The Connaught (hotel)

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For other uses, see Connacht (disambiguation).

The Connaught in Carlos Place, Mayfair, central London, is a five star hotel.

The hotel was an offshoot of a hotel opened by Alexander Grillon in Albemarle Street, Mayfair, and was originally a pair of Georgian houses in Charles Street, near Grosvenor Square. The Duke of Westminster decided to redevelop the area, and the street was changed, becoming Carlos Place. In 1892 Scorrier, the owner, applied to rebuild the hotel although work did not start until two years later, when the original houses were demolished.

In 1897, the Coburg Hotel duly opened, named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. In 1917, during World War I, the decision was made to change the name to The Connaught. The name chosen was that of Queen Victoria’s 3rd 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 in London.

Following the sale of The Savoy in January 2005, the group appointed Landor, an international brand consultancy, who renamed the company as Maybourne Hotel Group. Under its management are The Connaught, The Berkeley and Claridge's in London.

The Connaught is due to close for a refurbishment between 13th April and 30th September 2007.

[edit] External links

• The Connaught Hotel London (also here)