Brown's Hotel

Brown's Hotel is a luxury hotel in Mayfair, London, established in 1837[1] and owned by Rocco Forte Hotels since 3 July 2003. It is considered one of London's oldest existing hotels.[2]

For other uses, see Brown's Hotel (disambiguation).

Brown's Hotel
Brown's Hotel is located in Central London
Brown's Hotel
Location within Central London
General information
Location33 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London
Coordinates51°30′33″N 0°8′33″W
Opened1837
OwnerRocco Forte Hotels
ManagementRocco Forte Hotels
Technical details
Floor count6
Other information
Number of rooms115
Number of suites29
Number of restaurants2
ParkingValet parking
Website
Brown's Hotel

History

Brown's Hotel was founded in 1837, by James and Sarah Brown. The architecture of the eleven Georgian townhouses which make up its premises means that each room is distinctly different from another. In 1889, the hotel was unified with the neighbouring St George's Hotel, as they backed onto each other and were eventually merged to allow for a throughway between Dover Street and Albemarle Street.

Historian John Lothrop Motley stayed at the hotel in 1874, as shown in a letter he wrote on 17 June that year, to Dutch historian Groen van Prinsterer.[3] Celebrated Victorian writers Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, JM Barrie and Bram Stoker were also all regular visitors.[4] The hotel was the location of the first successful telephone call in Europe, made by Alexander Graham Bell on a phone which can be seen in the hotel today. The hotel has also hosted Theodore Roosevelt; Napoleon III; Empress Eugenie;[4] Elizabeth, Queen of the Belgians; Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia; George II, King of the Hellenes; Cecil Rhodes; Rudyard Kipling; Agatha Christie; and Stephen King. While Brown's has been described as the inspiration for Christie's At Bertram's Hotel,[4] the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography says Christie's model was a different Mayfair hotel, Fleming's.[5]

The hotel came under the management of Rocco Forte Hotels on 3 July 2003, having once been operated by Raffles International Hotels. During 2004–2005, the hotel underwent a £24 million refurbishment and re-opened in December 2005.[4]

Interior

Brown's Hotel is noted for its traditional English Victorian sophistication fused with a contemporary feel.[4] The bedrooms were redesigned by Olga Polizzi and combine modern features with traditional furnishing, and are all individually decorated. The Kipling Suite is the hotel's largest, known as the setting for Rudyard Kipling's stays and some of his subsequent writings.[6][7]

The hotel has several restaurants and bars. Charlie's (formerly HIX Mayfair and Beck at Brown's) is an à la carte restaurant which serves seasonal British cuisine with contemporary European influence.[6] The Drawing Room, at the front of the hotel, has served afternoon tea and light snacks since the mid-nineteenth century; it features fine wood-panelling and Paul Smith décor.[8] The Donovan Bar is named after the British photographer Terence Donovan and is lined with over 50 black and white prints of his photographs.[4] The hotel also has a gymnasium and spa treatment rooms.[9]

References
  1. "Brown's celebrates its 175th anniversary". The Handbook. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014.
  2. "London's Most Historic Hotels". 15 December 2016.
  3. Nationaal Archief (National Archives), The Hague, Collection 043 Groen van Prinsterer, 1810–1876, access number 2.21.006.43, inventory number 124
  4. "BBC R4: Five Meet to Make Up Myths]".
  5. Morgan, Janet (October 2008). "Christie, Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa (1890–1976)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30926. Retrieved 25 November 2012. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  6. Hanly, Gavin (29 August 2019). "Adam Byatt takes over Brown's with Charlie's restaurant". hot-dinners.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  7. "The Kipling Suite, Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel, London - The World's Most Over The Top Hotel Suites | Departures". Archived from the original on 30 August 2016.
  8. "About Time: You Tried Afternoon Tea at Brown's Hotel".
  9. "Luxury Spa Experiences - Brown's Hotel - Rocco Forte". Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.

51°30′33″N 0°08′33″W

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