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You are here: Home / Featured Post / An Historic Hotel on Park Lane London – Grosvenor House

An Historic Hotel on Park Lane London – Grosvenor House

May 30, 2015 by Fiona Maclean 4 Comments

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Last Updated on March 3, 2019

Grosvenor House Hotel:

A while ago I visited JW Steakhouse, one of the restaurants at the Grosvenor House Hotel.  Loving the food, I was intrigued by the placement of an American style steakhouse in one of Park Lane’s leading London Hotels.  A few weeks ago, I learnt more.  Invited to tour the hotel and learn more about the history, I was soon enlightened.

1- Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel

While the Hotel is a very British institution, the original design of the hotel was intended specifically to cater to the American market. Replacing the original detatched house with a building that would provide apartments and hotel rooms suitable for American visitors to London, the architect L. Rome Guthrie worked with Edcaster Ltd who had acquired the site in the 1920s. The construction used many contemporary American methods, with over 4,000 tons of steelwork in each of the two blocks and the interiors included running iced water to each room and en-suite bathrooms throughout. Incredibly, the entire building was started in 1927 and completed just two years later. The austere and, at the time, tall building was controversial

An insult to the good taste and aesthetic judgement of the citizens of the metropolis

As one letter to The Times claimed.

An external colonnade and stone attic pavilions were designed by Lutyens to refine the American styling of the crowning top storey.

2- GH Park Lane

From the start, there was a focus on accommodating American customers with one of the first American restaurants in London, the ‘Tudor restaurant’ serving American cuisine and there was even a sales office on Fifth Avenue. Visitors included Eisenhower, Sammy David Jr, Ella Fitzgerald and Jacqueline Onassis.

Hallowe'en Ice Carnival at Grosvenor House Hotel

The Great Room was originally designed as an Ice Rink and in 1933 the seven-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, learnt to skate at the hotel. But, as competition in London intensified, the rink was closed and converted to provide the largest hotel banqueting space in London.

Queen Charlottes Ball at Grosvenor House Hotel

The Hotel became the hub for London society, hosting the Queen Charlotte’s Ball, where debutantes were presented to the Queen each year until 1958. And, in 1934 A.O. Edwards, chairman of Grosvenor House (Park Lane) Ltd, purchased a de Haviland Comet, which he christened Grosvenor House, and entered in the MacRobertson Air Race to Australia. They won the race and celebrated with a dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel. The plane is still on show in the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden in Bedfordshire.

AT0E91 - World War II plane Grosvenor House Hotel London Park Lane

Grosvenor House also played a part in the Second World War when it was used partly as an Officer’s Mess and partly to provide a vast air raid patrol dormitory.

Grosvenor House Hotel London Park Lane as the USA Officers Mess World War II

Walking around the rooms there’s a great sense of history. Yet, the Hotel has been beautifully updated, fusing traditional and contemporary styling to provide today’s guests with light, comfortable surroundings. The rebrand, for the 80th anniversary of the Hotel in 2009, aimed to restore the hotel to an environment of simple elegance, while retaining many of the original features.

The Great Room - Grosvenor House Hotel London Park Lane

Stepping back through time as I walked around the Hotel, it was easy to imagine the debutantes stepping down the stairs into the Great Room. It’s an elegant and iconic building and I am grateful to have learnt more about its fascinating history.

23- Premium Park View Suite Bedroom lights off - Grosvenor House Hotel London Park Lane

 

Filed Under: Featured Post Tagged With: Hotel, London Hotel, Mayfair, Park Lane

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications. With a music degree and a background in marketing across many sectors, my passions include all types of music, food, restaurants, wine and travel

Comments

  1. RO=GER WEBB. says

    December 7, 2021 at 7:54 pm

    I WAS APPRENTICED THERE IN AUGUST 1962 IN THE SOUTH BLOCK BANQUETING & GRILL ROOM KITCHEN UNDER CHEF DE CUISINE RENEE L’BECQUE. I DID WORK BRIEFLY IN THE GRILL ROOM ( BURGHLY ROOM) & THE FIRST APPRENTICE TO CARVE ON THE COLD BUFFET & CARVING TROLLEY. FROM THERE I MOVED TO CLARIDGES KITCHEN UNDER CHEF MARCEAU & CHEF PATTISIERE ERNIE NEWMAN. HEREFORD & EALING HOTEL SCHOOLS WITH VICTOR CESSARANI. REGARDS Roger Webb GLEWSTONE, ROSS-ON-WYE.

    Reply
  2. Pamela Morse says

    June 2, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    I love the ice skating rink..what history. It would be a real pleasure for me to stay there, surrounded b history and elegance.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      June 2, 2015 at 3:03 pm

      I can see you there Pam;) You’d need a suite looking out over Hyde Park of course!

      Reply
  3. Stevie Wilson says

    June 1, 2015 at 3:40 am

    What a great history in this hotel and what a gorgeous place to stay!

    Reply

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