45 ESCAPE
CLARIDGE’S, LONDON There’s no place quite like this establishment.
Hollywood actor Spencer Tracy commented: “Not that I intend to die, but when I do, I don’t want to go to heaven – I want to go to Claridge’s.” Timeless elegance spans its 206-year history and
it’s been nicknamed the “annexe to Buckingham Palace” – not bad for a hotel that, in 1812, was a single townhouse. In an ambitious move, William and Marianne Claridge bought five adjoining buildings and Claridge’s was born. In 1893, Richard D’Oyly Carte, impresario and
owner of the Savoy, bought the hotel. He closed it for five years to allow for a significant redesign under CW Stephens, the man responsible for Harrods. And, despite numerous renovations since then, much of his work remains to this day. Claridge’s is proud of its art deco history, with influencers over the years including Basil Lonides, Oswald Milne and Thierry Despot. However, staying fresh and future-fit means embracing new ideas of fashion and design. Recent years have seen collaborations with
some of the world’s most influential designers, including Veere Grenney, Diane von Furstenburg, Guy Oliver and David Linley. The hotel’s seen some colourful and celebrated
patrons over the years, from its first royal guests, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1860, to the clandestine meeting between then-West German
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Jewish World Congress President Nahum Goldmann in 1951 to discuss reparations for the Holocaust. Hollywood royalty Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant,
Yul Brunner and Katherine Hepburn were also all regulars. The latter, who insisted on wearing trousers in public in the 1950s, was repeatedly banned from entering the hotel, as this went against the dress code. She famously got around the problem by using the staff entrance instead. And romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland, a regular for afternoon tea, would have her secretary call ahead so that the table decor matched the colour she was wearing. As the Claridge’s motto says, each guest is treated as
royalty, with no request too big or too small. Step into the lobby and be prepared to be whisked away to an era of glamour. Whether it’s your first visit or a repeat one, you’ll be welcomed like an old friend. Did you know? On 17 July 1945, on the orders of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, suite 212 became Yugoslav territory for a day. King Peter II and his consort, Queen Alexandra, who’d fled Yugoslavia, were living at the hotel and it was during their stay that the queen fell pregnant. To ensure Crown Prince Alexander was born on home soil, a handful of dirt was said to be placed under the birthing bed. The front door of the suite became an international border, which meant that a room service meal was technically prepared in one country and served in another.
www.claridges.co.uk
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