Historic hotels around the world

Café Royal - Café Royal, London, UK The newly refurbished Café Royal on London’s Regent Street has recently opened six historic suites, inspired by the hotel’s illustrious past. Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill and David Bowie have all enjoyed drinks in the iconic Grill Room, which still exists today. The new rooms, which include the Empire Suite (pictured), Dome Room and Celestine Suite, are luxury incarnate: think gold-hued walls, grand windows and marble bathrooms in the style of the old building – one room even has a DJ booth.
Like your hotels with a backstory? Read on for more hotels steeped in history.

 Dorchester Collection - The Beverly Hills Hotel , California, US The list of people who have slept under the roof of the Beverly Hills Hotel, AKA The Pink Palace, reads like a who’s who of old Hollywood glamour. Elizabeth Taylor famously spent six of eight honeymoons here (when she stayed with Richard Burton they ordered vodka with breakfast), Marilyn Monroe’s favourite bungalows were numbers one and seven, and Raquel Welch was discovered lounging by the decadent pool area. Now you can get cosy in a cabana with pool snacks that include frozen peanut butter cups, mojito pops and mini soft serve cones.

Associated Press - Grand Hotel , Mackinac Island, Michigan As you approach Mackinac Island by boat you can see the Grand Hotel’s front porch – this is no ordinary porch. At 660 feet, it is considered to be the longest in the world. The hotel’s history goes way beyond its record-breaking credentials, though. It has hosted five US presidents – Clinton, Bush, Ford, Kennedy and Truman – and none of its 385 rooms are alike. Designed by New York interior designer Carleton Varney, it is American chintz at its best, with some rooms even named after presidents and first ladies. The real history buffs can book in for History Weekend, when the hotel’s historian/concierge will take you through the story of Mackinac Island, including when Mark Twain lectured in the hotel’s casino for $1.

 The Plaza - The Plaza , New York, US The Plaza, one of the Big Apple’s most iconic hotels, is all about grand, old-school New York decadence: guests are assigned butlers and the rooms are reputedly the biggest in the city. It’s no wonder that F Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, were regular patrons here. In fact, Fitzgerald borrowed much from the hotel – namely the hedonistic social scene of the jazz heyday – for his most famous novel, The Great Gatsby. In fact, earlier this year, in line with the film adaptation of the book, the hotel launched The Fitzgerald Suite. The art deco space, which was designed by Catherine Martin (who worked on the film and is married to its director, Baz Luhrmann), includes props and photos from the set, and has a lofty home on the 18th floor. If you want to keep in theme, try The Great Gatsby cocktails, brunch menu or afternoon tea.