My 24 hours at The Savoy filmed by Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers
Happy Wedding Wednesday! To soften the blow as we all come down from our Valentine’s Day highs, I have an exciting post all about my epic, 24-hour takeover of London’s iconic five-star hotel, wedding and events venue, The Savoy.
I also have a rather extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime accompanying competition to win a night for two at the world-famous Savoy, so keep your eyes peeled at the end of this post to make sure you don’t miss out (seriously, this one’s a biggie!).
As I was given a rare, all-access pass to a world-famous institution and the epitome of the lap of luxury (special thanks to Charlotte Faith, the amazing PR manager at The Savoy who arranged this incredible experience), I had a lot of questions — and was, in turn, provided with a plethora of answers, so it’s worth perhaps brewing a cup of tea or coffee before you sit down to read this post as there is so much fabulousness to take in.
Accompanying me were award-winning wedding photographer, Claudine Hartzel and world-class wedding filmmaker, Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers. Huge thanks to both of them — for Adrian for his spectacular film right at the top and also the longer (and even more action-packed!) 5 minute version lower down in the competition section). And to the divine Claudine for capturing my stay with her fabulous photos throughout this post and on social media. Thank you to both of them for their excellent company!
A suite with a river view and a second-to-none butler service
On arrival, I checked into my stunning £1,600 a night one-bedroom Edwardian suite with a river view over the Thames, looking out onto London’s much-loved landmarks, where a sumptuous lunch was already laid out for us (as well as fabulous floral arrangements from Savoy Flowers and a Chocolate Delight, which you’ll have to watch the Facebook Live video to truly appreciate). I was then introduced to The Savoy’s head butler, the delightful Sean Davoren.
Suites at The Savoy come with an indescribable 24-hour butler service and now, having said that, I’m going to have to attempt to describe it in a way that does it justice.
Butlers at The Savoy represent a living, breathing definition of customer service. In fact, if you look up ‘customer service’ in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of a smiling Sean Davoren proudly presenting you with a lovingly arranged tray of all of your favourite things.
There’s nothing that a butler at The Savoy can’t manage. They will respond to any request within four minutes, from pressing the dress on your wedding morning to taking care of all the mundane details you don’t want to think about (kind of makes your other half seem obsolete, huh); from drawing you a luxurious, scented bath to sending up a selection of your favourite foods, whether on the menu or not — even packing for you, if you so desire.
This service came in extremely handy when, in all the excitement of getting glammed up for a night at The Savoy’s exceptional restaurants and bars, I actually forgot my pyjamas. It was only getting to bed, past midnight, that I realised.
Despite the antisocial hour, Sean immediately arranged for loungewear from the gym to be sent up to my room and saved the day!
To further illustrate my point: Sean was once asked to provide fresh-from-the-teat goat’s milk to fill a guest’s bath and sent a taxi all the way to Wales to collect it. How’s that for above and beyond?
Hear some more of Sean’s outrageously entertaining butler tales by catching up with our Facebook Live video below!
Facebook Live Tour of my Suite at The Savoy with Head Butler, Sean Davoren
Diverse, divine events spaces
I then spent a little bit of time getting fully acquainted with my suite. With its astoundingly comfortable bed with a horse-hair and cashmere wool mattress, two bathrooms (one for guests) and spacious, luxuriously Edwardian furnished living room, it was honestly like something out of a dream.
We were then shown around The Savoy’s sublime portfolio of wedding and event spaces by Victoria Coleman, the wonderful social events manager.
The Lancaster Ballroom. Image: Catherine Mead
It’s no surprise that I was blown away by the event spaces — from the recently refurbished and opened intimate VIP lounge space, The Landing (I actually can’t put into words how much I fell in love with it) to The Savoy’s iconic (I know I’m using that word a lot, but there really is no other way to describe it) Lancaster Ballroom.
Let your imagination run wild with The Savoy’s event spaces. Here the River Room takes on a lavish garden theme. Image: John Nassari
There’s something for every type of Jewish wedding small or large (and we mean large — the Lancaster Ballroom can host up to 380 for a sit-down meal and 800 people for a standing drinks reception).
With Bruce Russell at the helm, all your creative dreams can come true… The River Room decked out as a bedroom? No problem! Image: John Nassari
The Savoy has its own in-house kosher chef
…Which any Jewish couple knows is a huge weight off. Not only will it save on the hassle and expense of bringing in an outside kosher caterer, but it’s kosher catering with Savoy standards, so you know it’s going to be simply amazing.
The Lancaster Ballroom. Image: Catherine Mead
A trip down the river
Next, I was whisked away to The Savoy Pier for a trip down the Thames on the incredible Silver Darling, owned and operated by a family business that I really fell in love with, Silver Fleet.
On the boat with The Savoy’s PR Manager, Charlotte Faith (left) and Social Events Manager, Victoria Coleman (right)
It struck me just what a unique proposition this is — The Savoy has its own river entrance: imagine cruising down the Thames on your wedding morning on a luxury boat, soaking in all of London’s historic riverside sights, maybe having a tisch or even getting ready with your best gals before making the big day entrance of a lifetime! Where else can you do that?
Oodles of sparkles at Boodles
I couldn’t resist a visit to The Savoy’s in-house jewellers, Boodles. Boodles is a British-owned family business and saying it was sparkle central is the understatement of the century! I couldn’t resist and tried on a few of the sensational pieces. When in Rome (or, more fittingly, when at The Savoy)!
