Zelijko Stasevic, General Manager of the Westbury Mayfair, presents the Westbury Trophy to Ahmad Aboughazale of the Sumaya team after their win in the Queen's Cup semi-final match at Smith's Lawn
Staying with style
T
Despite their central city locations, The Westbury hotels in London and New York have long traditions with polo
he first Westbury Hotel on Madison Avenue, New York, was built by the Knott family and it incorporated a “Polo Bar and Grille”. In the late 1930s, this became a hangout for leading players and society figures. When, in 1955, the owners built The Westbury Mayfair, they added a Polo Bar there too. In its early days, The Westbury Mayfair was one of London’s top hotels. An advert in Country Life magazine in 1961 depicted a poodle sitting on a neat stack of leather suitcases, saying: “They say The Westbury is the West End. . . that’s why we always stay there.” The Westbury New York has since been converted into apartments, but an observer in 1959 wrote: “The Polo Bar and Grille, dating from 1938, was organised by and designed for Long Island sportsmen and socialites, but became a rendezvous for other types of celebrities. Bing Crosby likes the place so much that he once remarked on CBS that he would appear there nitely [sic] heading a small singing combination if the offer were tendered him. The room has been so successful that Knott Hotels’ Corporation has reproduced it in their London and Toronto Westbury Hotels.” The Westbury Mayfair became a Trust House Forte hotel before returning to family hands in 2000, when it was bought by Bakir Cola, a self-made hotel magnate. An Iraqi Kurd, Cola left Baghdad at 17, starting small in property and building his business to what it is today. This also includes the Kensington Close Hotel, Kingsway Hall near The Strand, and a Paris spa, Espace Payot. Bakir Cola and his wife, who is from Finland, are now based in France, and Cola has handed the reins of the London hotels to their son Azad. “When we decided to restore the Westbury to its former glory I researched its history and found out about the polo
68 | GUARDS POLO CLUB OFFICIAL YEARBOOK 2010
connection,” said Azad Cola. “I discovered it was a proud part of its past and thought why shouldn’t it be part of the future? Also we share a target market and there’s a big social element.” That polo heritage also includes the Westbury Cup. For years this Cup was on display in the Polo Bar at The Westbury, Mayfair, although Cola reveals that the Cup did not come with the hotel – but remains with the hotel’s previous owner. The Cup was played for at Guards Polo Club for some 30 years –
...When we decided to restore the Westbury to its former glory I
researched its history and found out about the polo connection...
ranging from medium to high-goal fixtures. Last year Guards Polo Club resurrected the Westbury Trophy in 2009 and the Cola family were delighted to present the trophy to Sumaya, winners of one of the Queen’s Cup semi-finals. One piece of polo memorabilia from The Westbury, New York, is on display in the Clubhouse at Smith’s Lawn. The long painting which stretches along one wall of the Clubhouse bar was rescued by Christian Heppe when the American hotel was being refurbished. On arrival at Guards Polo Club the painting first hung in the Royal Box, but it seemed a perfect fit for the new Clubhouse and took pride of place in April 2009. However when you are next in the bar see if you can spot the mistake in the painting?
This article was first published in Polo Times (May 2009) – www.polotimes.co.uk
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