The Savoy has had a major facelift — I was first in to see it
Grande dames are not like other hotels. There's something about knowing they've been at the epicentre of history for centuries, welcoming the rich and famous and providing a stage for artistic endeavour and political intrigue, that sprinkles extra stardust over a stay.
There are as many cultural reference points as places to rest your head, so even if you've never stepped into the Savoy's pitch-perfect lobby with its chequerboard-tiled floor, polished dark woods and art deco bas-reliefs, as famous names from Edward VII to Lucien Laviscount have, chances are you still feel like you know the old girl. Though now might just be the time to get better acquainted.
The Savoy, which sits on the Strand a stone's throw from the River Thames, is discreetly emerging from a delightful facelift of its bedrooms and some public spaces that began last August — and I'm the first journalist to experience it. As ever with grande dames, the brief to the design studio BradyWilliams was to celebrate the hotel's heritage while reinventing it as relevant. That's a balancing act that requires footwork as fancy as Fred Astaire's when he danced on the hotel's rooftop in 1923.
When the Savoy opened in 1889, it took the helm as the capital's first luxury hotel. It was also the first with electric lights, hot and cold running water in bedrooms and, drum roll, a lift. It took up to nine minutes to reach the fifth floor with its operator poised to wave smelling salts under the noses of passengers overcome with the excitement of it all. The Red Lift still looks much as it did 135 years ago, though it's considerably faster these days.
I'm intrigued to see what's changed, given that a whopping £220 million was spent on a renovation just 15 years ago. I was the first journalist to review on that occasion too. Back then, I loved the location and the service, but I wasn't wowed by the bedrooms or convinced by the Thames Foyer, the venue for afternoon tea, which was dominated by a white piano in a centre stage winter-garden gazebo. Bit tacky. And I was infuriated by the £9.99 charge for internet use. Remember those bad old days?
It seems dapper Franck Arnold, a fearless Frenchman who joined this most English of institutions as managing director in September 2020, wasn't overly impressed either. 'The Thames Foyer closed at 6pm. The space is at the heart of the hotel so those going to the Beaufort Bar or River Restaurant had to walk through darkness and skirt around the gazebo,' he said with a contempt his compatriots usually reserve for Brits attempting to speak their language.
The Foyer's replacement, the Gallery, is a vast improvement. My eye is now drawn down a catwalk central aisle to a glorious marble bar, guarded by sky-high palm trees, that stylishly full-stops this space. Its burnt sienna and clotted cream palette, intimate banquettes, antique mirrors and flattering peach-tinted lighting hit exactly the right note of joyfulness. Original moulded panels have been adorned with dancing figures bringing modern energy, while the new reddish-brown paint on the Corinthian columns emphasises the room's airiness. And, crucially, it's now open from breakfast until late-night cocktails.
The tourists and regulars joining me at afternoon tea (£90pp; an extra £20 to add a glass of Nyetimber and £25 for champagne) clearly approve. Waiters introduce themselves by name, are chatty but not intrusive, most suggest I make myself 'comfy', an adjective that brings a welcome informality to the grandeur. They also encourage gluttony of the limitless supply of goodies, from coronation chicken finger sandwiches and chocolate and hazelnut cake to the Savoy's signature, freshly baked scones, brought out at precisely 12.04pm each day (in a nod to the trad 4pm teatime) and, controversially, served with lemon curd as well as strawberry jam.
Its evening menu is equally unconventional so I skip the hotel's three Gordon Ramsay dining venues: the romantic River Restaurant, the Michelin-starred Restaurant 1890 and the sexy Mad Men energy of the Savoy Grill to flap out my napkin at the Gallery again. Sharing plates such as sole tacos with hispi cabbage (£18) make tasty starters. I bypass old-school burgers (£36) and club sandwiches (£34) and trendy Korean-spiced cauliflower steak (£28) in favour of the intriguing chicken tikka pie (£34). It arrives with a glossy crust where the steam funnel doubles as the 'o' spelling out Savoy. The meat is magnificently tender, the sauce wickedly spicy and the creamy mashed potato supremely comforting.
• London's loveliest luxury hotels
I'm too full for pudding, but not for a nightcap so I sashay through to the Beaufort Bar. Taylor Swift must have loved its showstopping jet-black and gold decor when she posed for a Vanity Fair photoshoot here. It's as in-your-face glamorous as any Eras set and still feels as fresh and thrilling as it did when first unveiled in 2010. A stark contrast to the more famous American Bar, a tourist trap where the muddy browns and blues have remained unchanged for decades and feel sadly dated. Cocktails in both are excellent. Try the Since 1986 (£23), named after the year the hotel's beloved Tony Cortegaca joined as a doorman. Its blend of rum, white port, pineapple and lime is both sweet and sharp, just as a good gatekeeper should be.
Savoy cocktails are generously poured (read: lethal), so it's definitely bedtime. Rooms are being renovated in stages. Of the 162 Edwardian-inspired ones, 116 have had makeovers so far, their boring pastels and old-fashioned florals replaced by contemporary grey and tangerine for everything, including the Nespresso machines.
They are delicious, stealth-wealth sanctuaries, with no impenetrably complicated iPads to control lighting etc. Some have heart-stopping views over the Thames, the London Eye and Big Ben.
I'm even more excited about the 97 new-look, art deco rooms, which are on the Strand side of the hotel. Their revamp starts next year but I had a sneak peek at the prototype. It's a beauty, decorated in golds, caramels and olives, including dramatic ombré curtains. Throughout, the marble bathrooms will be largely untouched, save for cosmetic touches such as artwork and mirrors. That's not about stinting but sustainability.
The Savoy is determined to live up to its legacy as a hotel innovator. The focus now is environmental so its entire energy supply comes from renewable sources and all-new wiring includes updates such as sensors that turn off air conditioning when a room is empty. Elsewhere, AI tools track and reduce food waste, which, added to other recycling and reuse initiatives, means less than 2 per cent of waste goes to landfill. The hotel is gunning to be carbon neutral by 2028.
It's an admirable ambition. If the hotel reworks the American Bar and goes back to the drawing board for its woeful wellness offering — the pool is an underwhelming 10 metres and the spa an Eighties throwback, the Post Office may be inclined, as it was in 1959, when in receipt of a letter addressed to 'The Manager of the Greatest Hotel in London' to deliver it to the Savoy.
This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue
Susan d'Arcy was a guest of the Savoy, which has B&B doubles from £800. Newly refurbished rooms are bookable from Monday June 9 (thesavoylondon.com)
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