The glitz and glamour of London’s legendary Savoy hotel takes on a glittering showbiz flavour this Christmas
The Savoy at Christmas Monday 9.00pm ITV1
Ed Grenby - 1 December 2022
Franck Arnold is possibly the only man in the world who gets to tell off Gordon Ramsay. The sweary celebrity chef may be king of his kitchen at most of his global empire of restaurants, but at one outpost he plays second fiddle to the neatly suited, softly spoken, French accented Arnold. The latter is managing director of London’s Savoy hotel, home to Ramsay’s Savoy Grill restaurant, and viewers have had a glimpse of the delicate balance of power in two series of ITV1’s fly-on-the-wall documentary The Savoy. But with a special, The Savoy at Christmas, being shown this week, might we see relationships at breaking point under the strain of this most stressful time of the year?
“Well, I’ve been working with Gordon for many years,” says Arnold carefully, “and yes, he sometimes uses words that, ah, I would not. But I wouldn’t have extended the relationship the Savoy has had with Gordon if I didn’t know, personally, that he is very kind, that he genuinely cares for his people, and that he’s… passionate.” Arnold – one of the stars of the documentary for his debonair ways – admits that Christmas is a fraught time here. “It’s very intense. Do staff welcome 2 January? Absolutely we do. But this is also a wonderful time of year for us when we get to create amazing memories for our guests.” They certainly do that.
This year, the theme of the hotel’s festive overhaul picks up on its 100-year heritage as a theatrical hotspot. Built by Richard D’Oyly Carte off the back of the impresario’s profitable productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, Britain’s first luxury hotel opened in 1889 and has been home to such names-in-lights as Oscar Wilde, Noël Coward, Laurence Olivier, George Gershwin, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand and George Clooney (not to mention prime ministers, presidents and royalty). And now, with “It’s showtime” about making guests feel special here’ emblazoned in neon above the hotel’s grand entrance on the Strand, “we want all our guests to feel like stars,” says Arnold.
Christmas trees are decorated with sheet music, drinks trolleys are bedecked with toy theatres, a velvet-curtained stage sits in the foyer for guests to pose on, theatrical storytelling sessions take place in December – and even the bar has a special festive menu. The hotel’s famous American Bar has a proud history of its own, with several classic cocktails having been invented there, but no laurels are being rested on. If this month’s “Festive Pick-Me-Up” cocktail (which features mince pie, Bombay Sapphire gin, apple, absinthe and champagne) doesn’t tempt you, try the menu’s “sustainable” choices, such as cocktails with “reused champagne” (fizz taken from bottles unfinished by earlier guests).
Fortunately, there’s no food reused in the restaurants. But at the Grill, familiar classic dishes continue to be served exactly the way purists like them; the beef wellington is a particular favourite, just as it was when Charlie Chaplin or James Dean were guests. Upstairs, bedrooms are furnished traditionally, with Art Deco or Edwardian accents, but one look out of the window (and it’s worth paying the extra for a Thames view) and you’re reminded that you’re in the beating heart of a modern metropolis. Indeed, the Savoy makes a great base for exploring London at its festive best, especially if you’re interested in theatre. Covent Garden (and its opera and ballet) is on your doorstep, with the rest of Theatre land within easy walking distance. Alternatively, take the hotel’s “back door” – which opens onto Victoria Embankment Gardens – and you have all the concert halls and playhouses of the South Bank before you.
At the Strand entrance, top-hatted doormen sweep you through the old mahogany doors into a foyer that has sparkled ever since it opened (it was Britain’s first hotel to be lit by electricity). The discreet but cheekily humorous doormen are some of the major characters in the documentary. “None of us are actors or comedians,” says Arnold, “but the programme highlights how passionate every staff member is about making guests feel special here.” And if you don’t want your stay (or dinner, drinks or afternoon tea – available to nonresidents) to be a big performance and would, like the Clooneys, prefer some discretion? “Celebrities choose us because we can maintain the highest level of confidentiality,” says Arnold. “We have a few alternative entrances we can use to ensure privacy.” Secret passages? “Let’s just say it’s a pretty large building, with many different options…”
Ed Grenby
Rooms at the Savoy cost from £635 a night; afternoon tea is from £65pp. thesavoylondon.com
Franck Arnold is possibly the only man in the world who gets to tell off Gordon Ramsay. The sweary celebrity chef may be king of his kitchen at most of his global empire of restaurants, but at one outpost he plays second fiddle to the neatly suited, softly spoken, French accented Arnold. The latter is managing director of London’s Savoy hotel, home to Ramsay’s Savoy Grill restaurant, and viewers have had a glimpse of the delicate balance of power in two series of ITV1’s fly-on-the-wall documentary The Savoy. But with a special, The Savoy at Christmas, being shown this week, might we see relationships at breaking point under the strain of this most stressful time of the year?
