The Savoy Hotel: A Guide to the London Luxury Landmark
Unveiling Elegance: A Luxurious Sojourn at The Savoy Hotel London - A Comprehensive Review
Welcome to my review of The Savoy London; a stunning 5-star hotel located on the Strand. The location was marvellous, the restaurant options fantastic and the accommodation itself was some of the best that we have experienced when staying in the capital city.
The Savoy London - such an iconic landmark in the city
We decided to visit The Savoy as it’s somewhere that has been on my list for such a long time. We had been before to the American Bar and the River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay, when staying in the nearby One Aldwych (a Leading Hotels of the World property) but never stayed. Having booked to see A Little Life (with James Norton) on its last night of the run at The Savoy Theatre (literally adjacent) it seemed like this was the time to stay.
The Savoy London’s main lobby - stunning
In this review of The Savoy, I’ll detail our experience of the location, things to do in the hotel, the best restaurant options in the hotel and of course, the accommodation and facilities at the hotel itself. Read below to find out everything you need to know before your next trip to London or The Savoy.
The entrance to the magnificent Savoy London, off The Strand
Why book with Classic Travel and The Private Traveller
By booking through my affiliation with Classic Travel, I was able to secure a number of additional VIP benefits with their Virtuoso rates.These included:
Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
Complimentary full English breakfast daily for two guests per bedroom, Thames Foyer or Room Service
$100 USD equivalent Food & Beverage credit to be utilised during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full, not applicable to the Savoy Grill and to the Minibar)
20% off Beauty & Fitness Treatments
Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
Savoy London - spectacular
Fast Facts for The Savoy London
Address - Strand, London WC2R 0EZ
Website - https://www.thesavoylondon.com/
Hotel Group - Fairmont Hotels & Resorts https://www.fairmont.com/
TripAdvisor ranking - #36/1214
Contact email - savoy@fairmont.com
Telephone + 44 (0)20 7836 4343
Nearest airport - London Heathrow (LHR) - 26 km or 16 miles (1 hour drive minimum, but very dependent on traffic). Alternate route is the Heathrow Express train to Paddington, then only 5km or 3.5 miles from there, either by car or tube.
Opened - 1889
Number of rooms / suites - 267
Number of floors - 8
Bars - 2 dedicated bars (American & Beaufort), Simpsons on the Strand currently unavailable
Restaurants - 4 options (Thames Foyer, River Restaurant and Restaurant 1890 by Gordon Ramsay, and in room dining). Again, Simpsons on the Strand currently unavailable
Wellbeing - Indoor pool (in an atrium, with jet power), gents and ladies sauna and steam room, two very well equipped gym areas, with health and beauty treatments.
Visted - August 2023
The magnificent Beaufort Bar at The Savoy London
Hotel Accommodation: Relax in beautiful surroundings, while enjoying world-renowned Savoy service.
There is such a choice of rooms and suites available, which seemed to be across floors 2 through 8, in different parts of the building accessed by different lifts. We had an amazing one bedroom suite on the top (8th) floor with full view to the river from both the living space and separate bedroom. We got to our room by walking up a short staircase (passing the green lifts) to the second floor, walking a short distance past the well appointed business centre, to then take the blue lift up to the 8th floor. The view was exceptional day or night (full view of the London Eye wheel, the Houses of Parliament, National Theatre, the Royal Festival Hall, City Hall etc.).
“The Savoy is perfectly located on the River Thames, in the heart of all that London has to offer. At the forefront of the luxury hotel scene for over 130 years, The Savoy offers guests an experience that continuously evolves to meet the desires of the modern traveller.”
Facilities & Service at The Savoy London
There is so much to do at the hotel, never mind so many attractions, restaurants, bars, shops and activities literally on your doorstep too. There are all the on site restaurants and bars, Beauty and Fitness with indoor pool, gyms and spa, not to mention the in-foyer florist and jewellery store. Service was exemplary from welcome to departure, for such a high-end hotel the service is low-key and friendly, but standards clearly exceptionally high and very exacting.
I’ve broken down the key facilities and services and shared my opinion on them below:
Rooms/suites
Edwardian or Art Deco style, this is your choice across Superior, Deluxe, Luxury or Two-Bedroom Family rooms, many with river views. Suites range from Junior (river view or balcony), Deluxe Junior, One Bedroom River Views or a choice of Personality Suites, The Savoy Suite or the ultimate Savoy x Gucci Royal Suite. All suites benefit from the renowned Savoy Butler Service, and we enjoyed it too - such a great welcome.
