A CLASS COMEBACK
Picture this: a top-hatted doorman whisks you through swishing revolving doors to a place of calm with world-class food and cocktails at your fingertips.
One of the most hassle-free ways to relax right now (corona restrictions allowing) is by booking into one of Britain’s great selling points – its historic hotels. And they don’t come more stylish than London’s Savoy.
On a rainy October weekday, I am pleasantly surprised by how lively it is. I had been bracing myself to be rattling around a quiet hotel with only my friend Rory for company.
I have been several times, and it is naturally not as busy as usual because the reopening is being phased. The newer Beaufort Bar is open, but not yet the iconic American Bar. Kaspar’s, the restaurant overlooking the river, is closed for now, but the Savoy Grill by the Strand is doing a roaring trade.
Other than the discreet masks, spread-out tables and hand sanitiser dispensers, looking around the hotel’s Thames Foyer at teatime, I would never have guessed that we were in the throes of a global health crisis.
Afternoon tea here has been a popular custom since the hotel opened in 1889 and it remains in full swing in 2020. Live music is played in the glass-domed atrium in the foyer, evocative of the hotel’s heritage.
So, what other changes might guests notice? Franck Arnold, the new general manager, is fresh from the Ritz Carlton in Toronto. His staff here have more than halved to 200, and only 100 of the 267 bedrooms have reopened and there are small tweaks, but not particularly inconvenient ones. The swimming pool is only open for family groups of up to six, so it would be a good idea to book ahead.
The staff keep their distance, so they cannot join you in the lift with your luggage, for example, but they carry it up separately. In the restaurants, using menus that load onto your phone is encouraged.
If you feel like exploring, the hotel sits between Covent Garden,
Somerset House, the South Bank and Trafalgar Square, so there is plenty of social distancing-friendly sightseeing and scenic walking to be done.
Richard D’Oyly Carte, the theatre impresario who built the Savoy in the 1880s, picked a plum location. I am bowled over by the view from my room, the Monet Suite, on the seventh floor. I can see Big Ben, the London Eye and the skyscrapers going up at Vauxhall and Battersea, and to the east are the Shard and Canary Wharf.
Named after one of the hotel’s most notable guests, the Monet is a one-bedroom Edwardian-style suite with a sitting room and a bathroom.
The view inspired Monet, who depicted the trains from Charing Cross railway bridge. He first painted the Thames in 1899, and returned twice, staying here each time.
The roll call of his fellow esteemed guests is lengthy: Churchill could call in up to three times a week. Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich and Agatha Christie were all regulars.
To enjoy nightlife at the hotel,
Rory and I head to The Beaufort Bar, arguably the more romantic and seductive of the two bars. The American Bar is the original but even when it opens again, I would recommend stopping by the Beaufort for peoplewatching and cocktails.
There is a welcoming buzz (until the 10pm curfew), with waiter service and cosy alcoves. And the cocktails are divine.
If you’ve been enjoying The Savoy documentary series on ITV, you will notice familiar faces. Breakfast is served in the Savoy Grill, where one of the show’s big characters, Thierry, holds court.
The hotel’s reopening is proof that you can have what we could all do with now – some razzle-dazzle and old-school glamour.
Lockdown One was the first unplanned closure in its history. It is cheering to see that, even in these times, the grand dame can still offer a glamorous city break. ■■Olivia Williams is the author of The Secret Life Of The Savoy and the D’Oyly Carte Family, published by Headline, £20. Available now.
London’s iconic hotel is back, but is it as good as ever? Olivia Williams, author of The Secret Life Of The Savoy, puts it to the test
We could all do with some razzledazzle and old-school glamour