a standout diamond in the luxury hotel crown
GETAWAYS
THE SAVOY:
a standout diamond in the luxury hotel crown
IN A HOTCHPOT OF LONDON LANDMARKS AND WORLD-CLASS ICONIC HOTELS, THERE IS ONE THAT STANDS ELEGANT SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST. WITH A HISTORY AS DAZZLING AS ITS CHANDELIERS, THIS GO-TO JET-SET HAUNT IS THE EPITOME OF SOPHISTICATION AND CHARM BUT WITH A SIDE ORDER OF GLAMOUR AND SEDUCTION. BY SAMANTHA READY
Arrival at The Savoy, a stone’ s throw from Covent Garden on the north bank of the River Thames, is a distinctly and most suitably unsubtle affair. The iconic green-lit Savoy sign lures you in like Dorothy to the Emerald City, past the art deco gold-and-black facade and along the London road where cars drive on the right allowing the great and the good to be transported( often by the hotel’ s own Rolls Royce) directly to the revolving doors. A cheeky nod and a welcome from the concierge follow, transporting guests into the double-height entrance lobby with its friezes, tall marble columns in black and gold, deep wood panelling and impressive chandeliers.
Toto, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore.
But, we are definitely in highclass London, albeit with a hint of Hollywood sparkle. Taking five years to build, the hotel, a beautiful mix of Edwardian architecture and art-deco sophistication, opened to sensational acclaim in 1889 and is renowned for its status as a hotel of firsts. The first to have electricity; the first to install ascending rooms – or lifts to you and I – and the first to embrace en-suite bathrooms.
It was a brave, but ultimately wise decision to close the hotel in 2007 and embark on a total refurbishment project. Reopening to fanfare on 10 / 10 / 10 The Savoy was well and truly back and it is stunning.
It has, unsurprisingly, hosted a plethora of stars, dignitaries and jet setters – think Marilyn Monroe, Churchill, and Fred Astaire; drawn, not only to the opulence, trendsetting standards and first-class service, but to the discretion and anonymity afforded not just from private entrances, private piers for river arrivals and, of course, that private Rolls Royce, but also from the staff who either remember the stories, or have heard about them, but treat every enquiry with a discreet smile never revealing any secrets.
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