hotels // LUXURY
♦ The Savoy The first purpose-built deluxe hotel in London, and the only one on the River Thames, the Savoy became a magnet for the wealthy, the famous, the glamorous, and even the notorious when it opened in 1889. The owner, impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, studied American hotels for influences, and encouraged the likes of Sarah Bernhardt, Dame Nellie Melba, Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead to make the hotel their London base. Innovations in the original design included electric lighting, hydraulically operated guest lifts and by the 1930s, air conditioning. The exterior was designed to look like a fashionable waterside Continental hotel, with long rows of balconies designed by premier Art Nouveau designer A.H. Mackmurdo running all the way up the façade along the river front. Collinson & Locke, the interior designers responsible for the Savoy Theatre, furnished the interiors with lavish decorative moulding and gilding in the public areas, and floral wallpapers in the guest rooms—classically Victorian, but also notably luxurious and comfortable. www.thesavoylondon.com
♦ The Dorchester The 1792 house of the Earl of Dorchester gave its name to the modern building on Park Lane, but before that came an 1853 Italian palazzo-style house built by Robert Holford which at one time served as the American embassy. The modern building, created as his vision of the perfect hotel by Sir Robert McAlpine, was built in 1931 in a record-breaking 18 months, the first hotel to be constructed from reinforced concrete.
www.artsandcollections.com
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♦ Mandarin Oriental Situated between royal parkland and the tourist mecca of Knightsbridge, originally built in 1889 as Hyde Park Court, an exclusive ‘Gentleman’s Club’, the building exterior consists of red brick and Portland stone in an eclectic Franco-Flemish style. It was damaged by fire in 1899 and was reopened in 1902 as the Hyde Park Hotel, featuring a Louis XV style ballroom. Bought in the mid-90s by the group behind the Hong Kong Mandarin and the Bangkok Oriental, , the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park recently underwent a multimillion-pound restoration by internationally-renowned designer Joyce Wang, with new designs for all the rooms, suites and public areas, inspired by the natural beauty of neighbouring Hyde Park and the glamour of the 20th century Golden Age of travel. Highlights include the stunning re-imagining of The Spa, and the Mandarin Bar, directed by esteemed New York designer Adam D Tihany. www.mandarinoriental.com
♦ The Ritz A Grade II listed 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly, the Ritz was opened in 1906 by Swiss hotelier César Ritz, eight years after he established the Hôtel Ritz Paris. It was one of the earliest substantial steel frame structures in London, the exterior both structurally and visually Franco-American in style, heavily influenced by the architectural traditions of Paris, while the interior is designed mainly in the Louis XVI style, and has been described as “one of the all-time masterpieces of hotel architecture”. Perhaps the most famous part of the Ritz is the Palm Court, which plays host to the famous “Tea at the Ritz”. This opulently decorated cream-coloured Louis XVI setting has panelled mirrors in gilt bronze frames, while equally notable is the Rivoli Bar, built in the Art Deco style, designed in 2001 by interior designer Tessa Kennedy to resemble the bar on the famous Orient Express train. www.theritzlondon.com
Favoured by royalty and celebrities in the 1930s and 1940s, the hotel was used by General Eisenhower to plan the D-Day landings in 1942, and achieved Grade II listed status in 1981. Major refurbishment work undertaken in 1990 was commemorated by Prince Philip. Gold leaf and marble remain distinct features of the public rooms of the hotel, including the restaurants, which boast features more reminiscent of an English country house than a hotel. www.dorchestercollection.com
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06/12/2019 11:41