The Savoy: Unveiling the Secrets of London’s 135-Year-Old Prestigious Hotel

The Savoy epitomizes old-world glamour, grandeur, and opulence. However, its most exquisite feature lies in its rich 135-year history.

The hotel, which is situated on the River Thames, blends views of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye from guest rooms. The first hotel in the capital to be fully lit by electricity and to have hotel lifts that were powered by hydraulics and are still in use today, Richard D’Oyly Carte, the theatrical impresario, opened the doors back in 1889, ushering in a new age.

I spent a day at The Savoy immersing myself in the otherworldly, affluent lifestyle in an attempt to escape the grind of everyday existence. I must admit, I had a pretty good day at work.

Upon entering the front hall (which should not be referred to as a foyer) through the rotating doors, I was given a tour of the building by my butler, Lara. She was incredibly knowledgeable and full of hidden facts about both the past and present of the structure.

The Savoy boasts a total of six bars and restaurants, a guest-only reading room with tea and champagne on tap, a beauty and fitness center with a picturesque pool, several enchanted ballrooms, a custom Savoy florist headed by head designer Belinda Bowles, and a Boodles boutique located in the front hall. Inhale as well.

At that point, I was taken to my room—a breathtaking refuge with floor-to-ceiling views of the city and fresh white flower bouquets. Bridgerton meets The Great Gatsby comes to mind. Unsurprisingly and ironically, F. Scott Fitzgerald was another well-known guest at the hotel in the past.

I started my morning off right by taking my mother on a healthy FaceTime room tour, after which she accused me of “gallivanting again.” Unfortunately, a knock on the door forced me to end the conversation, saying, “Sorry, Mom, Lara’s just arrived with breakfast.” Talk later.

I proved my mother’s theory correct by going on my adventure throughout the hotel, getting lost numerous times, and discovering a classy yet grand ballroom where I daydreamed about marrying my ideal partner. Afterward, I went to the spa and received a detoxifying facial.

One thing that stood out to me was how much pride each employee at The Savoy had in their work—from the servers to the butlers, the doormen to the facialists. Not to mention the innumerable staff members who gladly intervened to guide me back to my room when I inadvertently walked down the hallways into maybe forbidden areas.

I ate food from Gordon Ramsay’s The Savoy Grill for dinner. As an aside, he was not lying when he said he made the finest steak ever. We have faith in Gordon.

The Savoy has hosted several well-known figures from around the globe, including Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra (who also happens to have a suite named after him). However, millions of visitors from all over the world, both guests and non-guests, stay there every year.

Some people only want to sample one of the most renowned hotel brands in the world through public restaurants and bars. Additionally, Lara told me that The Savoy becomes crowded during the holidays and has exquisite Christmas décor. Even an antique steam train carriage and festive afternoon teas were in hot demand at the Front Hall last year.

The Beatles were once denied entry.

Not likely. The Beatles visited Bob Dylan at The Savoy in May 1965 while he was there on tour in the United Kingdom. Dylan was residing there at the time. They did have fun in the restaurant, asking the confused servers for porridge and pea sandwiches. The Beatles had visited The Savoy before, back in September 1963, for the Melody Maker Awards.

Paul McCartney went to The Savoy for a luncheon just a few months after his visit to see Bob Dylan, where he accepted five Ivor Novello Awards on behalf of John Lennon and himself. I’m not sure if there was a particular event that they were prohibited from attending.

Employees are tasked with observing their guests.

Not at all! To personalize subsequent visits, staff does, however, take note of each guest’s preferences, which are recorded in their guest files.

Oscar Wilde’s racked up £6,000 in weekly bills.

If he did this, it was not because The Savoy was paying his bills. He had just relocated there to appease Bosie, and his last set of River View rooms before leaving the hotel cost two guineas a night. At the time of his departure, he owed the hotel £86.

It is a “haunted” hotel.

Of course not. The concept of ghosts does not exist. Additionally, there isn’t a tradition of enigmatic hauntings, which one might anticipate of a building in such a historic place, even if there are imaginary ghosts.

After arriving, Thomas Dewar, the heir to the whiskey, stayed for 40 years.

That sounds about right, yes. In 1929, he completed the new art deco décor in the Savoy Theatre and across Savoy Court by cutting a ribbon across the building after giving a brief speech. Dewar believed he had spent the most time ever living on the Savoy site. Most likely, that is accurate!

The Savoy reportedly sent meals to suffragettes incarcerated in Holloway.

While I couldn’t find any evidence to support this claim, the hotel did host a significant dinner for suffragists in December 1906.

A “Complimentary Banquet to the Suffragists” was held for 250 guests as a supper in honor of the women who had just been freed from Holloway. Prominent author and political activist Millicent Fawcett, a suffragist, was the banquet organizer.

The only road in the UK where vehicles are required to drive on the right is the entry to the Savoy.

Indeed, this is accurate. The change occurred during a minor renovation of the Savoy Theatre in 1929 that resulted in the main entrance being moved to open into Savoy Court.

As a result, vehicles dropping off patrons at the Savoy Theatre were now obstructing the path of people heading to The Savoy for the evening’s cabaret, dance, and dinner. The situation was instantly improved when Savoy Court’s traffic regulations were changed.

The municipal council gave their approval to the modification, which has never been undone.