The Savoy Hotel (London)

 hotel, Grade II Listed (UK), 1889_construction

Strand
London WC2R 0EZ, UK
Phone: +44 20 7836 4343
www.thesavoylondon.com/
www.fairmont.com/savoy

History

The Savoy Hotel, London Opened in 1889, it was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte, the owner of the nearby Savoy Theatre. It was and remains one of London's most prestigious and opulent hotels, with 230 rooms. Its name derives from the Savoy Palace which once occupied the site. Its first manager was César Ritz, who later became the founder of The Ritz Hotel. The hotel was designed by T. E. Collcutt, who also designed the Wigmore Hall. The hotel was built on a plot of land next to the Savoy Theatre, originally purchased to build an electrical generator for the theatre which was the first public building in the world to be lit by electricity.

The Savoy has long been famous for its inventive chefs. Its kitchen saw the invention of Pêche Melba, created in honour of Dame Nellie Melba by the legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier. Melba toast is also attributed to the hotel's kitchen; it is said that Dame Nellie ordered toast and was served with several pieces that were unusually thin and crisp and almost burnt, thus creating a new dish.

One curiosity of the Savoy is the fact that its forecourt (Savoy Court) is the only street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are required to drive on the right. This is said to date from the days when a cab driver would reach his arm out of the driver's door window to open the passenger's door (which opened backwards and had the handle at the front), without having to get out of the cab himself. (See Hackney carriage)

Claude Monet and James Whistler both stayed at the hotel and painted views from their rooms of the River Thames. Bob Dylan stayed in the hotel in 1965, and filmed the video clip Subterranean Homesick Blues in an adjacent alley. Nobel prize winning economist Amartya Sen prefers the hotel when staying in London. However the quality of service at the hotel has been questioned. In 1991 a guest received severe burns and no first aid care was provided at the time.

In 2005, the Savoy was purchased by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada from Maybourne Hotel group, formerly known as The Savoy Group.

Savoy Pier is located near the river entrance to the hotel, but is not affiliated to the hotel. It is a stop on the Thames Clipper commuter service, connecting the Savoy with the City of London, Canary Wharf and Greenwich via a river boat service.

Grand famous restaurant for which Marcus Wareing has won a Michelin star. Favourite haunt of Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. The tradition was that when the Queen Mother came in or left, the other diners would stand and applaud her.