The Savoy Hotel: It's Electric!
- Paul Campbell
- Apr 9
- 11 min read
Have you ever stayed in a hotel? I imagine that most of you have. What sort of comforts do you expect? Most of us would be rather upset if there was no WiFi or TV, but most of us would manage. What if your room had no restroom? The front desk would hear about that, wouldn't they? At the bare minimum, we would expect there to be hot water and electricity!
While hot water, electricity, and a private restroom would be considered the absolute bare minimum for a hotel today, a hundred and forty years ago, these were considered the height of luxury and the peak of modern technology. While these weren't the only reason the Savoy Hotel was the best hotel in all of London, they certainly were a major part in what made the hotel such a grand attraction. If we imagine ourselves as wealthy tourists in London, we can begin to see what made the Savoy so irresistible.
A Night at the Theater—Sorry, Theatre
We would, of course, begin our night with a trip to the opera (or, as we say in Tennessee, the opry). The Savoy Theatre was one of the most prestigious operas of the day, presenting some of the most famous musicians, orators, plays, operas, and concerts. It rested in the heart of central London with views of the Thames River, nestled in an olfactory paradise a stone's throw away from a perfume factory.
The site also bore historical significance, being originally the location of the Savoy Palace, which had been a landmark since 1263. The palace itself changed hands—and purposes—several times, becoming first a pauper's hospital, then a prison. In 1864, six-hundred and one years since its original construction, a fire consumed the interior, leaving only the outer walls and one of the three chapels. Fourteen years later, in 1880, an entrepreneur named Richard D'Oyly Carte bought the property with plans to open a theater. By the theater's completion, he decided to keep Savoy in the name.
The Savoy Theatre opened the following year. D'Oyly Carte knew how to find talent. Both the designer of the theater, Walter Emden, and the designer of the hotel, Thomas Collcutt, had worked on similar buildings before, and both had an eye for the future. The Savoy Theatre was designed with sleek lines that exuded luxury without the gaudiness which most theaters were known for, though we might still consider it gaudy today.
There was another element that set the Savoy Theatre apart from its competition: It was the first building in London to be completely lit with electric lights. Other theaters often used gaslights for the seating areas and halls, while the stage itself was lit with calcium oxide—also known as quicklime. Quicklime produced a bright light that was perfect for illuminating stages, but it also burned hot. And yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, this is where the term 'limelight' comes from.
The Savoy instead implemented incandescent bulbs, invented by—not Thomas Edison, as you might assume—but Sir Joseph Swan. While Edison did improve the design of light bulbs, it was actually Swan who created the first commercially used incandescent bulbs in 1878, a full year before Edison. Swan received a British patent for his incandescent bulb in 1880 and created his own company, the Swan Electric Light Company in 1881, the same year that the Savoy opened. Two years later, Edison and Swan merged their companies into the Edison and Swan Electric Lighting company, or Ediswan. By 1893, when Gray Matter is set, the company had adopted a more familiar title: General Electric.
Since the Savoy Theatre and the Swan Electric Light Company opened in the same year, you can see just how innovative the usage of electric lighting was. While inventors had dabbled with electric light bulbs in the years leading up to 1881, most people had never seen them in person, and especially not on a commercial scale. To compare it to modern day, it would be the difference between seeing videos of Boston Dynamics robots tottering around in online videos and visiting a hotel that was entirely staffed by robots. The Savoy Theatre felt like stepping into the future.
Dining in Style
After the success of the Savoy Theatre, D'Oyly Carte decided to expand his venture and create a hotel with the same level of luxury, innovation, and timeless elegance as his theater. D'Oyly Carte not only had a vision for the future, but was an excellent talent scout and composer. Many of his plays and operas had featured his own music and talented artists that he actively promoted. This multi-layered approach at enterprise vastly increased his earnings, and in 1889, the Savoy Hotel opened next to the theater on a plot of land originally purchased to house the electric generators that powered the theater.
In our supposed journey to 1890's London, after our visit to the opera, it would be time for dinner. In Gray Matter, the second book of the Callahan Chronicles, my characters, Nick Callahan, Marcia Kenway, and Dorian Gray, breakfast at the Savoy. One of the main attractions of the Savoy Hotel was the in-house restaurant. It was an excellent place to eat and, by 1893, for many it was the only place to eat.
D'Oyly Carte had some difficulties in the first few months of the Savoy Hotel's opening, which is to be expected of any enterprise. Undaunted, D'Oyly Carte brought in a new hotel manager and hired the famous chef Auguste Escoffier to revitalize his restaurant. Escoffier was known as “the king of chefs and chef of kings” and made the Savoy the most popular dining establishment of the day, setting the standard for fine dining with the best of French Cuisine. Escoffier also instituted à la carte service, which was practically unheard of before the Savoy. Most basic restaurants had a set menu: Take it, or Leave it. Better restaurants had at best a few dishes from which you could select one course or another. The Savoy offered a full menu, much like modern menus, where you could select any of multiple dishes and pair it with any other dishes you liked.
