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Best Hotel Renovation: The Savoy London

December 30, 2010 at 2:26 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's what you've been waiting all year for--The 2010 HotelChatter Awards! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? Air your thoughts in comments below.

We always love a good hotel renovation but there's always one every year that stands out and this year, it's The Savoy London.

The iconic hotel closed way back in December 2007 for what was to be a 16-month renovation process. But things got delayed along the way, forcing the hotel to reopen much later than expected. Yet when they did, they did it with a bang--opening on 10.10.10 at 10:10am.

Our London correspondent was initially impressed and the rooms do look fantastic. But anytime you mess with an original, there's bound to be a bunch of folks who miss the old ways and that's what The Savoy is also experiencing. Think of it as London's very own Plaza Hotel, also run by Fairmont Hotels.

One Londoner said it was "a Mid-Westerners Croc-clad dream of old London town. I feel like I accidentally went to a QVC conference." Another said it's "slightly less authentic and more corporate than before." Another local who got a peek at the Royal Suite said it was nice, especially with the view of the Thames, but wasn't blown away. And for the price, £10,000 a night, that's not the most comforting review.

As for the bars, while someone said the models, er, bartenders didn't know how to mix drinks, another one of our friends said the bartender at the American bar was very competent. The Beaufort bar is also apparently a good, after-dinner spot.

Still, we're willing to chance it with this hotel. After all, we really like new and shiny things. Just remember, experiencing the hotel is very expensive with rooms starting at £345 a night later in January. Otherwise, bring a Russian billionaire with you.

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