‘‘Creating fantasy worlds was the stock in trade of the D’Oyly Carte family. When, in the 1880s, they opened their Savoy theatre and later the hotel, they cultivated a particularly luxurious form of escapism, which they kept going for more than a century – and became a playground for the rich and famous.’’ >"Whether it's The Beatles being blocked from entry or Marilyn Monroe sipping tea in a daring dress, London's Savoy Hotel has seen its share of intrigue and controversy for more than a century"

‘‘Oscar Wilde and the poet Lord Alfred Douglas, known to his friends as ‘Bosie’, enjoyed an extended sojourn at the Savoy in adjoining rooms in 1893, which ended when Wilde spent his way into financial difficulty. The hotel weathered its first scandal in 1895 as the backdrop to his ‘gross indecency’ case. In the early 1890s, mainly in room 361, Wilde had entertained rent boys, alongside his relationship with Bosie. They had dined like princes, eating ortolans (tiny songbirds), they had glugged champagne, and it was all to become public knowledge, raked over in court.’’

Stars, scandals & the world's most glamorous hotel

Not

Go

Go

Up