1936 On the Continent

London hotels; the constant movement and the Babel of tongues in its lounge are without parallel. The
Savoy
, opened in 1889, was the first luxury hotel in London, and its standard of luxury, unheard of elsewhere in those days, made it famous all over the world. It was the first hotel to install a separate bathroom for every room. Naturally, during its nearly fifty years of existence, the
Savoy
has undergone many changes, and its general character has also altered. To-day it is somewhat less expensive than the other great luxury hotels, and rooms may be had from £1 per day. Also it has acquired an artistic atmosphere, authors, actors and film people having chosen it as their rendezvous. It is no particular exaggeration to say that those who wish to make a career in the theatrical or film world in England must stay at, or at least frequent, the
Savoy
. The Savoy Grill and Restaurant are each evening crowded with people who count in these fields, and ordinary mortals may admire their favourite stars in the flesh, while at the same time enjoying the excellent international cuisine of the hotel.
    The modern Mayfair hotels also include the
Park Lane Hotel
and the
Hotel Splendide
, which are situated close to each other in Piccadilly.
    This does not by any means exhaust the number of Mayfair hotels. There is quite a number of small and what might be called old-fashioned hotels, which are no less distinguished than the gorgeous caravan-serais. These hotels have a purely English character, with open fireplaces in the public rooms and a strong personal note. They have regular patrons who remain faithful to them for decades and hand this loyalty down to their descendants. Perhaps the most typical of these hotels is
Brown’s Hotel
in Dover Street, where the present King of Greece lived during his exile.
Batt’s Hotel
, situated close by, is similar in character.
    The big hotels of somewhat greater age than the luxury hotels mentioned above include, in addition to the
Langham Hotel
, to which we have already referred, the
Victoria Hotel
in Northumberland Avenue (its neighbour, the
Metropole
, was closed down in 1936, after a long and worthy career), and the
Grosvenor Hotel
near Victoria station. At these hotels rooms may be had from 12s. 6d. per day.
    Other first-class hotels are the
Washington
in Mayfair and the
Waldorf
in Aldwych, near the Strand.
Popular Hotels
    The chain of hotels run by the largest catering concern in the world, J. Lyons & Co. Ltd., would require a separate chapter to themselves. They are not so “smart” as the luxury hotels, nor do they afford what is called a “good address,” but they offer the same comfort, we might almost say the same luxury, as the luxury hotels at half the price or even less. Thus, if you can emancipate yourself from the snobbery implied by insistence on a “good address,” which is, to be frank, still rampant in England, you will receive at these hotels everything that you expect from a perfectly organised and managed first-class hotel.
    These hotels provide for the middle class a standard of accommodation which was formerly only available to the privileged classes. The two older establishments of this type are the
Regent Palace Hotel
near Piccadilly Circus, and the
Strand Palace Hotel
in the Strand, while the newest is the
Cumberland Hotel
at Marble Arch. All these are standardised hotels with a standardised service and an impersonal note which attracts some people and repels others. The visitor is enabled to lose himself in the multitude, but he can never rid himself of the feeling that he is only one of the multitude.
    However, the most important thing is the fact that single rooms, with bathroom and an ample breakfast, may be had at the
Regent Palace
and
Strand Palace Hotels
for 9s. 6d. As both hotels have restaurant services corresponding to this basic price, visitors desiring modern comfort, and having no social obligations involving the choice of a particular class of hotel, may enjoy their stay in London at a comparatively low cost.
    The
Cumberland Hotel
, whose palatial white building was completed in 1933, dominates, together with the Regal Cinema, the whole of Marble Arch. It is one of the largest hotels in London, and each of its 1,000 rooms has a separate bathroom attached. Rooms, with a very ample breakfast, may be had—when they are available, which is rather rarely—at the low price of 11s. 6d.
    Every railway station in London, and particularly Victoria,