1936 On the Continent

open-air restaurant. The
Dorchester
belongs to the Gordon Hotel Company, and was built in 1929 at a cost of £1,750,000. Prices range from 30s. per day.
Claridge’s
    Many people, particularly members of the aristocracy, declare that there is only one hotel for them, and that is
Claridge’s
, which, they hold, is one of the three best hotels in the world.
Claridge’s
can look back on a past of exactly 130 years, though it only achieved world fame far more recently under the management of Mr. Claridge, a famous pioneer of the hotel industry. To-day
Claridge’s
belongs to the same concern as the
Berkeley
and the
Savoy
, but retains its own distinctive character.
    It is the most exclusive of London hotels, comparatively small, and, in addition, comparatively hidden, as though to show that the establishment has no use for chance patronage. Although it would be an exaggeration to say that it is impossible to obtain accommodation at
Claridge’s
without a special recommendation, it is nevertheless a fact that this hotel, which has no single rooms but only suites, pursues a strongly selective policy. Afternoon tea at
Claridge’s
is a favourite social rendezvous, but dinner time is reserved mainly for visitors staying at the hotel, or for those who wish to spend their evening in dignified peace.
    Nearest to
Claridge’s
as regards character is the
Berkeley Hotel
, on the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, the interior of which was entirely reconstructed and soundproofed by the latest methods in 1936. Here, too, a strong social differentiation is observable, but whereas
Claridge’s
is almost entirely international, the
Berkeley
is distinctly English in tone. The restaurant is independent of the hotel, and is famous both for its cuisine and its entertainment programmes. As a concession to the trend of the times, two inexpensive sections have been added to the very exclusive, and correspondingly expensive, restaurant.
    Prices at all these hotels, and also at the following, are approximately on the same level.
    The eight-storey building of the
Ritz Hotel
, which is built somewhat after the French style, dominates one of the finest corners in Piccadilly, and is also in the front rank. On one side its windows overlook the busy Piccadilly, and on the other the restful Green Park. Under its colonnade there is a number of exclusive shops.
The Ritz and the Carlton
    The importance of the
Ritz
in the social life of London is evidenced by the fact that members of the Royal Family have frequently dined there or attended the entertainment programme. In particular, ex-King Edward VIII and his friends, as well as the Duke of Kent, were practically regular patrons of the
Ritz
.
    In the same class, though situated outside Mayfair, is the
Carlton
, a quiet, distinctly conservative hotel built in 1839, which refuses to make the least concession to the new style of hotel entertainment, and caters particularly for those who appreciate quiet comfort in dignified surroundings. Many famous statesmen and diplomats have stayed at the
Carlton
. The hotel is within a few hundred yards of Piccadilly Circus, but takes its tone not from the noise and movement of the latter but rather from the quiet and exclusive Pall Mall.
    The
May Fair Hotel
, which occupies the site of the historic Devonshire House, has an atmosphere of up-to-date elegance.
Grosvenor House
, whose architecture has provoked a great deal of criticism, also occupies an historic site, that of the former town house of the Dukes of Westminster. Many English people regard it as “too American,” and, indeed,
Grosvenor House
represents a transition between a block of luxurious service flats and an hotel. Its dances and midnight cabarets are also attended by the “cream” of Society.
    The
Hyde Park Hotel
, Knightsbridge, is very beautifully situated amid wide stretches of lawn in Hyde Park. Its tall towers are visible for miles, and are one of London’s landmarks. The
Hyde Park Hotel
is a very quiet establishment, without any entertainment programme, and is particularly favoured by diplomats, owing to its nearness to the diplomatic quarter in Belgrave Square. Thebuilding was erected in 1890, originally as London’s first block of service flats, and was converted into an hotel in 1900.
Rendezvous of Artists
    The
Savoy Hotel
, situated between the busy Strand and the Thames Embankment, has a character of its own. It is undoubtedly the busiest, most animated, most international of