Savoy Hotel, Grade II listed hotel in City of Westminster, England
The Savoy Hotel is a Grade II listed building on the Strand in the City of Westminster, entered from Savoy Court. Its pale stone facade rises in regular bays of rectangular windows with white surrounds and small balconies, above a cornice and roof balustrade. A broad entrance canopy with rows of lights sits below a green-lettered "SAVOY" sign and a lit winged statue.
Richard D'Oyly Carte built the hotel beside his Savoy Theatre with profits from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and it opened on 6 August 1889, designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt. Within six months it was losing money, so Carte replaced the management with César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef. The hotel was bought in January 2005 by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and reopened on 10 October 2010 after three years of renovation.
The building stands on the only street in London where vehicles drive on the right, a custom dating back to the arrival of guest carriages. The hotel bar introduced American cocktails to England and became a meeting point for theatre audiences and writers.
The entrance hall opens onto the side street Savoy Court and leads into a courtyard with access to the public areas. The location between Covent Garden and Waterloo Bridge allows short walks to theatres and museums.
Savoy Court, the only street in London where traffic drives on the right, was laid out so carriages could set guests down at the entrance. Claude Monet and James Whistler painted Thames views from their rooms, and Bob Dylan filmed the Subterranean Homesick Blues video in a nearby alley in 1965.
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