The Connaught (hotel)

History

The hotel first opened in 1815 as the Prince of Saxe-Coburg Hotel, an offshoot of Grillion's Hotel that had been established by Alexander Grillion in Albemarle Street, Mayfair. It was originally a pair of Georgian houses in Charles Street, near Grosvenor Square. The 1st Duke of Westminster decided to redevelop the area, and the street was changed, becoming Carlos Place. In 1892, the hotel's owner applied to rebuild it, but work did not start until two years later, when the original houses were demolished.

In 1897, the Coburg Hotel was reopened. In 1917, during the First World War, a decision was made to change the name to the less-German "Connaught". The name was taken from the title of Queen Victoria's third son, Prince Arthur, the first Duke of Connaught.

In 1935, Rudolph Richard, a young Swiss hotelier, became general manager of The Connaught and ran the hotel almost as an English private house, with the highest standards of comfort and service. In 1956, The Connaught was acquired by the Savoy Group, owners of Claridge's, The Berkeley and the Savoy Hotel in London. In 2005, the Savoy Group, including The Connaught, was bought by a group of Irish investors, which sold off the Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre and renamed the group Maybourne Hotel Group.

Restoration

In March 2007, The Connaught closed for a £70 million restoration programme, described as a "contemporary interpretation". Guy Oliver was the lead designer of the restoration, refurbishment and redecoration of the old hotel, completing a total of 88 rooms and suites (including The Prince's Lodge, The Eagles Lodge and The Sutherland and Somerset Suites) as well as the restoration and redecoration of the main staircase, new lifts, concierge and public areas, L'Espelette Restaurant and The Georgian and Regency Rooms. Immediately after this work was completed he designed a further 31 rooms and suites in the new addition to the hotel, a terrace penthouse, and all of the public spaces and function rooms, including the Ballroom, Maple Oak and Silver Rooms. The Maybourne Hotel Group stated that they intended to preserve the traditional values for which the hotel is known. The chef was Angela Hartnett, but she was later replaced by French chef Hélène Darroze.

The hotel reopened in December 2007 with fewer rooms than usually available; development continued throughout 2008 when The Connaught Bar, designed by David Collins, opened. The hotel also has a swimming pool and Asian-inspired spa managed in conjunction with Aman Resorts. Other changes include a new Espelette Restaurant, with a covered terrace, and the Coburg Bar, managed by Andreas Cortes. The Connaught Bar is run by mixologist Agostino Perrone, which has received several international awards including World's Best Cocktail Bar at the coveted Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in both 2012 and 2016, the only bar in the world to have won it twice. In 2021, The Connaught opened a new bar, the Red Room, featuring artwork by Louise Bourgeois and Jenny Holzer, and stained glass windows by Brian Clarke. In 2023, The Connaught Bar placed 5th on The World's 50 Best Bars list.

Notable guests

The Connaught has hosted guests such as Edward VII, Charles de Gaulle, U.S. Admiral Alan G. Kirk, Princess Grace of Monaco, Cecil Beaton, Cary Grant, David Niven, Lauren Bacall, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson and Ralph Lauren. The hotel was a particular favourite of actor Sir Alec Guinness, who from the 1970s until shortly before his death in 2000 would often stay at the Connaught when working in London. A suite was always at his disposal and he would often entertain friends in the Grill or in a private dining room.

Gallery

File:Connaught 3.JPG|The Connaught in 2008 File:The connaught hotel london exterior entrance.jpg|The entrance in 2019

References

References

1. Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, ''London 2010'', [[Frommer's]], New York City: John Wiley & Sons, 2011, p. 140 [https://books.google.com/books?id=LWo1ZcnyE0YC&dq=%22The+Connaught%22+london&pg=PA140]
2. Carter, Felicity. "Take A First Look At The Ultra-Luxurious Maybourne Beverly Hills Hotel".
3. 'Mount Street and Carlos Place: Mount Street: North Side', Survey of London: volume 40: The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings) (1980), pp. 321-326. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42158 Date accessed: 17 July 2010.
4. Walsh, Dominic. "Savoy Group changes name after deal", ''The Times'', 25 January 2005
5. Cernik, Lizzie. (2022-12-29). "How Neil Borthwick met Angela Hartnett: ‘We were in this tiny lift. All you could do was end up snogging’". The Guardian.
6. (14 August 2008). "The Connaught Bar".
7. Vogel-Eades, Rosie. (2024-05-28). "Aman Spa at The Connaught".
8. "IN Pursuit of the Perfect Martini: Welcome to the Connaught".
9. Keays, Melina. (6 October 2022). "The Connaught's art-filled Red Room serves the world's finest wine". Wallpaper.
10. (18 October 2023). "Five of the World's 50 Best Bars can be found in London".
11. "A history of The Connaught".
12. Read, Piers Paul. (2003). ''Alec Guinness: The Authorised Biography''. Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. Pp. 423-424 {{ISBN. 0-7432-4498-2