The Athenaeum | |
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General information | |
Location | 116 Piccadilly London, England W1J 7BJ |
Coordinates | 51°30′17″N0°8′51″W / 51.50472°N 0.14750°W |
Opening | 1973 |
Owner | Sir Richard Sutton Estates |
Management | Ralph Trustees Limited |
Design and construction | |
Developer | Rank Organisation |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 162 |
Number of restaurants | 1 |
Parking | none |
Website | |
Athenaeumhotel.com |
The Athenaeum is a family-owned [1] five-star hotel overlooking Green Park in Piccadilly, London.
Hope House was built at 116 Piccadilly in 1849–1850 by Henry Pelham-Clinton, the 6th Duke of Newcastle. The name Athenaeum first appears around 1864 when the house was bought by the Junior Athenaeum Club.
The site was redeveloped in 1937, with the construction of an art deco apartment block, the Athenaeum Court. [2]
In 1971, The Rank Organisation purchased the Athenaeum Court, gutting and rebuilding it and reopening it as The Athenaeum Hotel in 1973. Through Rank's direct links to Hollywood the hotel attracted guests including Steven Spielberg, Marlon Brando, Harrison Ford, Lauren Bacall, Liza Minnelli and Warren Beatty. Rank encouraged the stars of its films (including Elizabeth Taylor) to take up residence at the hotel whilst working on projects in England. The Hollywood Reporter observed that there were more movie stars to be seen in London's Athenaeum than in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
For over twenty years Sally Bulloch was the Executive Manager. [3] [lower-alpha 1]
The current General Manager Joanne Taylor Stagg took over in 2019 [4]
In 1992, the Athenaeum was purchased by Ralph Trustees Limited, a family-run business who also own The Grove in Hertfordshire and the Runnymede Hotel & Spa near Windsor. More recent celebrity guests include Kim Kardashian and Mel B.
The Athenaeum's postcode is W1J 7BJ, right in the heart of Mayfair. The nearest tube station is Green Park. [5]
The Hotel has a dedicated Kid's Concierge service which takes care of children's needs and helps families to plan itineraries. The Athenaeum also provides age-appropriate toys to children upon arrival. [6]
The hotel has 5 red stars and 2 red rosettes from the AA. [7]
The website travelandleisure.com put the Athenaeum in its list of the 500 best hotels in the world in 2008. [8]
Afternoon Tea at the Athenaeum has received an Award of Excellence from the UK Tea Guild for Top London Afternoon Tea 2008. [9]
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world.
Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from Mayfair to the east. The road has a number of historically important properties and hotels and has been one of the most sought after streets in London, despite being a major traffic thoroughfare.
Piccadilly is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, Heathrow Airport and the M4 motorway westward. St James's is to the south of the eastern section, while the western section is built up only on the northern side. Piccadilly is just under 1 mile (1.6 km) in length, and it is one of the widest and straightest streets in central London.
Jeremy Andrew Bulloch was an English actor. In a career that spanned six decades, he gained recognition for originating the physical portrayal of Boba Fett in the Star Wars franchise, appearing as the character in the films The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Bulloch returned to the franchise for a cameo as Captain Colton in 2005's Revenge of the Sith.
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The Junior Athenaeum Club was a gentlemen's club in Piccadilly, London, from 1864 to the 1930s, with similar aims to the Athenaeum Club.
Jamie Bulloch is a British historian and translator of German literature.
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