Summary
The Lanesborough is a 5-star hotel on Hyde Park Corner in Knightsbridge, central London, England. The hotel is operated by the Oetker Collection. It occupies the neoclassical former building of St George's Hospital, which is listed Grade II*.[1] The hotel is situated next to Hyde Park Corner tube station.
| The Lanesborough | |
|---|---|
 The Lanesborough from Hyde Park Corner | |
  Location within Central London | |
| General information | |
| Location | Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge, London, UK |
| Coordinates | 51°30′09″N 0°09′09″W / 51.5025°N 0.1525°W |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Management | Oetker Collection |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 93 |
| Number of suites | 43 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Parking | Available on site for a fee |
| Website | |
| The Lanesborough | |
History edit
St George's Hospital was opened in the original Lanesborough House, the home in London of the Viscounts Lanesborough, in 1733. By the 1800s, the hospital was falling into disrepair. Lanesborough House was demolished to make way for a new 350-bed facility. Building began in 1827 under architect William Wilkins. The new building was operational by 1844,[2] and served continuously as a hospital until the hospital transferred in the 1970s to Tooting, south London, leaving the Hyde Park Corner premises vacant in 1980. When the health service decided to shut St George's Hospital, as the building then was, it was found that when the former Duke of Westminster sold the building to the state, he had inserted a clause in the agreement allowing his estate to buy it back at the same price if the building ever ceased to be a hospital. The Duke of Westminster duly took up the option to buy the building for its 19th-century price, £6,000.[3]
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts refurbished and re-opened the building as a hotel in 1991. Furniture was supplied by Arthur Brett and Sons. Ten years later, the management contract passed to Starwood's St. Regis operation, as its first and only hotel in England. Since November 2014, the Oetker Collection has managed the Lanesborough,[4] the group's first hotel in the United Kingdom.[5]
The Lanesborough was closed for renovation in December 2013 and re-opened in 2015.[5][6] In 2015, it was reputedly the most expensive hotel in London.[7]
Culinary awards edit
In 2009, the Lanesborough announced the launch of 'Apsleys – a Heinz Beck Restaurant', under chef Heinz Beck, who had won three Michelin stars for his cuisine at La Pergola in Rome. The restaurant began service in September 2009 and was awarded its first Michelin star less than 5 months later in January 2010, the fastest time for a new London restaurant to achieve a star.[8] The dining room was subsequently rebranded as Céleste for the 2015 opening,[6] and was again awarded a Michelin star in 2016, only to lose it in 2022.[9] It was subsequently relaunched as the Lanesborough Grill.[10]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "St George's Hospital And Attached Drinking Fountain, Hyde Park Corner SW1". Historic England. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Designs for St George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, London: elevation of entablature and capital with profiles of the cornice". RIBA. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Cahal Milmo (3 April 2001). "'World's most expensive hotel' put up for sale". The Independent. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017.
- ^ "Oetker Collection takes on management of the Lanesborough hotel". The Caterer. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Diplomatic Concierge – The Lanesborough". The Diplomat (review). 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018.
- ^ a b Hilary Armstrong (3 August 2015). "New Openings: Céleste". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015.
- ^ Fiona Duncan (31 July 2015). "The Lanesborough: London's most expensive hotel". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "Lanesborough's Apsleys Restaurant Wins Michelin Star". Hotels magazine (press release). 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010.
- ^ Adam Coghlan (18 February 2022) [16 February 2022]. "Michelin Demoted Just One London Restaurant in Its 2022 Guide". London Eater.
- ^ Jungmin Seo (6 April 2022). "The Lanesborough hotel to relaunch Celeste as the Lanesborough Grill". The Caterer.
External links edit
- Official website
- The Lanesborough history, photos, review in cosmopolis.ch
- History of St George's Hospital from St George's, University of London
- About our History Archived 10 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine from the St George's Healthcare NHS Trust