Levels of Comfort
Exceptional - we enjoyed our river suite with its exceptional views, and such a warm welcome with chilled champagne and strawberries. There was an entrance hall with guest WC off, a large separate living room with writing desk (full on river view) then a large bedroom with massive comfortable bed, walk-through dressing area into the spacious bathroom.
Bathroom
This was definitely a wow bathroom and had absolutely everything that we could have wanted. I always like double sinks, which there was, a big stand alone clawfoot bath plus a massive open rainshower. Toiletries were by Penhaligon’s of London (Savoy Steam) and there were copious full-size bottles at the sinks, shower, bath and the separate guest WC - shower gel/hand wash, shampoo, conditioner, and hand/body cream.
Breakfast
There were three options here, either to have breakfast served in your room or suite (just pre-order the night before), have it in the Thames Foyer, a glass-domed atrium in the centre of the hotel, or the river facing River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay. WIth us staying only the two nights (we could have stayed way longer, it was so good) we opted to try the River Restaurant on the first morning then have room service in our (river-facing) suite the following day. We had been to the River Restaurant for dinner before, when staying at the nearby One Aldwych (another favourite London 5-star hotel)
Resident’s Lounge at The Savoy London
Restaurant & Bars
The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay
The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay in a stunning location within the hotel and is an amazing restaurant. We’ve had great dinners here, but it was also an option for an alternative hotel breakfast. Couldn’t recommend this highly enough.
Thames Foyer
The Thames Foyer is in the heart of the hotel, and is a breakfast location as well as a stunning option for afternoon tea, high, or the champagne equivalents. So worth a visit.
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay
The Iconic Savoy Grill is at the front of the hotel, overlooking the entrance and the Savoy Theatre. Another Gordon Ramsay outlet, it’s a fab location for dinner and again I would highly recommend, whether staying in the hotel or not.
American Bar
The American Bar is steeped in history, and another iconic location within this iconic hotel. Definitely worth a visit even if you’re not staying in the hotel, but staying does give you booking privileges!
Beaufort Bar
A stunning looking bar, the Beaufort Bar, and just off the Thames Foyer and near the River Restaurant. Just marred by an awful welcome, which included such unnecessary (and not reflective of the service anywhere else at The Savoy) attitude.
Design & Architecture
Clearly reminiscent of its vintage historic past, this is a wonderful hotel which not only embodies that history, but welcomes the future and modernity with all the modern touches that you would want, encapsulated with world-class service. I loved the Art Deco design throughout.
Spa & Wellness
We loved the spa here, albeit the only thing that was slightly disappointing was the lack of relaxation space around the pool. There was the odd seat, but no recliners; just something that would have been in the space that was there, to relax after a treatment or just pass away some time. However, the facilities were excellent and we had the most amazing treatments there too. Even ‘Mrs’ The Private Traveller, who isn’t a huge spa fan, thought his treatment (an 80 minute Gentleman’s Facial including a back massage) was amazing.
What about The Savoy’s location on The Strand?
So close to Covent Garden and all that it has to offer there (shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, theatres etc.) only a few minutes walk away, yet it’s only minutes to walk to Trafalgar Square or down to the Thames river and all that the riverfront has to offer. It would only be a short walk to the nearest tube station at Charing Cross (also a rail station), yet on this trip we only tended to use Ubers to get around.
I believe this is literally London’s only centrally located five-star hotel which is located right on the River Thames. The building has such unique history, and its position on the Northbank makes it equidistant from both the luxury thoroughfares of Knightsbridge and Mayfair as well as the City of London, its financial capital.
Thames Foyer at Savoy London - Breakfast or Afternoon Tea
Some of the top activities I’d recommend doing in London are:
The Savoy Theatre
Obviously very dependent on which show is currently being performed at the Savoy Theatre, but over the years we have visited a few times, and best when you’re actually staying at the Savoy too for its location. This visit we saw James Norton in a Little Life, but we’re also back in a few weeks there too to see Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger.
Beauty and Spa at the Savoy
I’ll be writing a much more detail Spa Review blog on our experience at Beauty and Spa at the Savoy, but it’s fair to say our treatments here were excellent - ‘Mrs’ TPT, not normally a spa treatment fan, still goes on about how good his 80 minute Gentleman’s Facial was with extra back massage.
AIRE Ancient Baths London
Nearby on Robert Street, there is also the incredible Aire Baths experience - definitely worth a visit; so atmospheric.
