The London premiere of the musical Mean Girls may be currently on the boards at the Savoy Theatre on the Strand, but the famous Savoy Hotel that abuts the theater is anything but standoffish, stuffy or plastic. It’s more of a welcoming grand dame. Though many other new hotels have come and gone in and around the West End in the years since the Savoy opened in 1889, the 130-year-old Savoy was one of the first purpose-built deluxe hotels in Britain. Though so much of it is distinctly English, it was actually modeled, by Richard D’Oyly Carte, after a slew of American hotels he stayed at while touring the U.S. in the late 1870s. Of course there have been plenty of modern updates since, but the Savoy somehow remains cozy and generous at the same time. And those views of the Thames and the South Bank! Nothing compares.
The pool at the Savoy
DuJour spoke with the property’s managing director, Franck Arnold, to discover what makes it so special.
What’s the most requested room at the property?
The 726 Claude Monet suite. It’s a one bedroom, river-view suite.
What makes it so special?
The location on the seventh floor and southeast location in the original Savoy building gives it the best location and the most amazing views of the Thames and London.
The Savoy suite at the Savoy
What is the nightly rate for this room?
From £ 2,500
What’s your favorite design element on property?
The shiny golden statue of Peter II, Count of Savoy, guarding the entrance and welcoming every Savoy guest to the hotel, who in the mid 13th century was granted land and built the Savoy Palace where the Savoy hotel now stands.
What’s your personal favorite room? Why?
The Savoy Suite, because I stayed there as I arrived during Covid, and was energized daily by something new happening on the bridges, the South Bank or the Thames sipping an espresso early in the morning. Although Suite 726 bears its name, I believe that the Savoy suite is likely to be the suite where Monet painted London at the turn of the 20th century, due to its large window bay on the Thames.
How about one more fun fact about the property?
The Savoy Court, where all cars arrive from the Strand to drop people off at the theatre and to the hotel, is the only street in Britain where you drive on the right-hand side of the road.
The American Bar at the Savoy