| The Berkeley | |
|---|---|
 | |
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  Location within Central London | |
| General information | |
| Location | Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′7.2″N0°9′21.96″W / 51.502000°N 0.1561000°W |
| Opened | 1867 |
| Owner | Maybourne Hotel Group |
| Website | |
| www.the-berkeley.co.uk | |
The Berkeley is a 5-star hotel, located in Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. The hotel is owned and managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, which also owns Claridge's and The Connaught in Mayfair, London.
Located on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, it was the base for 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 Grill, was a fixture of London nightlife in the 1920s and 1930s and appears in several novels of the period, such as Dennis Wheatley's Three Inquisitive People, written 1932 but not published till 1940.[ citation needed ] He also is mentioned in P. G. Wodehouse's 1931 novel, Big Money, some of which takes place at the Berkeley.
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 was also unique in that it was London's only hotel with a rooftop swimming pool until well into the 21st century. The Berkeley's top floor, its seventh, also houses its Bamford Haybarn Spa, which debut in 2013. [2]
In the 1980s, Madame Somoza, had become a frequent customer at the restaurant and even Queen Elizabeth used to lunch with friends. [3]
In the winter months Health Club & Spa transforms its rooftop 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. [4]
In 2005, The Savoy Group, including The Berkeley, was sold to a group of Irish investors. The sale of The Savoy Group led to the Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre being sold off and the remaining properties, including the Berkeley, being renamed as the Maybourne Hotel Group. [5]
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 signature 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. [6] Koffmann's at The Berkeley closed on 31 December 2016. [7]
Marcus Wareing headed the Michelin 1 star-rated "Marcus", which in 2010 replaced Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred Pétrus restaurant. It closed permanently on 26 December 2023.
The Collins Room, which has been described as "elegant but unfussy", [8] serves afternoon teas, and, in particular, is home to Prêt-à-Portea cakes and pastries inspired by the latest collections of leading fashion houses. [8] Prêt-à-Portea specialty items change every six months to reflect the changes of seasons; the designer brands they commemorate may include such labels as Hermès, Loewe or Kenzo. The afternoon tea menus also feature various savoury items, and an extensive tea list. [8]
The Blue Bar was designed by Dublin architect David Collins, and is decorated entirely in Lutyens Blue, a colour he created in honour of Edwin Lutyens. [9] 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. [10]
The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners.
Gordon James Ramsay is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds seven. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001. After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Ramsay became one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the world.
Claridge's is a 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. Claridge's Hotel is owned and managed by Maybourne Hotel Group.
Maybourne is a Qatari-owned British luxury hotel operator, which owns and manages The Berkeley, Claridge's and The Connaught hotels in London, The Maybourne Beverly Hills in Los Angeles and The Maybourne Riviera in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
The Connaught is a five-star luxury hotel, located on the corner of Carlos Place and Mount Street in Mayfair, London. The hotel is owned and managed by Maybourne Hotel Group.
Marcus Wareing is an English celebrity chef who is currently Chef-Owner of the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Marcus in Knightsbridge. Since 2014, Wareing has been a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals.
The Cateys are a UK award ceremony for the hospitality industry, first held in 1984. They have been described as the hospitality industry's equivalent of the Oscars. Recipients are nominated, selected and awarded by the industry through The Caterer magazine.
Stuart Gillies is an English chef and former CEO of the Gordon Ramsay Group, appointed in 2016 after working as managing director for the group from 2011.
William Curley is a Scottish patissier and chocolatier. Curley is the owner of the London chocolate company William Curley Ltd., and has won the Academy of Chocolate's 'Britain's Best Chocolatier' Award four times. In 2012 William became a member of the prestigious pastry association Relais Desserts.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, is a five-star hotel, located in the Knightsbridge area of London, owned and managed by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Housed in a historic, Edwardian-style building, the hotel originally opened in 1908 as the Hyde Park Hotel and in 1996 the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group purchased the property and conducted a full renovation, consequently re-opening in May 2000.
Pierre Koffmann is a French professional chef. He was one of a handful of chefs in the United Kingdom to have been awarded the coveted three Michelin stars at his restaurant La Tante Claire in London. Until December 2016, he was the head chef of Koffmann's at The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, London.
La Tante Claire was a restaurant in Chelsea, London, which opened in 1977 and 1998. Owned and operated by Pierre Koffmann, it gained three Michelin stars in 1983, and held all three until the restaurant moved premises in 1998. It was sold to Gordon Ramsay for his flagship restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.
Paddy (Patrick) McKillen is an international hotelier, property investor and businessman.
Pétrus is a restaurant in London, which serves modern French cuisine. It is located in Kinnerton Street, Belgravia and is part of Gordon Ramsay restaurants owned by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's Gordon Ramsay Restaurants Ltd. It has held one Michelin star since 2011, and 3 AA Rosettes.
David Collins was an Irish architect who specialised in designing the interiors of bars and restaurants in London.
Angela Hartnett at The Connaught, also known as MENU, was a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings and run by chef Angela Hartnett. It was located within The Connaught in Mayfair, London. The restaurant was opened following Ramsay's successful opening of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, within the Claridge's hotel, which is owned by the same equity group. Ramsay had originally been asked to move Restaurant Gordon Ramsay into the space, but suggested that Hartnett should run a new operation there instead. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in the 2004 guide and held it until it closed in 2007.
The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, also known as The Restaurant, Restaurant Marco Pierre White and later Oak Room Marco Pierre White, was a restaurant run by chef proprietor Marco Pierre White. The Restaurant was opened at the Hyde Park Hotel, London, on 14 September 1993, after White left his previous restaurant, Harveys. Following the move, the kitchen staff was more than doubled in number, and White used Pierre Koffmann's La Tante Claire as a template to pursue his third Michelin star. This was awarded in the 1995 Michelin guide. White then moved the restaurant to the Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel, London, in 1997, taking on the listed Oak Room as the main dining room. He sought a further rating of five red forks and spoons in the guide, to gain the highest possible rating for the restaurant. It gained this award in the following guide.
51°30′07″N0°09′22″W / 51.5020°N 0.1561°W
