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First glimpse of the Savoy's restoration to Art Deco glory
Elizabeth Hopkirk, Evening Standard22.05.08
These are the first pictures of how the Savoy Hotel will look when it reopens after a £100 million refurbishment.
The most expensive restoration in British hotel history shows Edwardian and Art Deco influences.
Restaurants and bars are at the heart of the project. Gordon Ramsay has confirmed he will remain at the helm when the Savoy Grill reopens.
The River Restaurant, closed eight years ago, will reopen. The American Bar will be largely unchanged, with pictures of famous guests such as Humphrey Bogart and Barbra Streisand on the walls.
The hotel ballroom, where 600 people once danced to the strains of the Savoy Orpheans band, will become a cocktail bar. Guests will be able to watch their drinks being mixed on a stage in the Beaufort Bar. The Thames Room will feature a winter garden with gazebo and waterfall under the original glass dome.
The 263-room hotel in the Strand closed in December and is due to reopen next May. Because it is Grade II-listed, the building itself cannot be radically altered.
Bedroom designs shown to the Evening Standard include an Art Deco one in cream and gold, with gilt mirrors, wood tables, cream covered chairs, brass and glass chandeliers and white bedlinen.
Edwardian bedrooms are a darker beige with two-tone patterned wallpaper, mahogany sidetables and oil paintings.
Technology will be low-key, with wi-fi and discreet TVs in bedrooms, plus ecofriendly heating and lighting.
Savoy general manager Kiaran Mac-Donald said: "We wanted to stay true to the Savoy and we are passionate about restoring the hotel, not renovating it.
"The designer, Pierre-Yves Rochon, has captured the spirit of the Savoy wonderfully. It's very exciting."
The Savoy opened in 1889. In 2005, it was bought for £1.25 billion by Saudi billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.
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