“The Savoy is always up to date, if not a little ahead,” says The Savoy’s archivist, Susan Scott, quoting one of the countless archival papers she rifles through on a day-to-day basis. In post to preserve and protect its history, Scott continues to discover new morsels of information about London’s first luxury hotel even 135 years after it opened. “The Savoy’s archive is one of the world’s largest hotel archives, containing recordings dating back to 1889,” she says. “It was a level of hotel luxury never experienced before, and The Savoy was the ultimate place to see and be seen.”

So aspirational and unique was The Savoy in the late 19^th century that it was, in fact, under a great deal of scrutiny when it first opened its doors. Set against a backdrop of Victorian London – marked by poor living conditions, the Thames thick with sewage, and the rise of political activism – founder Richard D’Oyly Carte’s ambition to create a luxury hotel was somewhat out of touch with the majority of the British population. “It was subject to a great deal of scrutiny because it was the first deluxe hotel in London built by a theatrical impresario, Richard D’Oyly Carte. He didn’t really have much experience in hospitality, apart from staying in hotels, especially in America with his opera company,” explains Scott. “It was a little odd to have someone who spent most of their career working in a theatre building a big hotel.” 

Winston Churchill at The Savoy, circa 1950

The Savoy’s Strand entrance, circa 1930

Having spent much of his life touring America and staying in what were then considered lavish hotels in New York and San Francisco, The Savoy was designed to embody much of the forward-thinking hospitality he’d experienced over the pond. “It was full of modern ideas – most had been imported from America – but in Britain, hotels weren’t quick to adopt these ideas that made hotels more luxurious and comfortable. 

“There was a lot of curiosity about all the features it had – electricity throughout, a large number of bathrooms (68) for a 200-bed hotel, so roughly one bathroom to every three rooms, and limitless hot water in the rooms. In most people’s homes [in Britain at the time], they didn’t have private bathrooms.”

While D’Oyly Carte rather enjoyed being ahead of his time – his theatre, a stone’s throw away from The Savoy, was the world’s first public building to have electric lights throughout – his hotel was also designed to be a money-spinner targeting a gap in the tourism market. “One of the things D’Oyly Carte had noticed when putting on operas at the Savoy Theatre was that they were very popular with Americans. They would rush to see a D’Oyly Carte opera,” explains Scott. “He thought [of creating a] hotel close to his theatre so that all those visiting Americans who came to see the operas would have somewhere to stay not too far away. 

“Another idea D’Oyly Carte had picked up was that American hotels were also used by the local population to entertain. In Britain, hotels didn’t really do that.” The Savoy was initially advertised as a ‘hotel and restaurants’, highlighting the ambition to attract not only out-of-towners, but also London’s upper classes looking to experience a new level of luxury. 

While it certainly had the wow-factor, The Savoy knew that to become the most popular place in town, it had to get one person in particular through its doors. “D’Oyly Carte was very keen to get the Prince of Wales, Edward VII, involved because he was the leader of society. Although people didn’t always approve of him, they did still look to see what he wore and where he went,” says Scott. “The Savoy could see that if they got the Prince of Wales to come, even once, that would be enough – [he] was a good client of The Savoy for a long time.” 

Marilyn Monroe at The Savoy, 1956

Agatha Christie's Mousetrap Party at The Savoy, 1962

The endorsement of Edward VII triggered a wave of starry visitors, ranging from Tallulah Bankhead – an American actress who became famous after being spotted at The Savoy Grill – to literary greats Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald. Whether due to its proximity to London’s West End or simply its status on London’s social scene, The Savoy’s guestbook also pays homage to its theatrical roots, having hosted Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin (who had a regular table at The Savoy Grill), The Beatles, John Wayne and Vivien Leigh, who met her future husband Lawrence Olivier while staying at the hotel in 1935. 

Its creative credentials don’t stop there either: James McNeill Whistler stayed in 1896 with his wife Beatrix and painted eight lithograph views of the Thames from his top-floor room. French artist Claude Monet also visited the hotel on three occasions in 1899, 1900 and 1901, and served as the hotel's first artist-in-residence, working on paintings of Charing Cross Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and 26 pastels which all survive today. A study in 2010 concluded that, from the angle of said paintings, Monet had stayed in rooms 610–611 in 1899 and later in 510–511, although the hotel has designated rooms 512 and 513 as the Monet Suite. 

Renowned for its pomp and pageantry, one thing The Savoy has always aimed to keep discreet is its leisurely visits from the British Royal Family. “There was little to no fuss, and this meant that the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret could come to The Savoy for dinner, dancing and cabaret, with no special attention from the senior management,” says Scott. “They did bring their own small security team, but their party was not particularly noticeable among all the other tables. The result was that anyone might find themselves on the dance floor next to one of the princesses; and ladies might find themselves freshening up their lipstick alongside [royalty].” 

The early relationship kickstarted by Edward VII has been maintained throughout The Savoy’s history, from the Queen Mother popping into the restaurant for lunch in the 1990s, to Princess Diana being the belle of The Savoy’s Centenary Ball in 1989. In 1946, the entire Royal Family enjoyed their first proper outing together since before the Second World War at the private wedding of a distant relative of the Queen. The reception was held at The Savoy where the wedding photographer snapped a shot of the chief bridesmaid, Princess Elizabeth, with a dashing young man in uniform, soon discovered to be Prince Philip of Greece. At the time, the couple were secretly engaged but this photograph taken at The Savoy was the first time the relationship came to public attention. 

The Savoy Lobby, 2024

The Savoy Suite

But it’s one thing to become embedded in London’s social fabric and entirely another to remain there for 135 years. The Savoy’s secret? An ambition to constantly be modern. “In 2010, the hotel reopened after a three-year refurbishment, its most ambitious restoration project to date, taking it back to its early structure while retaining the quintessential spirit and design heritage of The Savoy. The Edwardian age (when the hotel was built) and Art Deco period (when it was extended) are now clarified and celebrated to their full extent,” says Scott. 

The top-to-toe renovation, rumoured to have cost £220m, overhauled bedrooms, introduced a restaurant empire by Gordon Ramsay and installed eco-conscious measures which halved the hotel’s electricity needs. Ten years on, the hotel continues to strive to be better; case in point, the opening of the Gallery restaurant last month while next year will herald the unveiling of its newly refurbished rooms and suites.

The new Gallery restaurant, November 2024. Image: Jack Hardy

The Savoy's American Bar

While it’s clear The Savoy isn’t one to rest on its laurels, its history will naturally always be a talking point. Walking through The Savoy is like walking through a snapshot in time, where guests can indulge at London’s longest running cocktail bar – the American Bar – one minute, and rest their heads in modernised, state-of-the-art suites the next. It encompasses all that is great about the capital – history, theatre, and luxury – and wraps it up in one package to be experienced time and time again.

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Read more: The Goring: The legacy of London’s last family-run luxury hotel