| The Royal Horseguards Hotel | |
|---|---|
| Location | London, England |
| Address | 2 Whitehall Court London SW1A 2EJ |
| Hotel chain | Guoman Hotels |
| Opening date | 1884, Building erected 1971, Converted to hotel 2008, Became a Guoman hotel |
| Management | Guoman Hotels |
| Owner | Thistle Hotels |
| Rooms | 281 |
| Restaurants | 2 |
| Floors | 9 |
| Website | TheRoyalHorseguards.co.uk |
The Royal Horseguards Hotel is a 5-star[1] London hotel situated in the district of St. James's in the City of Westminster. It is operated by Guoman Hotels, a subsidiary of Thistle Hotels.
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Whitehall Court was constructed as a block of luxury residential apartments in 1884 by the Liberal MP and property developer Jabez Balfour. The building's construction was the centrepiece of an elaborate pyramid scheme for fraud by Balfour, through the Liberator Building Society which he controlled. In 1892 the Society collapsed, leaving thousands of investors penniless. Instead of advancing money to home buyers, the Society had advanced money to property companies to buy properties owned by Balfour, at a high price.[2][3]
It achieved its Grade I listed building status due to its architecture, which is modelled on a French chateau, and has become one of London's most iconic buildings. The building is nicknamed 'Fairyland' because of its fairytale appearance. It shares the building with One Whitehall Place, which the hotel operates as its conference and events centre, as well as the National Liberal Club, with the remainder of Whitehall Court being inhabited by private residents.
The building was taken over by the Ministry of Defence during both world wars and was used by MI5 and MI6
The hotel opened in 1971, based in 1-2 Whitehall Court. It expanded in 1985 after the acquisition of the 140 bedrooms on the upper floors of the adjoining National Liberal Club at 1 Whitehall Place (the club itself continues without its bedrooms, and retains a relationship with the hotel that enables members to book rooms formerly owned by the club, at a discount).
The Royal Horseguards' itself has had a varied history. It has links to the British military, through a shared history with the Household Cavalry and the Blues and Royals (The Royal Horse Guards), hence its name. Because of this, the hotel supports the charity Help for Heroes. Also, it has strong governmental ties with Whitehall, as being in such close proximity from the Houses of Parliament and the Foreign office, it has hosted "important meetings, decisions and operations throughout its history", and influential politicians, statesmen and diplomats have visited and/or stayed.
The hotel was taken over by Guoman Hotels in 2008, who already own three of London's most prestigious hotels. Since 2008, after a major refurbishment and re-launch, the Royal Horseguards has become Guoman's flagship hotel, and gained 5-star rating from the AA in April 2009. Also, in December 2009, the hotel became part of the Preferred Hotel Group, a global organisation of 185 of the world's best hotels.
In the public eye, Whitehall Court was featured in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy.
The hotel is in Central London, just off the Embankment and Whitehall and near Trafalgar Square. The nearest tube station is Embankment and the nearest railway station is Charing Cross. The district that the hotel is located is called St. James's, and is amongst many UK government buildings, fronting the River Thames.