You can eye up more fabulous Boodles bling in the film at the end of the post, and take note of the engagement ring that 9 out of 10 grooms propose with when they enter Boodles and choose a ring on their own…
A live chat with Bruce Russell in the Royal Suite
I then headed up to the £14,500 a night Royal Suite. I’m not going to give anything away (other than it’s so spacious and luxurious that you could actually feasibly have your wedding in the suite itself) — it’s totally worth watching the Facebook Live video below to get a full impression of just how incredible it is.
My Facebook Live Tour of the Savoy’s breathtaking 2500 sq ft suite – The Royal Suite
As we arrived into the Royal Suite, I met up with my dear friend, internationally renowned planner, Bruce Russell, who heads up the team of divine wedding planners at The Savoy.
Bruce is known the world over for his spectacular, sky’s-the-limit approach to event design, and with so many opulent, yet relatively blank canvas spaces at The Savoy, his off-the-scale creativity really takes centre stage.
Live Wedding Q&A over afternoon tea
I had the opportunity to sit down with Bruce for afternoon tea and we livestreamed a really fun Facebook Live Q&A, which I’d encourage everyone who loves lavish weddings to take a few minutes to watch.
Smashing The Glass Facebook Live Wedding Q&A with Bruce Russell
An evening at The Savoy
Next we headed back to the suite for a little down time before enjoying our evening at The Savoy.
And then it was time to to get all glammed up…
…and head downstairs in The Savoy’s 128 year old famous Red lift.
Off-the-scale cocktails in The Beaufort Bar
After a spot of filming we headed over to the Beaufort Bar (gives us another reason to come back and try out the American Bar) for a masterclass in just how much cocktail mixing is a true art form. In fact, The Savoy is so famed for its cocktails that it wrote the definitive book on them!
I ordered The Impressionist (Cherry Marnier, Creme de Violette, artisan raspberry syrup, Louis Roederer Brut Premier and rose fog), which thoroughly lived up to its name, with its dramatic presentation. We also sampled the Pear & Liquorice Bellini, the Pan-American Highway… let’s just say, it was a late one.
For less seasoned drinkers, and, let’s face it, people with taste buds, there was a delicious range of high-end bar snacks. I just have to mention the beetroot and goat’s cheese macarons because they were simply heavenly — and, as they looked as good as they tasted, they were an Instagrammer’s dream…
A fantastic dinner in Kaspar’s Grill
We were then treated to a delectable feast at one of The Savoy’s two restaurants, Kaspar’s Grill (we’ll have to try out Gordon Ramsay’s The Savoy Grill next time).
Breakfast fit for a queen
After finally making it to bed, I literally had the best night’s sleep of my life. The next morning, I woke up to a pre-breakfast breakfast, full of a niche selection of my very favourite foods.
A little later on, my features writer, Sara, arrived for a breakfast meeting (there’s no limit to how much breakfast one person can enjoy at The Savoy) and we tucked into a luxurious, bespoke meal by the window, with eggs made to perfection
Then it was one last chance to take in the view before it was time to settle in to my bath, scented to perfection, and wave a fond farewell to my pinch-me-I’m-dreaming 24 hours in the lap of luxury.
To catch up with all of my antics at The Savoy, check out the hashtag #STGdoesTheSavoy – and also watch the longer film below for a more detailed narration (by yours truly!) of my incredible 24 hours.
Smashing The Glass’s 24 hours at The Savoy (the longer version!) filmed by Adrian Stone of The Dreamcatchers
The competition – win a night for two at The Savoy
Have I sold you on The Savoy yet? Does it sound like your idea of heaven? Great — because now you can win your very own overnight Savoy experience. The competition is open to Smashing the Glass readers across the globe, whether you’re already married, engaged or just dreaming of the future.
How to enter
To win a night in a Deluxe King bedroom with breakfast for two at Kaspar’s, simply complete the following three steps:
- Hop over and ‘like’ the Smashing the Glass Facebook page
- Share this Facebook post
- Come back and fill out the form below, which includes answering the following question (the answer to which can be found in the post above):
What is the name of the individual who heads up the team of wedding planners at The Savoy?
The closing date for entries is Friday 17 March 2017 at 11.59pm. Best of luck!
Fill in the form below to complete your entry
Terms & Conditions
- The promoter is Smashing The Glass, company registration number: 7627876, in association with The Savoy.
- The competition is open to all readers of Smashing The Glass, wherever you are in the world. However, the winner is responsible for making their own way to and from the The Savoy in London, UK.
- You do not need to be getting married to enter this competition.
- Only one entry is permitted per individual/couple.
- Employees of Smashing The Glass or The Savoy, their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter the competition.
- There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
- Closing date for entry will be 17 March 2017 at 23:59. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
- The rules of the competition and the prize for each winner are as follows: On 24th March 2017, one person will be selected at random and the winner will receive a one-night stay for two in a Deluxe King room with breakfast for two at Kaspar’s Grill. Any additional services requested beyond the aforementioned prize will be charged at The Savoy’s usual rates.
- Smashing The Glass & The Savoy reserve the right to cancel the competition.
- Smashing The Glass & The Savoy are not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
- The overnight stay is subject to availability and certain black-out dates may apply.
- The winner must claim their prize within 1 year of being notified.
- No cash alternative to the prize will be offered. The prize is not transferable or refundable
- Winners will be chosen at random (subject to correctly answering the competition question) by Karen Cinnamon of Smashing The Glass on 24th March 2017.
- The winner will be notified by email and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
- The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
- The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
- By providing your email address and entering this competition you agree to receive relevant email communications from Smashing the Glass, Boodles & The Savoy including news, events, offers and competitions. You may unsubscribe at any time.
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.
- You are providing your information to Smashing the Glass, Boodles & The Savoy and not to any other party.
- By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
NB. Images of Karen’s suite are not indicative of the prize
