The Savoy, A Fairmont Hotel

The Savoy is one of those old grand hotels like the Plaza or Pierre in New York.

But.....

Our room was very old and again on the small side. While we had a lovely view of the Themes River, it is in the West End which is an awful location unless you are going to the theatre every night, which we only did once.

The Grill on the top floor is very good as well as Banquette for something more casual. The only London hotel I've stayed in with an indoor pool which was very handy. The afternoon tea in the lobby lounge was decent and the bar was nice.

I stayed at the savoy last February with my husband and three year old daughter.On arrival we were greeted by warm welcoming staff who ensured our car was seen to immediatly they even handed our daughter a lovely teddy bear! When we got up to our room we found we had been upgraded to a suite and there were champagne and chocolates waiting for us (my husband had informed the desk that it was my birthday) this was all free of charge.

The hotel is lovely rooms are clean with enormous beds and spacious bathrooms.To top it all off the view of the Thames was fantastic.

Although pricey the Savoy is worth every penny and i cannot wait to return.

The Savoy is pricey - but well worth it - especially if you can get it on a "special" of one sort or another. Centrally located in downtown London, it is a great location for those who don't want to, or can't, spend their time (and money) going into and out of London.

I was there with my 82 year old disabled father who was visiting London for the first time since the battle of Britian in 1943-44. He was treated like royalty by the staff and especially by the engineers !! When dad's scooter needed a replacement screw at 8pm - the engineering department, which is open 24 hours a day) had it fixed in a half an hour !! When we checked in at 8am, we were given a courtesy "early check in" and they even gave us an upgraded room, which was large enough for his scooter. In fact we could have put three or four scooters in that room !! The service and amenities are the Fairmont 5 star treatment that I have grown to love and appreciate. Evening turn down service, shoes shined at night, newspaper at the door in the morning, and a high speed internet connection make staying at any Fairmont a treat - and the Savoy was an especially delightful treat.

Although the hotel is not entirely handicap accessible, the staff went out of their way to try to help dad get around. I understand that the Savoy is closing in 12/2007 for renovations, and that handicap accessibility is something they are going to try to remedy when it reopens.

The hotel has one 110volt outlet per room, and they will loan you a voltage converter if you need more outlets. I brought a 6 plug "strip" and by using that we had plenty of outlets to charge the scooter, my camera, and the other devices we carried.

While we were there I had a cocktail (or two) in the "American Bar" and saw dozens of photos of movie stars on the walls. It seems that this is THE place in London for the rich and famous to stay. It is rumored that Frank Sinatra would not stay anywhere but the Savoy when he visited London, and the same for Elizabeth Taylor. In fact, when dining at the upscale Savoy Grill, the wait staff may tell you which table was Sinatra's favorite, or which was the favorite for Winston Churchill.

I met some folks at the American Bar that were Rolling Stones groupies. They invited me to a party the following evening at Simpsons on the Strand (one of three or four restaurants in the Savoy). I declined as the party didn't start until after the Stones concert was over with at 1am. The following morning at 5am the entire Rolling Stones came through the lobby and it was then that I discovered that I had declined an invitation to party with the Rolling Stones !! Next time I will be more prepared to rub elbows with the rich and famous.