London’s iconic Savoy hotel reopens
Vivien Leigh first met Laurence Olivier here. Winston Churchill lunched here with his Cabinet during WWII. The Queen had her first public appearance with Prince Philip here. And now it’s finally been restored to its former glory
It’s taken three years and £220million, but London’s iconic Savoy hotel was officially reopened by the Prince of Wales on 2 November 2010. As he discussed his favourite cocktails with the bartender, guests lounged on sofas in the Beaufort Bar, with its £38,000 gold-leaf on the walls, and wandered the river-view restaurant and guestrooms of the 121-year-old Edward-meets-Art-Deco hotel.
Beaufort Bar, Savoy hotel
British actor. comedian and Tweeter extraordinaire Stephen Fry was the first guest to check in, at 10:10am on 10/10/10 – weeks before the prince got a look in. Given that Fry spent six months living at the hotel in the 1980s and that he has long been a frequent visitor, it’s perhaps appropriate he got the royal treatment. “I have seen and heard things in this hotel that your eyes and ears would not believe,” said Fry. “My friends Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson both had their wedding breakfasts here, where I gave the best man’s speech, so I will always have a special affection for it.”
Some of the Savoy’s new rooms will certainly require a princely income. You’ll need around £2,500 to book one of the suites that overlooks the River Thames. But book now to take advantage of early-opening rates of £295 per night.
If you can’t quite plump for the Savoy, check out these other new London hotels.
