The Savoy

"To stay at The Savoy is to follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill, Frank Sinatra, Maria Callas, Claude Monet and Katharine Hepburn." Other footsteps to follow in would include George Gershwin, Lena Horne, Noel Coward, Edward VII, Enrico Caruso, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Truman, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Babe Ruth, Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, The Beatles, and numerous others.  The Savoy Grill is under the management of Gordon Ramsey. The British premier of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was held in the hotel lobby. Just for the record, this is not the Savoy at which there is any 'Stompin'" going on.

It goes without saying that we did not stay at the Savoy, their rates start at L450 per night. However, the moderately priced London hotel we did stay at was just across the street so we got a good look at it - at least until the scaffolding and wrap went up on our building.

This is the Art Deco main entrance to the Hotel. Somewhere in the background there hovers a doorman in full livery including top hat. The topiary cats at the front however, are fake.

The Savoy buildings cover a lot of ground between the Strand and the Thames, so in addition to the hotel there is the theatre on the left of the entrance and upscale commerce on the ground level of all the buildings.

The Savoy Theatre

The Savoy Tailors Guild - a wonderfully decorated storefront.

 

The hotel opened in 1889 and the style is a mix of Art Deco and Edwardian, upon which history is literally writ large.

I've never really had a taste for luxury at this level, but that may simply be because I've never had a taste of luxury at this level. Oh well, maybe in my next life.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_Hotel  worth a read-through

Location, Location, Location

A universal truth – whether or not you are talking about real estate or the distance from the location where you exit your Heathrow flight to where you board the London Express train that takes you to Paddington station. Let’s just say it is a pretty long walk, which is another way of saying that pretty much every muscle and joint from my hips down are feeling the pain this morning.

On the other hand…I am looking out my hotel window at 5 in the morning and I see a blue neon light reading “Savoy Theatre” above a Union Jack sign reading “Let it Be…Beatlemania returns.” Next to it is the grand entrance to the Savoy Hotel – stuff of legend, a near replica of the image on one of my postcard from the 50’s. Even the taxi’s look almost the same. The guest list looks something like this: George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Noël Coward. Edward VII, Enrico Caruso, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Truman, Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Babe Ruth, Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, and the The Beatles.

Above the hotel I see blue sky and I know that if I were to pass through that famous entrance and walk out the other side, I would be looking at the Thames.

In about an hour, I will step out the entrance of my distinctly less luxurious hotel (yes, I could clearly hear my next door neighbor snoring through the paper-thin walls last night) and I will be standing on The Strand.

Well worth the walk.