Savoy Hotel
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- This article is about the Savoy Hotel in London. For other uses, see Savoy (disambiguation).
The Savoy Hotel is a five-star hotel found on the Strand, London, England. Opened in 1889, it was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte, the owner of the nearby Savoy Theatre. It was and remains one of London's most prestigious and opulent hotels, with 230 rooms. Its name derives from the Savoy Palace which once occupied the site. Its first manager was César Ritz, who later became the founder of The Ritz Hotel. The hotel was designed by T. E. Collcutt, who also designed the Wigmore Hall.
The Savoy has long been famous for its inventive chefs. Its kitchen saw the invention of Pêche Melba, created in honour of Dame Nellie Melba by the legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier. Melba toast is also attributed to the hotel's kitchen; it is said that Dame Nellie ordered toast and was served with several pieces that were unusually thin and crisp and almost burnt, thus creating a new dish.
One curiosity of the Savoy is the fact that its forecourt (Savoy Court) is the only street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are required to drive on the right. This said to date from the days when a cab driver would reach his arm out of the driver's door window to open the passenger's door (which opened backwards and had the handle at the front), without having to get out of the cab himself. (See Hackney carriage)
Claude Monet and James Whistler both stayed at the hotel and painted views from their rooms of the River Thames.
In 2005 the Savoy was purchased by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada from Maybourne Hotel group, formerly known as The Savoy Group.
Savoy Pier is located near the river entrance to the hotel, but is not affiliated to the hotel. It is a stop on the Thames Clipper commuter service, connecting the Savoy with the City of London, Canary Wharf and Greenwich via a river boat service.
References
- Jackson, Stanley, The Savoy — The Romance of a Great Hotel, New York, 1964. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-8604
See also
External links
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