Savour the Savoy
London’s grand dame hotel is back after a major facelift. Olivia Williams gives her verdict
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 at the moment is by booking into London’s Savoy hotel. Walking in on a rainy October weekday, I am pleasantly surprised by how lively it is. I had been bracing myself to be rattling around a pin- drop quiet hotel with only my friend Rory for company.
I’ve been several times previously and it is naturally not as busy as usual, because the reopening after a £ 220 million refurbishment is being phased. The newer Beaufort Bar is open, but not yet the 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 for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Other than the discreet masks, spread- out tables and hand sanitiser dispensers, looking around the hotel’s Thames Foyer at tea time, I would never have guessed that we were in the throes of a global health crisis. There is no shortage of “keep calm and carry on” spirit from the staff who are – without exception – chatty, efficient and warm.
Afternoon tea here has been a popular custom since the hotel opened in 1889 and it remains in full swing in 2020. In the 1920s, the “thé dansant” tea dance saw in- house bands provide a soundtrack for professional dancers to demonstrate the latest Jazz Age steps. These days, everyone stays seated to eat and drink champagne, but live music is played in the glass- domed atrium in the middle of the foyer.
So, what other changes might guests notice? Franck Arnold, the new general manager, once managed the Balmoral in Edinburgh. His staff here have more than halved from 500 to 200, which is a sobering reminder of the shock that hotel businesses have been through this year. Only 100 of the property’s 267 bedrooms have reopened. But there is a higher staffto- guest ratio than pre- lockdown, so the service, for which the hotel is famous, is second- to- none as ever.
There are small tweaks, but not particularly inconvenient ones. The swimming pool is open for family groups up to six, so it would be a good idea to book ahead.
The staff, of course, keep their distance around the hotel, 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.
Unwinding at the Savoy would be reason enough to spend a few days in London, but 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 for a hotel. Even as a lifelong Londoner I am bowled over by the view from my room, the Monet Suite, on the seventh floor. At a point in the Thames where the river wiggles through the centre of town, from my window I can see Big Ben, the London Eye and the new skyscrapers going up at Vauxhall and Battersea, and to the east are the glass towers of the Shard and Canary Wharf.
Named after one of the most notable guests ever to have stayed, the Monet is a one- bedroom Edwardian- style suite with a sitting room, and a bathroom with The Savoy’s trademark black and white chequered flooring and a big clawfoot bathtub. The view inspired
Claude Monet, who whimsically depicted the trains from Charing Cross railway bridge leaving trails of steam and smoke, hazing up the view of Westminster. He first painted the Thames in 1899, and returned twice, staying here each time for two months.
To enjoy nightlife at the hotel, Rory and I head downstairs to The Beaufort Bar. There is a welcoming buzz ( until the 10pm curfew) at the Beaufort, with its slick white- jacketed waiter service and cosy alcoves.
All in all, the hotel’s reopening is resounding proof that you can have what we could all do with right now – some uplifting razzle- dazzle and old- school glamour. Lockdown was its first unplanned closure in history. It is cheering to see that, even in unprecedentedly difficult times, the grand dame can offer a glamorous, decadent city break – as it has done for over 130 years and counting.
Afternoon tea has been a popular custom since the hotel opened in 1889
Doubles at The Savoy ( thesavoylondon.com; 020 7836 4343) currently start from £ 568. Afternoon tea costs £ 65pp, or £ 75pp with a glass of champagne. Olivia Williams is the author of The Secret Life Of The Savoy and the D’oyly Carte Family, published by Headline, £ 20. Available now.