The Berkeley

The Berkeley Hotel
General information
Location	Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′7.2″N 0°9′21.96″W / 51.502000°N 0.1561000°W / 51.502000; -0.1561000

The Berkeley is a five star deluxe hotel, located in Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. It is managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, who also manage Claridge's and The Connaught in Mayfair, London.

History

Located on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, it was the base for the drivers of mail coaches travelling to the West Country, and hence named the Gloucester coffee house. As a result, it started to expand, and became a hotel for travellers both to and from London who were travelling on the mail coach services.^[1]

With the coming of the railways, in 1897 the building was formally renamed The Berkeley Hotel, a location trusted by the parents of debutantes to keep an eye on the reputation of their daughters.^[1]

In 1900 Richard D'Oyly Carte bought the hotel, and his family remained in control for the next century. In the 1920s The Berkeley became one of the first London hotels with air conditioning, and in the 1930s double glazing.^[1] Ferraro, the maitre d'hotel of the Berkeley, was a fixture of London nightlife in the 1930s, and appears in several novels of the period, such as Dennis Wheatley's 'Three Inquisitive People' (written 1932, but not published till 1940).

Present

In 1972, the hotel moved to a new building designed by British architect Brian O'Rorke on Wilton Place, Knightsbridge.^[1] Incorporating restored features from the original building, it is also unique in that it boasts London's only rooftop swimming pool. Although the Savoy Hotel in the Strand also has pool open to the sky, that pool is located in an atrium on the third floor.

In the winter months Health Club & Spa transforms its roof-top terrace into a pine-filled forest cinema. Hotel guests and visitors alike are treated to winter classics on the big screen while nestling between warm down-feather Moncler blankets and hot water bottles.^[2]

In 2005, The Savoy Group, including The Berkeley, was sold to Quinlan Private. The sale of The Savoy Group, led to the Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre being sold off and renamed as the Maybourne Hotel Group.^[3]

Recently released plans for developments at The Berkeley show that the swimming pool on the roof will be closed and a new spa will be opened Bamford Hay Barn Spa, and additional rooms will be added to the roof area.

Restaurants and bars

In 1998, Pierre Koffmann moved his Michelin starred "La Tante Claire" from the area of Chelsea to the hotel, serving his signature dish of pig’s trotter stuffed with morel mushrooms.^[1] The original Chelsea site was taken over by Gordon Ramsay, who opened the sigature Restaurant Gordon Ramsay there. Replaced at the hotel in 2003 by the Gordon Ramsay-run "Boxwood Café", after its closure Koffmann returned in April 2010 to open the signature "Koffmann's" restaurant at the hotel.^[4]

Marcus Wareing heads the Michelin 2 star-rated "Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley", which in 2010 replaced Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred Pétrus restaurant.

The Caramel Room is home to the Pret a Portea, and serves afternoon tea.

The Blue Bar was designed by Dublin architect David Collins, and is decorated entirely in Lutyens Blue.^[5] In 2004, an album entitled The Blue Bar was released through Warner Dance, featuring a mix of ambient techno and electronica regularly played in the bar.^[6]

See also

• Hotels in London

References

External links

• The Berkeley website

Coordinates: 51°30′07″N 0°09′22″W / 51.5020°N 0.1561°W / 51.5020; -0.1561