The Lanesborough

The Lanesborough Hotel
The Lanesborough from Hyde Park Corner
Location within Central London
General information
Location	Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, London
Opening	1991
Management	Oetker Collection
Other information
Number of rooms	93
Number of suites	43
Number of restaurants	1
Website
www.thelanesborough.co.uk

The Lanesborough is a 5-star hotel on Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, central London, England. Operated by the Oetker Collection, the hotel is reputedly the most expensive hotel in London. A 24-hour private butler is available to each guest. The Lanesborough has accommodated visiting royalty, eminent politicians and entertainers. Opposite are Hyde Park and Apsley House, the London home of the Dukes of Wellington. The hotel is next to Hyde Park Corner tube station and has several restaurants and bars - each with their own unique style. The hotel was closed for renovation in December 2013 and re-opened in 2015.

The renovation and refurbishment applied to all areas of the hotel, including the 93 guest rooms and all public areas. The property is currently the home to one of London’s most highly regarded hotel restaurants, Céleste, as well as the classically styled Library Bar and a spa.

The renovation “embodied the signature style that has become synonymous with The Lanesborough, whilst incorporating the latest in contemporary luxury and technological innovations”. Before his death last year, the interior designer Alberto Pinto took responsibility for the redevelopment of the property and his plans will form the basis for the refreshed Lanesborough.

History

St George's Hospital was opened in the original Lanesborough House in 1733. By the 1800s the hospital was falling into disrepair. Lanesborough House was demolished to make way for a new 350-bed facility. Building began in 1827 under architect William Wilkins. The new hospital was operational by 1844, serving continuously as a hospital until transferred to Tooting, south London in the 1970s, leaving the Hyde Park Corner premises vacant in 1980. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts refurbished and re-opened the building as a hotel in 1991. Ten years later the management contract passed to Starwood's St Regis operation as its first and only hotel in England. The hotel left Starwood in November 2014 and is currently managed by the Oetker Collection.

In 2009, The Lanesborough announced the launch of ‘Apsleys – a Heinz Beck Restaurant’. This is Chef Heinz Beck’s first restaurant outside Italy. Beck has been the recipient of numerous awards for outstanding achievement throughout a long and prestigious career. He was awarded three-Michelin stars for his cuisine at La Pergola in Rome, Italy. ‘Apsleys – a Heinz Beck Restaurant’ began service on September 7, 2009, and was awarded its first Michelin star on 20 January 2010. This is the current fastest time for a new London restaurant to get one, in less than 5 months.

See also

• Earl of Lanesborough.
• Kit-Cat Club, now the name of an exclusive women's club that meets at the hotel.

External links

Media related to The Lanesborough at Wikimedia Commons

• The Lanesborough, official website
• The Lanesborough history, photos, review in cosmopolis.ch
• History of St George's Hospital from St George's, University of London
• About our History from the St George's Healthcare NHS Trust