Savoy Hotel

The Savoy Hotel stands beside the Thames in the Strand, a grand luxury hotel in the City of Westminster. It was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas and opened in 1889. The building was the first in Britain to have electric lights throughout, electric lifts and bathrooms with constant hot and cold running water. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef, who together created a new standard of hotel service and elegant dining. The hotel quickly became a magnet for royalty and celebrities. Its bands, the Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, played to famous guests such as George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Edward VII, Oscar Wilde and Charlie Chaplin were among those who stayed or dined there. Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch in the hotel’s dining rooms. Today it is managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and has panoramic views of the river. Inside, visitors find lavishly furnished rooms with marble bathrooms and views across the Thames. The hotel’s public spaces reflect its long history of fine dining and entertainment. Outside, the Strand location places it close to theatres and historic sites. The building itself is a Grade II listed structure, standing as a reminder of London’s late 19th-century luxury.