London”s landmark Savoy hotel is to close later this year for extensive refurbishments that are expected to take 16 months and cost over $200m (”101m). The hotel”s managers, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, will cease to take bookings from December 2007 and aim to reopen the property in 2009.
”It was a difficult decision to close down the hotel, but we could not envision disrupting our guests on a daily basis,” said general manager, Kiaran MacDonald. ”A project of this scope could take much longer if the hotel remained open for business and we wish to stick to a rigorous schedule in order to reopen as quickly as possible.”
Improvements are to be made to all guest rooms, corridors, public areas and suites overlooking the Thames, alongside the restoration and reopening of the River Restaurant.
”For us, the most important thing was to honour the art deco heritage and traditional English design of the hotel, while upgrading the property to meet the expectations of today”s most discerning guests,” said MacDonald. ”When the Savoy reopens we hope to set new British standards for excellence in design, d”cor and personalised service.”
Fairmont has chosen designer Pierre-Yves Rochon for the project, due to his creativity and expertise for luxury hotels in North and South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.