Savoy Hotel: Difference between revisions
→References: +image |
|||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
==Famous guests== |
==Famous guests== |
||
Numerous famous guests have stayed at the hote. [[Claude Monet]] and [[James Whistler]] both stayed at the hotel and painted [[London Parliament (Monet)|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]]. [[The Beatles]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] stayed here. [[Nobel prize]] winning economist [[Amartya Sen]] prefers the hotel when staying in London. Also, whenever he was in London, [[Richard Harris]] lived at the Savoy Hotel. |
Numerous famous guests have stayed at the hote. [[Claude Monet]]{{fact|november2007 see Monet Article, section posthumous, for differing opinion}} and [[James Whistler]] both stayed at the hotel and painted [[London Parliament (Monet)|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]]. [[The Beatles]] and [[Marilyn Monroe]] stayed here. [[Nobel prize]] winning economist [[Amartya Sen]] prefers the hotel when staying in London. Also, whenever he was in London, [[Richard Harris]] lived at the Savoy Hotel. |
||
==Restaurant== |
==Restaurant== |
||
Revision as of 05:08, 16 November 2007
- This article is about the Savoy Hotel in London. For other uses, see Savoy (disambiguation).
 Front elevation | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Opening | 1889 |
| Owner | Fairmont Hotels and Resorts |
| Management | Fairmont Hotels and Resorts |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Edward Collcutt |
| Developer | Richard D'Oyly Carte |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 263 |
| Website | |
| www.fairmont.com/Savoy | |
The Savoy Hotel is a five-star hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London that opened in 1889. The hotel remains one of London's most prestigious and opulent hotels, with 263 rooms and panoramic views of the Thames River.[1]
From December 2007, the hotel is closing for 18 months for extensive renovations.[2]
History
Opened in 1889, it was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte, the owner of the adjacent Savoy Theatre, with architect Thomas Edward Collcutt, who also designed the Wigmore Hall. Its name derives from the Savoy Palace which once occupied the site. 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 hotel's first manager was César Ritz, who later became the founder of The Ritz Hotel. Sir Arthur Sullivan sat on the Board of Directors. The D'Oyly Carte family continued to operate the hotel through the lifetime of Richard's son, Rupert D'Oyly Carte, and was taken over by his daughter, Dame Bridget D'Oyly Carte.
In 2005, the Savoy was purchased by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada from Maybourne Hotel Group, formerly known as The Savoy Group.
In May 2007, the new owners announced that the hotel in its entirety would close for around 16 months to undergo a refit, the value of which will be in excess of $200m (£100m). The hotel is closing in December 2007, with a projected reopening date some time in 2009.[3]
Famous guests
Numerous famous guests have stayed at the hote. Claude Monet[citation needed] 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. The Beatles and Marilyn Monroe stayed here. Nobel prize winning economist Amartya Sen prefers the hotel when staying in London. Also, whenever he was in London, Richard Harris lived at the Savoy Hotel.
Restaurant
The Savoy Restaurant (sometimes referred to as the Savoy Grill) has long been famous for its inventive chefs. Its kitchen saw the invention of Peach 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.
Elegant dining at the Savoy includes formal afternoon tea, an excellent Sunday brunch including free-flow champagne, and special events, such as New Year's Eve dinner.
Kaspar, a 3-foot high black alabaster cat sculpted Basil Ionides, is used as an extra guest when thirteen dine, to stave off bad luck. He is given a full place setting.[4]
Savoy Court
Savoy Court is the only street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are required to drive on the right[5]. 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[6]. (See Hackney carriage)
The Savoy cocktail book
In 1930 the Savoy Hotel published a cocktail book, 'The Savoy Cocktail Book' with the recipes compiled by Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel, London and 'decorations' by Gilbert Rumbold. The book was then subsequently republished several times; 1952, 1965, 1985, 1996 and most recently in 1999 with some new text and a number of new cocktails added by Peter Dorelli.[7]
Savoy Pier
Savoy Pier is located near the river entrance to the hotel, but is not affiliated with 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.
Notes
- ^ http://www.fairmont.com/savoy URL accessed 13 June 2007
- ^ Article on the Savoy renovation
- ^ http://www.abtn.co.uk/Savoy_to_close_for_refurbishments URL accessed 13 June 2007
- ^ Article about Kaspar the cat
- ^ http://www.driving.co.uk/4a2.html
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1501,00.html Why does traffic entering and leaving the Savoy Hotel in London drive on the right?
- ^ http://realabsinthe.blogspot.com/2007/05/long-list-of-absinthe-cocktails_30.html 104 Details of 104 cocktails with absinthe from The Savoy Cocktail Book Retrieved 2 July 2007
References
- Dorelli, Peter/Craddock, Harry, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1999, ISBN 1-86205-296-4
- Jackson, Stanley, The Savoy — The Romance of a Great Hotel, New York, 1964. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-8604
- Famous Hotels in the World - London: The Savoy.