Food and Drink at The Savoy
Having booked the Virtuoso rate through Classic Travel, this included the full complimentary breakfast in a choice of locations, or served (as we had, with having the suite) by your butler in room at a time of your convenience.
We had eaten before at Gordon Ramsay (who has three of the food/drink outlets within the hotel) River Restaurant, but this time we booked the Savoy Grill for dinner on our first night and then afternoon tea (which we then changed to have the optional extra course to make it high tea) and the champagne version, in the Thames Foyer on our second day.
Before we went for dinner at The Savoy Grill, I had pre booked the Beaufort Bar for drinks - apart from the very poor (and has to be said, was not in keeping with everywhere else) service on arrival, this was an excellent choice. Very different to the American Bar ambience, which is upstairs in the hotel, with windows, the Beaufort Bar is very dark, but atmospheric and has a real nightclub feel with the DJ music. Drinks choice was excellent, as was the service from the bar staff - just the host that seemed to be the issue with attitude. Dinner in the Grill was exceptional too, from the layout of the restaurant and tables, the choices (I had a separate vegetarian menu to choose from), the food quality, service etc. Loved it.
Afternoon tea, which then changed into champagne high tea was amazing too the day after - so relaxing to sit in the high domed Thames Foyer with a pianist for accompaniment. The sandwiches were lovely (particularly enjoyed the heritage tomatoes in the turmeric bread) and savouries, followed by an additional course which made it the high tea version, then the scones, cakes and pastries. This was accompanied by your choice of tea or coffee, of which there was a huge selection of teas. I opted for the Seville orange Rooibos tea, always a favourite when visiting South Africa.
Some of our favourite restaurants and cafes we encountered over the course of our stay in London are:
Francos London
We had a personal recommendation for this Italian restaurant on Jermyn Street, only a short stroll from one of our favourite London hotels, Hotel Café Royal. It was considered to be one of London’s original Italian restaurants, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. An amazing menu, great location and ambience, and the food is excellent. Francos is really highly recommended.
The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont Hotel
I ate at the Colony Grill Room on a previous London stay, and wow it really is an exceptional hotel. The restaurant was incredible too, had both breakfast and dinner here. Food and service was wow, and being able to create your own ice cream sundae for dessert was a true highlight.
Brasserie Zédel
We’ve been going to Brasserie Zédel for a number of years and I love it - such an experience in this vast but atmospheric restaurant, evoking the feel of a grand ocean liner. The Regent Palace hotel, which was the original building, but since knocked down and redeveloped (ground floor up) was the first hotel I ever stayed in, and was so taken aback seeing all the neon on Piccadilly Circus at night. Great restaurant and very good choices for a vegetarian. The free-flowing fresh baguette bread always amazes.
The Delaunay & The Wolseley
There are another two restaurants in the same group, The Wolseley Hospitality Group. We’ve been to the Wolseley itself, which used to be a car showroom, a number of times and The Delaunay in Covent Garden is on my list for a future visit.
Yeni London
Yeni was a recommendation from a friend of ‘Mrs’ TPT’s and it was so good, we had an excellent meal and are definitely going back. The Tava bread with smoked butter, wow!
Whitcomb’s at The Londoner
The Londoner is another favourite hotel of ours in London, in such a central location right in the heart of cinema and theatre-land on Leicester Square. Their main in-house restaurant Whitcomb’s never disappoints, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There’s also 8 At The Londoner, The Stage for afternoon tea, and Refuel in the Retreat Spa. Whitcomb’s at The Londoner has a French Mediterranean influence, all fresh ingredients with great service for an excellent dining experience. We always like to preempt this with a drink in the traditional Joshua’s Tavern.
Murano London
Murano London is one of Angela Hartnett’s signature restaurants and another fine-dining favourite. This Michelin starred restaurant in the heart of Mayfair never disappoints, with a very exclusive but intimate ambience, and a great selection of vegetarian options for me.
Café Murano Covent Garden
A more informal option is Café Murano, where we’ve been to the one in Covent Garden now a couple of times (there are also restaurants in both St. James’s and Bermondsey too). Same chef owner, with a more relaxed Italian focus, always serving seasonal fresh ingredients and flavours.
Bellamy’s
Not too dissimilar from Franco’s in style and ambience but French instead of Italian, Bellamy’s (another Kevin recommendation, thank you) is a good choice. This contemporary brasserie and oyster bar, despite being French, had a decent sized vegetarian specials menu, which is always very important to me.
