granville managed to “turn a snarling guard dog kept by border patrols into her pet that would follow her beck and call”.
Above The Granville Suite at Raffles London at the OWO
The Granville Suite at Raffles London at the OWO
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The Granville Suite is mind-numbingly beautiful, with floral upholstery, rich wood panelling, cascading chandeliers and a one-of-a-kind bathroom featuring a free-standing brass tub.
It’s one of several suites named after women from political and military circles. Many, like Granville, were spies and intelligence officers whose names were largely forgotten by history; the sexism of that era downplaying their accomplishments. This is Raffles London at the OWO’s way of giving these brave, incredible women their long overdue flowers, and ensuring their stories are told with the same reverence as the men they worked and fought beside.
There are so many stories to be told here, and the hotel has been designed in such a way that these stories still feel very
much alive. I highly recommend taking the history tour, which is complimentary for hotel guests but still available at a cost to non-guests. It’s fascinating and full of anecdotes—for example, we learnt that officers who were retiring could choose two of the small black and white tiles that line the hallways to be turned into cufflinks.
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At the bottom of the grand staircase, there are two lion heads carved into the handrails. After his morning briefings, Churchill would rub the nose of the lion on the right for good luck, the effects of which can be seen in the worn-out stone. I may have given it a pat or two myself; it’s been quite a year.
The hotel’s restaurant Saison by Mauro Colagreco, with its gorgeous soaring atrium, occupies the building’s former library. During the history tour, our guide tells us that the library was once accessible to visitors until a French general opened a book to find it had been vandalised with scribblings that said “F*ck the French”. After some awkward and extensive damage control, the library became off-limits to outsiders.
Above The former library at the Old War Office
Above Saison by Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO
The former library at the Old War Office
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The OWO was intimately linked with British intelligence, serving as the birthplace of what would become MI5 and MI6, hosting many secret operations and serving as a hub for military intelligence and espionage through the 20th century. Notably, Sir Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels, worked here for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War as liaison with the Secret Intelligence Services of the War Office.
Drawing inspiration from its spy history, the character of 007 was born in the building’s basement, where candidates for the SOE were once interviewed and where MI5 and MI6 agents’ identity papers and mission reports were stored.
Today, that space is Raffles at the OWO’s Spy Bar: a subterranean cocktail lounge. It is accessible only to hotel guests, who are escorted there by a member of the concierge team. Once in, a sticker is placed over your phone camera—the “no photos allowed” rule is strictly enforced. The spy theme runs through the drinks—don’t leave without trying The Stinger, a cocktail that 007 enjoys in the novels Diamonds are Forever (1956) and Thunderball (1961).
For a less obscure place to enjoy a drink, the Guards Bar and Lounge allows guests (both of the hotel and not) to imbibe in the same room that workers of the War Office once did. The bar serves Raffles’ signature Singapore Sling, invented in 1915 at the brand’s debut property, as well as a freshly created London Sling composed of Sipsmith Raffles 1915 Gin, Sipello liqueur, Linden tea, cherry bitters and a strawberry and oat fat wash.
Located on the ground floor, Guards Bar faces Horse Guards, the official entrance to Buckingham Palace. When the OWO was first built, its location in Whitehall was strategic, with underground tunnels connecting it to 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and other key sites for emergency evacuation.
There are many hotels housed in historic buildings around the world—Rosewood’s Hôtel de Crillon in Paris is in an 18th-century neoclassical palace, for example, while the Mandarin Oriental in Prague is housed in a 14th-century monastery—but few have woven in the stories and historical significance in the way Raffles London at the OWO has.
It’s refreshing in a world—and industry—obsessed with all things new, that every design detail, every treasure saved, every corner is a considered effort to maintain its legacy. It definitely doesn’t take a secret agent to realise that this hotel has done something truly remarkable.
Coco Marett is a writer and editor who grew up between Hong Kong and Melbourne. She currently heads the travel section for Tatler Asia, and manages the Tatler Travel account on Instagram. She is known for her features on unique, under-the-radar properties and destinations. She's also known for her in-depth interviews that paint a refreshingly candid portrait of influential figures across various industries —from artists to political figures, CEOs to celebrity chefs. Follow her on Instagram @cocomarett