“Well, I’ve been working with Gordon for many years,” says Arnold carefully, “and yes, he sometimes uses words that, ah, I would not. But I wouldn’t have extended the relationship the Savoy has had with Gordon if I didn’t know, personally, that he is very kind, that he genuinely cares for his people, and that he’s… passionate.” Arnold – one of the stars of the documentary for his debonair ways – admits that Christmas is a fraught time here. “It’s very intense. Do staff welcome 2 January? Absolutely we do. But this is also a wonderful time of year for us when we get to create amazing memories for our guests.” They certainly do that.
This year, the theme of the hotel’s festive overhaul picks up on its 100-year heritage as a theatrical hotspot. Built by Richard D’Oyly Carte off the back of the impresario’s profitable productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, Britain’s first luxury hotel opened in 1889 and has been home to such names-in-lights as Oscar Wilde, Noël Coward, Laurence Olivier, George Gershwin, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand and George Clooney (not to mention prime ministers, presidents and royalty). And now, with “It’s showtime” about making guests feel special here’ emblazoned in neon above the hotel’s grand entrance on the Strand, “we want all our guests to feel like stars,” says Arnold.
Christmas trees are decorated with sheet music, drinks trolleys are bedecked with toy theatres, a velvet-curtained stage sits in the foyer for guests to pose on, theatrical storytelling sessions take place in December – and even the bar has a special festive menu. The hotel’s famous American Bar has a proud history of its own, with several classic cocktails having been invented there, but no laurels are being rested on. If this month’s “Festive Pick-Me-Up” cocktail (which features mince pie, Bombay Sapphire gin, apple, absinthe and champagne) doesn’t tempt you, try the menu’s “sustainable” choices, such as cocktails with “reused champagne” (fizz taken from bottles unfinished by earlier guests).
Fortunately, there’s no food reused in the restaurants. But at the Grill, familiar classic dishes continue to be served exactly the way purists like them; the beef wellington is a particular favourite, just as it was when Charlie Chaplin or James Dean were guests. Upstairs, bedrooms are furnished traditionally, with Art Deco or Edwardian accents, but one look out of the window (and it’s worth paying the extra for a Thames view) and you’re reminded that you’re in the beating heart of a modern metropolis. Indeed, the Savoy makes a great base for exploring London at its festive best, especially if you’re interested in theatre. Covent Garden (and its opera and ballet) is on your doorstep, with the rest of Theatre land within easy walking distance. Alternatively, take the hotel’s “back door” – which opens onto Victoria Embankment Gardens – and you have all the concert halls and playhouses of the South Bank before you.
At the Strand entrance, top-hatted doormen sweep you through the old mahogany doors into a foyer that has sparkled ever since it opened (it was Britain’s first hotel to be lit by electricity). The discreet but cheekily humorous doormen are some of the major characters in the documentary. “None of us are actors or comedians,” says Arnold, “but the programme highlights how passionate every staff member is about making guests feel special here.” And if you don’t want your stay (or dinner, drinks or afternoon tea – available to nonresidents) to be a big performance and would, like the Clooneys, prefer some discretion? “Celebrities choose us because we can maintain the highest level of confidentiality,” says Arnold. “We have a few alternative entrances we can use to ensure privacy.” Secret passages? “Let’s just say it’s a pretty large building, with many different options…”
Ed Grenby
Rooms at the Savoy cost from £635 a night; afternoon tea is from £65pp. thesavoylondon.com