Highlights of our stay
There were so many highlights of the stay at the but here are just a few of the key points, which I hope you find a useful summary:
What a wonderful welcome - not only to receive a significant upgrade because of having booked with Virtuoso benefits, but also to get a very early check in
Amazing in suite welcome amenities like Laurent Perrier champagne, pastries and fresh strawberries
Location - perfect to be able to walk to lots of locations, like Covent Garden and along the Thames riverside, and if you’re going to the Savoy Theatre you couldn’t stay any closer
The suite space - a perfect blend of space, facilities and outlook - so many windows facing out and across the Thames and the London skyline
The Penhaligon's Savoy Steam toiletries
Staff - the recent TV programme really showcased the caring staff and what a friendly family environment it was. Seemed only one member of staff (as we saw) didn’t subscribe to that friendly, unpretentious ethos.
Massage treatments - just exceptional; so relaxing and so well executed
Food - fantastic choice of restaurants, three of them Gordon Ramsay
Breakfast - great having a choice of River Restaurant, Thames Foyer or in room/suite
Champagne high tea in the Thames Foyer just exceptional - such a nice afternoon treat before the theatre
We’d visited the American Bar before on a previous trip, but (despite the attitude as below) we loved the atmosphere and ambience of the Beaufort Bar.
Although on one hand the poolside gym areas seemed to take up a lot of space (and not leaving much for loungers (see below) if you were looking for an exceptionally well appointed gym and studio space, this was it.
‘Mrs’ ThePrivateTraveller was so impressed that we were offered a physical newspaper daily on check in, just unfortunate it never arrived either day.
He also loved the fact that there was already an iron and ironing board in the suite (he likes to press his own things) despite the fact that with the suite butler service pressing of two pieces daily was already included.
The Savoy Suite London Night Time View
Areas for improvement
My preference would always be to have nothing to add into this section (i.e. exemplary service throughout with no issues during a stay) and while this was near perfect, there were only a few things which felt inconsistent with the Savoy service, and a couple of observations which have already been thought through and discounted.
Welcome at Beaufort Bar - after a three day stay with lots of interaction with staff, I think this was the one and only negative experience. We hadn’t appreciated that there was a desk to ‘check-in’ at out in the main foyer, as there were a couple of people standing in front of it when we arrived, so we didn’t appreciate there was a queue. We therefore wandered through into the bar, only to be later accosted by (who we later realised) the host, to be rudely told to go back and wait in the (non-obvious) queue and she would attend to us when she could. Surely it would have been better to have a person remain at that desk, who could then message through to someone in the bar (by headphones maybe) to seat groups as they arrived. It wasn’t just us, we saw people do this time after time so clearly the process wasn’t working, and she was equally rude and applied the same (negative) attitude towards everyone.
Loungers at the poolside - we went well in advance of our treatment start times thinking we could use the steam room/sauna/swim in advance of our massages later, by relaxing at the pool. While there were (I think) only four seats, they weren’t particularly conducive to relaxation. I know there wasn’t a lot of poolside space, there was areas where at least some recliners could be accommodated, but perhaps this isn’t something they want to encourage.
No newspapers - although he has transitioned into a Kindle (despite initial misgivings) and will use PressReader when nothing else is available, ‘Mrs’ ThePrivateTraveller was so impressed at check in to be offered a physical newspaper. We asked for a Times both days, but this actually wasn’t delivered either day.
The in-suite breakfast was excellent - delivered exactly on time, with the exact order and exceptionally friendly service, but we noticed during that the marmalade jar had already been opened and half used.
Although we realise it’s a non-guaranteed benefit of a late check out, at the (great, has to be said) check in we were offered this to 4pm. We explained we didn’t need this as we had a flight earlier than that, but that 1pm would be great. I’m sure he said that he would put us through at 4pm regardless, but after walking through the hotel up to the 8th floor, on our last day we found the key wouldn’t work. Turned out this had only been programmed to the standard noon.
Would I stay here again?
Yes definitely - no hesitation whatsoever, though having the incredible top-level suite with the amazing river views would likely make some of the other rooms seem secondary. Such a great location, whether you’re booked for the Savoy theatre or not.
Daytime view from our Savoy London Suite
My final thoughts on The Savoy London
Such a great hotel, and it definitely will remain in my London top five-star properties. I do like to visit different hotels for different experiences, but the Savoy experience is definitely one to relive. Have you stayed at The Savoy before? I’d love to hear your own thoughts and opinions on it as well as your favourite destinations in London.
Comment below to share your thoughts and opinions.
Let me know which hotel I should review next!
