Every London hotel of a certain age has a legend or two to trade on, but The Savoy has more than most.
Since opening more than 135 years ago, it has been a testing ground for what a grand hotel could be: electric lighting, round-the-clock room service and Britain’s first electric hotel lifts, the famous Red Lift, where nervous guests were reportedly offered smelling salts before stepping in. Its guest book runs from Monet to Monroe, via Chaplin, Coward and Gershwin.
[See also: The most expensive hotels in London]
The hotel is now in the middle of a considered rethink. Design studio GA refreshed the Edwardian rooms in 2025 and has since added a collection of Art Deco bedrooms, a fitting gesture for a hotel that helped popularise the style in 1920s London.
Related
Location
The Savoy still sits at its historical and now iconic location, between the Strand and the Thames, with Covent Garden around the corner and the West End theatres a few minutes’ walk away. Across Waterloo Bridge are the Southbank Centre, the National Theatre and Tate Modern, while Somerset House, Trafalgar Square, St James’s and Mayfair are all within easy reach.
[See also: Shepherd Mayfair unveils interiors of new restaurant Fayre]
Rooms & Suites
The hotel has 263 rooms and suites, dressed in either Edwardian or Art Deco style, many with river views. The Edwardian rooms trade in silvers, ivory and antique brass, while the new Deco rooms, available since early July, go for brass detailing, lacquered and polished surfaces and scalloped panelling.
[See also: Inside one of Monaco’s most exclusive hotel suites]
Content from our partners
The green of the palette comes from the lettering above the entrance, and the headboards and geometric rugs were made for the hotel. Look out for the pendant light modelled on the ‘O’ in the Savoy sign, and a lamp in the form of a gondolier, a reference to a legendary party where the courtyard was flooded. Penhaligon’s toiletries are standard.
Spear’s stayed in one of the brand new Art Deco rooms which felt more like a private apartment than a hotel room, with the green palette and soft lighting making it calm and cocooning. Art Deco suites follow in spring 2027.
Food & Drinks
Spear’s tried the deep dining line-up The Savoy has to offer, including dinner at Gallery, the hotel’s all-day restaurant, with its curved banquettes and Murano glass chandeliers – which, unsurprinsgly lives up to our already high expectations. The menu includes British classics including a charcoal-grilled organic chicken tikka pie, tomahawk steak and the classic Arnold Bennett omelette. Spear’s favourite was, of course, the restaurant’s renowned Cornish lobster rolls.
Late-night drinks followed at the American Bar, lively and buzzing, with a pianist and singer providing the soundtrack, with songs ranging from Don McLean’s American Pie to Elton John’s anthemic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It’s also the bar behind Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, so ordering a classic feels almost obligatory.
A relaxed yet indulgent breakfast was served riverside at Gordon Ramsay’s The River Restaurant, with a table beside the Thames.
Service
Exceptional, from arrival to departure. Staff were warm yet unfailingly professional and always a step ahead. It is the kind of service that makes a hotel of this size feel personal, and it lives up to the standard The Savoy helped set for grand hotels more than a century ago.
Good to know
The spa has a heated pool under a glass atrium, plus a sauna, steam room, gym and treatment rooms. River Suite guests get butler service and use of the house car.
Verdict
The Savoy has modernised without losing its character, and the Deco rooms show a hotel at ease with its own history.
Details
- Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
- +44 (0) 20 7836 4343
- savoy@fairmont.com
- thesavoylondon.com
