Savoy Hotel
Strand, London WC1

The Savoy, one of London's most famous hotels, was built in 1884 - 89. 

Overlooking the Thames, it stands on the site of the medieval Savoy Palace.  With the managerial skills of César Ritz and the culinary genius of Auguste Escoffier the hotel soon earned its reputation as one of the finest hotels in London, and pioneered electric light and en-suite bathrooms.  

Today, the hotel's Art Deco features still give it a distinctive elegance.  The Savoy Grill is a famous meeting place for journalists and politicians. 

Attached to the building is the Savoy Theatre, which actually predates the hotel by eight years.  Built for Richard D'Oyly Carte, it was here that the D'Oyly Carte opera first performed the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. 

The forecourt of the Savoy Hotel is the only street in Britain where traffic drives on the right.