The Savoy, A Fairmont Hotel

[Of note, this review is of (somewhat) historical significance due to the renovations due to be completed in 2009.]

Length of stay: 11 nights

Check-in: Taxi from the train station to the hotel. Flawless check in. The porter (Tony) was the consummate professional, offering to pay the taxi for me when the cab had misplaced my fare.

Accomodations: Basic single room befitting a single traveller who came to London to see the sights. The room was clean and functional. VERY nice bathroom with walk-in shower. I agree with earlier reviewers that the hotel in general was beginning to show its wear, especially noticed in the halls.

Dining: I sampled everything from the Savoy Grill to In-Room Dining to the Thames Foyer (for both breakfast and tea) and the American Bar. Impressive all the way around. The tea in particular was excellent and blew away the Ritz; Savoy Grill is a solid one-star Michelin.

Location: London is big enough that I don't know if there is a hotel in a perfect location, but I was within walking distance of many of the theaters (Vaudeville, Savoy, Adelphi) and the Opera. Charing Cross is the nearest Underground station.

Service: Impressive all the way through with some missteps. Turn down service was missed on two of the 11 nights and room service entered a couple of times without notice. The concierge services were notable (reservations at The Square on a moments notice). Tony the porter/bellboy was again very gracious, the master of casual conversation when necessary and professionalism when required.

Cost: Appropriate for the overall experience.

Summary: I look forward to visiting again in the years to come. The hotel was definitely due for refurbishment and I hope many of the staff return.

I stayed here for 2 weeks on a business trip and this hotel was fantastic! I was looked after so well. My room was huge (it was a corner room) and it had a large, updated, white bathroom with 2 sinks. I came home each evening to a fresh bowl of whole fruit that was always something in season. The staff were courteous and helpful. I can't say enough about this hotel. The location was okay. I do recall taking taxis everywhere and would take the tube to/from work each day in Canary Wharf, which took about 30-40 minutes. I felt very spoiled during my stay here

Before we arrived at the Savoy we were very excited because we had heard some good reviews about the hotel and we usually prefer to stay at a Fairmont hotel when we travel. However, staying at The Savoy has changed our minds forever.

We came across numerous issues and were very disappointed in the way we were treated by their personnel. We found the hotel to be very old - elevator was always stopping at the wrong floor, we had problems with our toilet - it would not flush. We called for servicing several times and they could not fix the issue. We asked if we could change our rooms, but the maintenance person said it was too late in the evening to do so and there were no rooms available. The staff was not very knowledgeable and was unable to assist us with our travel plans when we asked for directions. They kept transferring the call to someone else and it took awhile before they could find someone who knew the answer. We also found the staff to be misleading - they advise the client wrong/misleading info and try to blame the client for their mistake.

We think the hotel is overrated and needs alot of work on the decor, but more importantly find personnel who are knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and honest. We will definitely not stay nor recommend this hotel to any of our family and/or friends. Maybe the Hilton would've been a better choice....