Dossier 01 · Strand, WC2R 0EZ
The Savoy
The hotel that invented modern London luxury in 1889 — and still holds the only stretch of British road where traffic drives on the right.
The hotel that invented modern London luxury in 1889 — and still holds the only stretch of British road where traffic drives on the right.
Richard D'Oyly Carte built The Savoy with the profits of Gilbert and Sullivan, and he built it to shame every other hotel in Europe. It opened in August 1889 with electric light throughout, constant hot water, lifts described in the press as "ascending rooms", and more bathrooms than the rest of London's hotels combined. César Ritz ran the front of house; Auguste Escoffier ran the kitchen. The pairing effectively wrote the rulebook that grand hotels still follow.
Today the building reads as two hotels sharing one address. The river-facing wing, remodelled in the late 1920s, is pure Art Deco: lacquered surfaces, stepped mouldings, chrome and black glass. The Strand-facing wing is Edwardian, softer, upholstered in stripes and swags. Which side you sleep on will define your stay far more than the star rating does.
There are 267 rooms and suites. The lead-in Superior Queen rooms are handsome but genuinely compact by 2026 standards, and several face an internal light well. The step up to a Deluxe King buys you meaningful floor area and, occasionally, a sliver of river. If the budget stretches, the Deluxe River Rooms are the reason to be here: floor-to-ceiling glass over the Thames, with Waterloo Bridge to the left and the South Bank opposite.
At the top of the tree sit the personality suites — the Royal Suite spanning the fifth floor with five bedrooms, and the themed suites honouring Monet, Churchill, Maria Callas and others. The Monet Suite frames almost exactly the view the painter worked from during his London winters.
Bathrooms are the hotel's quiet strength: Carrara or Botticino marble, deep tubs, separate rain showers in all but the smallest categories, and heated floors throughout.
"At The Savoy you are not buying a bedroom. You are buying access to a building that taught the rest of the industry how to behave."
| Address | Strand, London WC2R 0EZ, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Opened | 6 August 1889; Art Deco river wing remodelled 1929; full restoration reopening 2010 |
| Rooms & suites | 267 (including 67 suites) |
| Architecture | Edwardian core with Basil Ionides-era Art Deco river frontage |
| Restaurants & bars | Savoy Grill, Thames Foyer, Kaspar's, American Bar, Beaufort Bar |
| Wellness | Guerlain-affiliated spa, indoor pool, 24-hour fitness studio |
| Nearest stations | Charing Cross (6 min walk), Embankment (5 min), Covent Garden (7 min) |
| Check-in / out | 15:00 / 12:00 (late checkout subject to availability) |
| Official website | thesavoylondon.com |
Rates include VAT at 20%, exclude breakfast, and rise sharply during December, Wimbledon fortnight and major West End openings.
Book direct through the hotel's own site for the best cancellation terms, and request a room on floors five or six in the river wing. Ask specifically for "river view, high floor, away from the Savoy Theatre wall" — the theatre's get-out can be audible at street level on show nights. Sunday and Monday arrivals are consistently the cheapest; Thursday is consistently the dearest.