Another great improvement was the Savoy's private wine cellar, housing thousands of rare and high-quality wines, appealing to connoisseurs and high-society guests. The Savoy was a place where even the most prominent figures in society could dine in peace, comfort, and luxury. In earlier times, restaurants were considered places where one would eat only when no better options presented. Restaurants primarily catered to working class bachelors who had no wife or maid to prepare their meals. Those who could afford to dine out regularly could often also afford a private chef—or several—and preferred to eat at home, surrounded by their own finery. The Savoy, thanks to Auguste Escoffier, changed all this. Escoffier even created specific dishes inspired by guests, like the Peach Melba, (made with poached peaches, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream) which was created to celebrate Nellie Melba, an Australian opera singer.
Another attraction opened at the Savoy Hotel in the 1890's which added to its appeal in the eyes of the wealthy and cultured: The American Bar opened its doors in 1893, featuring signature cocktails and mixed drinks which were becoming popular in cities like New York. The Savoy's huge selection of wines and rare liquors allowed it to create a wide number of specialty drinks designed for their aesthetic just as much as their taste. While James Bond would not have found his famous martini—shaken, not stirred—at the Savoy back in 1893, he might have settled for the Martinez, which most cocktail historians credit as being the precursor to the much more famous Martini. The American Bar even created some original cocktails of its own over the following decades, often with memorable names such as the Blood and Sand, the Corpse Reviver, and the Hanky Panky.
While many affluent Londoners would stop by the Savoy simply for an evening meal, many visitors to London spent the night—or several. For our imaginary visit to 1893 London, we will spend the night, as well.
Be Our Guest
The Savoy was not the only luxury hotel in London at the time. The Langham Hotel, acclaimed as Europe's first luxury hotel, had been the standard for luxury and modern convenience since 1865, but times were changing, and though both the Langham and the Savoy offered luxury, and both continued to offer excellence and decadence throughout the following decades, the Savoy featured the newest of modern technology. The Langham was no slouch in regard to modern technology. It's opening in 1865 featured gas-lighting and running water in every room, 600 fireplaces for ample heating, and hydraulic 'ascension rooms' (elevators) for easy access to its six floors.
The Langham and the Savoy had much in common. Both had elevators (though the Langham's were hydraulic and the Savoy's were electric). Both featured richly furnished rooms with high thread-count sheets, beds, and other furnishings designed for comfort rather than economy, and public areas where guests could mingle freely in relaxing luxury and the convenience of waitstaff. Both hotels had a restaurant that catered to the upper classes. Both took great steps to ensure that foreign guests could feel comfortable there, rather than expecting guests to adhere to the hotel's set mealtimes or practices. Both the Langham and the Savoy worked hard to meet every need and request of their guests. A veritable army of men were employed to provide 24-hour service. Guests could order dinner from the hotel's restaurant, have their coach brought round to the front, call a hansom cab, or any number of other requests at any time of the day or night, all from the comfort of their rooms via speaking tubes.
In 1865, this was considered the pinnacle of luxury but, by 1890, the Savoy had twenty-five additional years of innovation to implement.
Every Modern Convenience (except Wi-Fi)
The Savoy Hotel, like the Savoy Theatre, was entirely lit with electric lights. Incandescent bulbs had no open flame. If they malfunctioned, there was no risk of a gas leak. While the very first light bulbs had a lifespan of only about 40 hours, thanks to improvements made by Edison, that lifespan was increased to 1,200. In comparison, modern incandescent bulbs only last around 1,000—even less than Edison's! Technology quickly developed to more than double this lifespan, but in the 1920's, light bulb manufacturers decided collectively to cap the longevity of their bulbs to control the market and ensure consistent sales. However, this dastardly group, known as the 'Phoebus Cartel,' is not the focus of this blog, but is only mentioned to provide an example of just how reliable electric lighting was, even before the turn of the new century.
The Savoy had their own steam-powered coal generators to power their lights, but also to run their steam-powered heating system. Rather than relying on gas fireplaces, which also risked explosions and fires, the Savoy implemented a vast network of pipes to carry steam to radiators in each room. Steam radiators had been around since 1855, but it is likely that the Savoy helped to popularize them and familiarize the public with their convenience and reliability. Steam radiators were not only safer, but allowed the guests significantly more control over the temperature of individual rooms by the use of levers, which adjusted the amount of steam allowed into the radiators. In the summer, the coal generators produced enough electricity to not only illuminate the grand hotel, but also provide power to electric fans for cooling. It wouldn't be considered 'air-conditioning' in the modern sense, but a wonderful leap forward in the science of temperature control.
