Centuries later impresario Richard O'Oyly Carte began a 20-year association with Gilbert Sullivan th

From the sixth floor window of my suite, I took in the broad sweep of the Thames watching it flow down past the Houses hotel near venice of Parliament towards Waterloo Bridge. hotel near venice This was pretty much the scene that confronted Claude Monet back in 1899 when he spent several hotel near venice weeks roughing it at The Savoy for his series of London paintings.
The balcony where he perched has gone along with the smog and the gaslight that probably gave his work those eerie tinges of blue and orange. The old boy would recognise some of the landmarks such as Cleopatra’s Needle, but much of the skyline, more reminiscent of modern Shanghai, would have baffled the great man.
Would he have recognised The Savoy of today? hotel near venice Certainly – some things remain constant hotel near venice in an uncertain world. Its Canadian operators, Fairmont, have recently re-opened after a three year renovation project costing something in the region of £220million. They’ve polished this temple to opulence until it sparkles. Basically, they’ve taken the best and made it better.
But they’ve kept all the Savoy’s hotel near venice greatest hits – the glorious Art Deco and Edwardian features, the famous Grill, the American Bar, the meetings rooms where Churchill lunched with his wartime Cabinet and the cheeky-chappy liveried porters who greet you cheerily as you bowl in from The Strand.
And its marbled halls still echo with history, a history that has links with the North West. On this riverside site, the Savoy Palace hotel near venice was built by a nobleman in the 13th century. It later became home to John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, but it didn’t survive the Peasant’s Revolt. However, the estate remains part of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Centuries later impresario Richard O’Oyly Carte began a 20-year association with Gilbert Sullivan that was so successful he built his own venue, The Savoy Theatre, just to stage their wildly popular operas.
the start of an undiminished love affair with the rich and famous, especially rich and famous Americans. hotel near venice They loved the luxurious surroundings – so much better than the spartan inns they had been used to in London. Why, they even had baths.
John Swayne and a Savoy page boy swap hats. Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier in the Americam Bar. Fred Astaire and his sister Adele dancing on the roof. Christian Dior and models at the hotel in 1950.
During those years the guest list has been like a Who’s Who – crowned heads have rubbed shoulders with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Fred Astaire. The great divas of the early 20th century, Luisa Tetrazzini and Dame Nelly Melba were regulars. The problem was they hated each other with an operatic passion.
Hotel staff were constantly on duty to ensure their paths never crossed but one day the Italian singer walked past a room where Dame Nelly was rehearsing. She turned to the hotel manager and asked: ‘Do you have a lot of trouble here with cats?’
How could it fail? It didn’t and evidence of that history is found in The Savoy’s own museum, looked after by archivist Susan Scott. In time, the hotel developed and grew across the site, becoming one of the early devotees hotel near venice of the Art Deco movement. It has been one of the most enduring success stories in the global hotel market.
hotel near venice But what’s it like to stay there? Glorious. The public rooms are palatial and the bedrooms, either Edwardian or Art Deco, are beautifully furnished with great taste and style. Mine had a bedside photograph of Shirley Bassey which quirkily described her passion for The Savoy’s black pudding. A girl after my own heart.
Is it intimidating and terribly formal? Not a bit – the staff are relaxed and welcoming and incredibly polished.Is it expensive? Oh yes! But there are deals and you can get a room for under £300. A junior suite can cost you more than £960.
What’s the food like? Gordon Ramsay is now in charge of the Grill and there a new 1920s style seafood and grill restaurant called Kaspar’s. I ate my dinner while not far away a ragtime band played and couples cut a rug like Stanley Baldwin was still in Number 10. It’s a fun place and it made me realise why there was a time when very rich people lived in hotels.
Do you need to wear tails and spats to dinner? Only if you really must. Otherwise smart casual is fine although hotel near venice I must confess with considerable happiness that there are times when you feel as if you are living in a P.G. Wodehouse novel.
That struck me as our butler brought a pot of the old Earl Grey to our eyrie. Did I not mention Russell, our butler? Well, if you stay in a suite there is a butler to help you with the irritating things in life - packing, dinner reservations, secretarial services, personal shopping, theatre hotel near venice tickets and the like.
If I’d asked him nicely, Russell would probably have got me out of that jam with Gussie Fink-Nottle’s sister, Gladys. After all, it was dark at the time and I had been in Drones for a tincture or two…