A century-old St James's institution is getting a new chapter. Dukes London, trading since 1908 and long a haunt of monarchs, politicians and cultural figures, will close for a full transformation and reopen in the second quarter of 2027 as the first UK property under Minor Hotels' Reserve Collection, the luxury line the group launched in 2025.
The refurbishment touches every one of the 85 rooms, with plans for 13 executive suites and five signature suites themed around the heritage of St James's, one of London's most storied neighbourhoods. A new restaurant is also on the cards, run in partnership with The Wolseley Hospitality Group, which like Dukes sits under the Minor umbrella.
Some of the groundwork has already started. The Delany Drawing Room, a new lounge and bar, is already open, pouring a list of 160 whiskies alongside champagne and cocktails. Once the hotel relaunches, it will also serve afternoon tea and host private events. Anyone who has heard of Dukes probably knows its bar pedigree — the hotel is famously tied to the birth of the Vesper martini, so expectations for the new drinking spaces will be high.
Minor Hotels, which operates more than 640 properties worldwide, is teaming up with Seven Tides on the London project. Chairman and founder William E. Heinecke called the debut a defining moment for the Reserve Collection brand, with the aim of preserving Dukes' identity while giving it global reach.
The collection's wider pipeline is worth watching too. Hotel Palace Portorož in Slovenia is slated to relaunch in early 2027, while Aventora Resort Baía Formosa in Brazil's Rio Grande do Norte — the collection's debut property — opens in 2028 as a new-build resort with multiple restaurants, a kids' club, spa and wellness studios, sitting within reach of the Genipabu dunes, Dolphin Bay and Pipa Beach.
Why it matters: London's luxury hotel scene is famously crowded, and Dukes gives Minor a genuinely historic address to compete with the established grande dames of Mayfair and St James's. For travellers, a 2027 reopening means timing matters — expect the pre-relaunch period to be the moment rooms first become bookable, and the whisky list alone may justify an early reservation.