Another wonderful feature which the coal generators produced was—not only running water—but running hot water. Guests had a practically unlimited supply of hot water that would not have to be heated in the fireplace or carried up from the kitchen. Luxury, indeed!
The majority of rooms in the Savoy's eleven floors also had... their own bathrooms! The Langham, in contrast, did not offer private bathrooms. While running water and indoor plumbing had been around for some decades, by the 1890's, most people still used chamberpots instead of toilets, and even those who used toilets often kept them in a separate room from where they did their washing, bathing, and shaving. The Savoy combined the Victorian washroom with the Victorian water-closet to create the modern bathroom as we know it! While the Langham had enough restrooms to compete with modern-day Buc-ees (about 100 toilets), these would have been shared by any guests within the 380 rooms, while almost all of the Savoy's 268 rooms had their own private bathroom. It is no wonder that the Savoy became the new standard in luxury.
There was one other fascinating innovation which the Savoy implemented: the telephone. Though telephones were not as strikingly recent as the light bulb, they hadn't been around long. It was not until 1877 that the first phone call took place in Britain, just twelve years before the Savoy opened. Richard D'Oyly Carte immediately saw the potential. While others might have viewed the telephone as something in the far off future, impractical until becoming more widely implemented, D'oyly Carte installed his own telephone exchange in the Savoy. In the dawn of the telephone age, these switchboards were completely manual, and no widespread electrical grid had been implemented to power them. Much like the telegraph offices before them, small exchanges were run on batteries, while larger exchanges required coal-powered generators. (For my blog on the history of the telegraph, click here). The Savoy, already generating its own electricity, was in the perfect position to add telephones to its list of state-of-the-art innovations.
The Savoy not only catered to the upper class man, but to women as well. In the Victorian era, women rarely ventured out alone. They were expected to have some type of male escort for long trips. Hotels were primarily a man's domain. An unaccompanied woman entering a strange hotel could put herself at risk of physical assault, robbery, or, at the very least, the tarnishing of her reputation. While this might not be a large problem today, men and women in the Victorian era made great efforts to maintain a respectable character, and any stain upon one's reputation could have lasting and painful consequences both in their personal and professional lives. The Savoy's reputation and high standards made it a safe and respectable place where women could stay in safety, and without any doubts that their needs and privacy would be respected—if they could afford it.
The Savoy catered primarily to the upper class. Dining was a formal affair and became an excellent place to take an afternoon tea or a dinner. If one wanted to rub shoulders with the rich and famous—or if one wanted to show off just how rich and famous one was—the Savoy’s opulent lounges were the perfect location. Afternoon tea became a fashionable event for London’s elite, combining fine teas with delicate pastries and finger sandwiches. The covered court was specially designed to allow large carriages to deliver guests under cover, sparing the expensive suits and dresses of the elite from London's often inclement weather. Everything that could be one to make guests' stays as carefree as possible was done, but such attention did not come cheap.
Mid-range hotels at the time cost around 2-4 shillings a night. There were, naturally, even cheaper places to stay, but this was because you could split your bill with the rats, fleas, and bedbugs that shared your room. The Langham Hotel cost nearly twice the average, at around 8 shillings a night. The Savoy was closer to 12 shillings for an ordinary room, and 2-3 pounds (40-60 shillings) for a suite. Adjusted for inflation, the modern price would be about ₤100 a night for an ordinary room (or 2,000 shillings)—about 167 times more expensive. Ouch.
But that's not the painful part. You can still rent a room at the Savoy Hotel today! However, instead of the ₤100 that reflects the adjusted rate, the cheapest room the Savoy offers (as of March 2025) is in fact... ₤635 per night for a queen-sized room (over 1,000 times higher than the original price, and over 6 times higher than the 'adjusted for inflation' estimate).
For a king-sized bed with a view of the Thames, you'll need about ₤1,200 a night (about $1,500). But then, what else would you expect from a man who purchased his very own private island just southwest of London in the Thames River, and built a private mansion on it? What can I say? Richard D'Oyly Carte had expensive taste.
These blogs are designed to give you a brief look at the true history which plays a part in my novels, The Callahan Chronicles.
For more information on The Savoy Hotel or the Callahan Chronicles, check out these links:
The Callahan Chronicles - by Paul Campbell
Gray Matter - buy on Amazon
The Savoy Hotel - by Historic Hotels Worldwide
Book a room at the Savoy! (or stay somewhere cheaper and donate your savings to help me write more novels)
Edison and Swan: Lighting a Revolutions - by American History
Joseph Wilson Swan - by Dr. William B. Ashworth Jr.
D'Oyly Carte's legacy - The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
Photographs and three newspaper articles from 1881 regarding the Savoy Theatre's construction and opening.
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