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Backstage at the Savoy: ReardonSmith Architects and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon offer an insider’s view of what it took to renovate one of the world’s most famous hotels.
By Mary Scoviak
When The Savoy closed for renovation in 2007, the project was scheduled to take 18 months and cost around $159 million. Three years and an estimated $350 million (give or take a little for currency fluctuations) later, the 268-room icon reopened its doors to show off a glamorous makeover by ReardonSmith Architects (London) and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon (Chicago, Paris). Like a beautiful ballet or a compelling play, the end result looks effortless. But, as with any artistic endeavor, the real magic played out in the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes excruciating work that went on behind the scenes.
As Conrad Smith, managing director of ReardonSmith, and Pierre-Yves Rochon did their first reconnaissance, it was clear to both that The Savoy wasn't exactly The Savoy any longer. “Some interventions done over the last 50 to 60 years did not stand up to the test of time. Is that a diplomatic way of putting it?” comments Smith, whose firm led the design teams. The moment they entered under the legendary marquee, they were struck by how out-of-touch the dark, heavy-looking entrance hall seemed—not only when viewed by a millennial eye but when assessed against the Edwardian and Art Deco influences that have long been the hotel's design signatures. But the look wasn't the only troubling feature. However many special memories this lobby engendered among locals and world travelers, its long reception desk and overall circulation pattern were more like a modern conference hotel than a world-class five-star. There wasn't much that carried on The Savoy's proud history of being an innovator (as in the first London hotel to have electric lights, elevators and 24-hour room service). “She isn't a museum,” says Smith. “Our client [Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which manages The Savoy] asked the design teams to bring the hotel back to its pre-eminence. Fairmont, Pierre-Yves Rochon and our team all understood that to mean we would take the best of the Edwardian and Art Deco periods rather than slavishly copying what was in the hotel and add ideas that would make The Savoy relevant for the 21st century.”
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