Ask most people to picture the City of London and they’ll conjure suits, skyscrapers and Monday-morning briskness. But look again.Â
The Square Mile is home to a 1,000-year-old fortress with real Crown Jewels, a Victorian market that doubled as Diagon Alley, a garden in the sky, and cobbled lanes where Romans, royals and revolutionaries all left their mark. At weekends, when the commuters vanish, families have this extraordinary open-air history book almost to themselves.
What the City has historically lacked is a hotel that not just tolerates a travel cot, but one that builds a whole world around its youngest guests. That hotel is Pan Pacific London.
Rising above Bishopsgate Plaza, Pan Pacific London brings warm, generous Singaporean hospitality to the heart of the capital, and in Singapore, family is everything. From a dedicated children’s programme fronted by Singa the lion, to twice-daily family swim sessions in an 18.5-metre infinity pool, to the UK’s first children’s spa treatments by Bonpoint, this is a five-star stay where the kids are treated as VIPs in their own right.
Here’s why it should be your next family break.
The Vibe
Pan Pacific London, on the doorstep of Liverpool Street station, is served by the Elizabeth line, meaning Heathrow is a single, buggy-friendly train ride away, as well as an easy commute for Londoners and those around the UK. From the lobby, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge are a 15-minute stroll, Leadenhall Market and the Sky Garden are closer still, and Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane and the South Bank are all within easy reach, so you can do an entire London break without once folding the pushchair onto the tube or a cab. Inside, the Yabu Pushelberg-designed hotel is a study in softness: curved walls (there’s barely a hard corner in the bedrooms, something parents of toddlers will appreciate more than they expect), watercolour headboards depicting English trees, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Gherkin, you’ll find a sanctuary after a day of dragon-spotting and dungeon-touring.
Crucially, this isn’t family-friendly as an afterthought. The Singa Cub Club Programme, named for the hotel’s lion mascot, a nod to Singapore, the “Lion City”, wraps the whole stay in play, from a plush Singa companion to take home and an activity booklet full of doodles and challenges, to an in-hotel treasure hunt and seasonal adventures that spill out beyond the lobby. And then there’s the pool: an 18.5-metre infinity pool on the SENSORY wellbeing floor, one of the most beautiful in London, seemingly floating above the streets below, with dedicated family swimming sessions twice daily so children can splash freely, and parents can relax.
The Rooms
Pan Pacific London’s 237 rooms and suites are among the most spacious in the City, and several categories are tailor-made for families. Deluxe rooms with two queen beds are the sweet spot for a family of four, generous, light-filled, with Italian marble bathrooms and views across the city skyline, while connecting rooms give older children their own space (and parents their own peace). For longer stays, nap schedules and room-service breakfasts in pyjamas, the 42 suites, each individually named with separate living areas, feel closer to serviced apartments than hotel rooms; top categories come with butler service, and little touches like pop-up tents for children turn a suite into a den. Every room comes with automatic curtains (a small miracle at bedtime), a Nespresso machine and Chinese tea set for the grown-ups, Jo Loves toiletries, and a minibar of London-inspired snacks. And when the children happily fall sleep, those floor-to-ceiling views of the glittering Square Mile are all yours.
The Food + Drink
Feeding a family well, without compromise, tantrum or fuss, is where Pan Pacific London excels.
Straits Kitchen, the hotel’s signature restaurant at the top of the lobby’s sculptural spiral staircase, celebrates the cuisine of Southeast Asia using the best British produce. Breakfast is a family highlight: a lavish continental spread plus à la carte dishes running from wonton noodle soup and congee to a full English, something for the fussiest and the most adventurous eater at the same table. With the Cub Club Programme, kids’ meals come free or discounted, taking the sting out of family dining in the capital.
Ginger Lily Bar & Lounge is home to one of the City’s loveliest afternoon teas, and, a dedicated Children’s Afternoon Tea, so little ones get their own tier of treats rather than making do with the crusts of yours.
In-room dining, 24 hours a day, means jet lag, early risers and midnight snack emergencies are all catered for. And for film night, there’s something rather special, but more on that below.
The Packages
The headline act is the Roaring Family Fun offer, built around the Singa Cub Club Programme. Book until 17 December 2026, and enjoy 15% off a family escape that bundles in daily breakfast, free and discounted kids’ meals, twice-daily family swimming sessions in the 18.5-metre pool, and a Singa plush companion for every young guest. Children can even dress their new best friend in a couture outfit from Singa’s Little Atelier, work through the Cub Club Activity Booklet, and join Singa’s seasonal adventures, from a hotel treasure hunt to curated outings beyond the lobby. It’s fun, learning and memories, all in one booking.
When the day’s exploring is done, some of the best London evenings happen without leaving your room. The Sleepover with Singa experience brings the cinema to you: popcorn, soft drinks, ice cream and classic movie snacks delivered by in-room dining, while you Chromecast the family’s chosen film straight to the television from your own device, pyjamas obligatory. And for something altogether calmer, Pan Pacific London is the first hotel in the UK, and only the second in the world, to launch the Bonpoint Beauty experience, a spa menu designed especially for children aged 5–16. Our pick is The Dreamy Treatment, in which parent and child lie side by side as soft, playful, enveloping gestures are adapted to the child’s needs, a genuinely unique bonding moment that leaves skin nourished, bodies relaxed and minds soothed. Wellness, it turns out, is never too early to learn.
Beyond the hotel doors, the concierge has assembled a curated collection of family experiences where play meets polish: the next-generation, tech-powered mini golf of Puttshack, competitive enough for teens and forgiving enough for five-year-olds; the Tour for Muggles, an enchanting walk through the streets and hidden corners that inspired the wizarding world, including Leadenhall Market’s star turn; hands-on culinary adventures at Eataly, the vast Italian food emporium right by Liverpool Street, where pasta-making has never been this close to your hotel.
Beyond the Hotel
Start with the Tower of London, fifteen minutes on foot from the hotel, Yeoman Warder tours, the ravens, the armoury and the Crown Jewels deserve a full morning, so go early to beat the queues. From there it’s a short stroll to Tower Bridge, where you can walk the glass floor high above the Thames before watching the boats from the riverside, or cross to the South Bank for HMS Belfast if legs are still willing.Â
Come afternoon, wander the gloriously ornate Victorian arcade of Leadenhall Market (Harry Potter fans will recognise it instantly), then head up the “Walkie-Talkie” to the Sky Garden, London’s highest public garden, free to visit when booked ahead, with knockout views perfect for the family photo album. If the weather turns, the Barbican Centre’s family programme and conservatory, St Paul’s Cathedral’s whispering gallery and the ever-buzzing Spitalfields Market for street food and shopping are all close at hand. And there’s one to watch: the new London Museum opens in the beautifully restored Smithfield General Market on 28 November 2026, with free entry, subterranean galleries and a viewing window onto a live train line.
The Verdict?
A family break in London usually means choosing between location and space, or between grown-up luxury and child-friendly warmth. Pan Pacific London refuses the trade-off. It puts you at the centre of the capital’s most historic, and most underrated, family playground, then wraps the whole stay in thoughtful, playful hospitality that children remember and parents rave about.
With 15% off family stays through 17 December 2026, a lion called Singa waiting in the lobby, and London’s greatest stories on the doorstep, the only real question is how soon you can pack.
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