THEBEST
OFBRITISH
Formore than 100 years,
London’s Savoyhas attracted a
who’swhoof Hollywoodgreats,
royalty and celebrities
Bed,
Board
&
LEgends
ByANDREWHUMPHREYS
a
nybodywho knows London’s ho-
telshas their favoriteSavoy story.
Mine involvestheIrishactorRich-
ardHarris, who inhis later years
moved intoasuiteatthehotel—an
arrangement he declared “better
thanmarriage.”Hewasa legendary
drunkwhose real-lifeexploitsput
hisscreencharacters in theshade,
butoverindulgence(and lymphatic
cancer) caught upwith him, and
a visiting ex-wifewas shocked to
findhimemaciated,weakandnear
death. An ambulancewas called,
andashewas carried through the
lobby on a stretcher, Harris sat up and shouted (as a joke), “It was
the food!Don’t touch the food!”
The Savoy subsequently named a suite in his honor. Harris’ star
power,however,wasnotsufficienttoearnhimaspotamongthestarry
parade of signed photographs that lines one of the plushly carpeted
hallsoff theFrontHall, or forhim tobecommemorated in thehotel’s
archive, theSavoyMuseum.We’ll comeback to those celebrities in a
moment,but let’s justpauseheretoconsiderthatmuseum:Howmany
hotels boast their ownmuseum? Then again, howmany hotels can
boastapedigree tomatch thatof theSavoy?
Itwas thefirst luxuryhotelbuilt inBritain (framed in themuseum
is the first coin taken at the hotel, spent by an American, Harry
Rosenfeld, inAugust 1889onabottleofChampagne). Itwasapioneer
inbeingentirely litbyelectricity, includingsomeof thecountry’sfirst
electric “ascending rooms” (now known as elevators). It also had an
unheard-of 70 bathrooms (for 200 guest rooms); for comparison,
its closest rival offered just four bathrooms for its 400 guest rooms,
which led the builder to ask the Savoy’s developer if he expectedhis
guests tobeamphibious.
Theman responsible for all theopulence and faucetswasRichard
D’OylyCarte, a theater impresariowhomade his fortune producing
operettasbyhis friendsGilbert andSullivan.Hefirst built theSavoy
Theatre before deciding to accessorize it with a glitzy hotel next
door. He headhunted waiter-turned-hotelier César Ritz to be the
Savoy’s generalmanager and the esteemed chef AugusteEscoffier to
overseethekitchens(althoughhis lackofheightmeanthehadtowear
platformshoes tooverseepansat thebackof therange).
BetweenRitzandEscoffier, theSavoy’srestaurantbecame themost
fashionablevenue in town, introducing the ideaof “reserved”cardson
thebesttablessotheglamorousguestsseatedthereweresuretobethe
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
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