Jenny Southan looks back at yesterday’s travel. This month, it's the opening of the Savoy in 1889
This summer marks the 125th anniversary of London’s Savoy, the first purpose-built deluxe hotel in the capital. Built by theatre impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte, with Switzerland’s Cesar Ritz as general manager, it combined American-style service and Continental elegance.
It was also one of the first hotels in Europe to have hot and cold running water, internal speaking tubes for ordering room service, lifts, electricity and a high proportion of plumbed-in bathrooms (67 for 200 bedrooms) all included in the price. (Before then, most guests would have ordered hot water for washing in their room, at an extra fee.)
The Savoy restaurant soon became one of the first places women were happy to be seen eating in without men, with the best tables reserved for VIPs (a move that caught on). In 1904 the hotel was expanded and its main entrance on the Strand unveiled.
Nowadays, following a £220 million revamp between 2007 and 2010, the hotel’s 268 rooms feature en suite marble bathrooms and Loewe flatscreen TVs. The 73 suites, meanwhile, come with personalised stationery and 24-hour butler service. By the beds are framed photos of well-known former guests – everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Monet, who painted his famous views of the Thames from the balconies (sadly all removed in 1910).