London hotel location

[Cotswold Eagle]

8 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

About a 15 minute walk down the Strand you find yourself at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese-- one of London's great preserved historic pubs.

Worth a visit, but not what it once was in my opinion. 
If I was staying in Bedford Street, I’d check out the Coal Hole in the Savoy buildings or the Nell Gwynne (up a little alley between the Adelphi and Vaudeville theatres on the Strand) as my locals 😀 

[princeton123211]

11 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I fear whenever Simpson’s reopens, it will not be the same, not least because they flogged off the fixtures and fittings in a two-day sale a few months ago (despite it being refurbished only three years before it closed in 2020).

That's disappointing to hear. 

[Globaliser]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:44 AM, Cotswold Eagle said:

I fear whenever Simpson’s reopens, it will not be the same, not least because they flogged off the fixtures and fittings in a two-day sale a few months ago (despite it being refurbished only three years before it closed in 2020). The writing was on the wall for me when it stopped doing what was one of the great London breakfasts when it reopened in 2017. I never went back 😂

No doubt they will give the space to some executive chef, but Ramsey has apparently said it’s not going to be him. 

 

Coincidentally, yesterday's Evening Standard mentioned Simpson's, so I had a look at what has been said. The person behind the revamp is Jeremy King (ex-Wolseley etc). In early November, he gave an interview to The Times, which reported:

 

The third element in King’s strategy — the regeneration of Simpson’s — is at a more embryonic stage. The restaurant dates to the mid-19th century and was famous for the roasts that were wheeled around on silver platters and carved tableside. “That will be more of a big-theatre brasserie,” he says. “But one that will very much hark on its tradition. I want people to walk in there and say, ‘Oh good, they haven’t changed it’, although it will have changed.”

If all goes to plan there will be a big restaurant downstairs, another upstairs, a basement bar and a private dining room. It could be a daunting proposition, but King seems excited, raring to get back to the business that he never intended to enter, but one that he has made unequivocally his own.

[Globaliser]

On 12/21/2023 at 9:20 AM, Globaliser said:

Coincidentally, yesterday's Evening Standard mentioned Simpson's ...

 

A long interview in tonight's Evening Standard brings good news:

 

Each of the projects offers him something different, he says. There is a sense he is saving Simpson’s, just as with past revivals of J Sheekey and The Ivy. “The Savoy [who own Simpson’s] were prepared to auction the chandeliers, the big old-fashioned banquettes in the Grand Divan, everything. All of that was going to go so somebody could have a fresh start. I said well, actually, I really want all those, so I’ve kept quite a lot of the fundamental stuff and we’ll build back up on that.” Even the trolleys? Especially the trolleys.

 

This has been a long time coming, too. Pitching to the Savoy he pulled out a newspaper from 2000 that had printed the rumour he was to be involved.

 

Previous revivals of Simpson’s have fallen a little flat, but King’s take is more ambitious. “I’ve thought long and hard about exactly how to operate it. There’s no question about the Grand Divan being the centrepiece of the place, and that will be open all day, with the trolleys and the beef and so on.

 

“But I want to really open it up, make it more accessible. There’s a room that wraps around the building, that used to be the ladies’ restaurant — women couldn’t go into the Grand Divan, historically — and it’s full of light. I want it to be a diffusion of the Grand Divan, which can be a bit intimidating. It’ll be cheaper, much more open.” He adds that his usual mantra — to “give people the opportunity to spend, but don’t make it mandatory” — will firmly be in place, and he will bring back the venue’s two bars, one of which has long been shut.

[princeton123211]

4 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

Previous revivals of Simpson’s have fallen a little flat, but King’s take is more ambitious.

They should study up on what was done at The Grill in NYC. Formerly the longtime landmark Four Seasons Restaurant complete with an original interior from Mies van der Rohe and all the original (landmarked) furniture. Essentially they reopened a refreshed version of the restaurant with a menu that harkened back to it's heyday. Spruced it up without changing what it represented. If the former Four Seasons had to go this at least was a reasonable replacement for long time regulars. 

https://thegrillnewyork.com/

 

7 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

and he will bring back the venue’s two bars, one of which has long been shut.

That's sort of fun-- I remember the small one upstairs (the last time I was at Simpsons they made little beef sandwiches at the upstairs bar with yorkshire puddings and it was fantastic). Where is the second "long shut" one? With two more bars you could literally do a full bar crawl to at least 5 bars and never actually leave the confines of The Savoy... what a time to be alive!

[onyx007]

On 11/18/2023 at 5:50 PM, erinsmom03 said:

We are looking for hotels that are convenient for sightseeing on our first trip to London, that won’t break the bank and have rooms that can accommodate a family of 3 adults. I’ve found a Travelodge at 10 Drury Lane, High Holborn, London, UK. We’ve never stayed at an Econolodge, tend to stay at Marriott brand hotels. Any one know about this hotel? Is the location good? Any other recommendations?

 

https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/318/London-Central-Covent-Garden-hotel?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GHA_Organic&utm_campaign=GHA_London Central Covent Garden

Wow, great location. Would have liked to know about "Travellodge" years ago; I always had a hotel way out of this part of the city...either North of Hyde Park or close to Victoria Station....

 

This hotel is just around the corner of the British Museum and Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the whole Theater District is in walking distance...

[erinsmom03]

On 2/8/2024 at 6:51 AM, onyx007 said:

Wow, great location. Would have liked to know about "Travellodge" years ago; I always had a hotel way out of this part of the city...either North of Hyde Park or close to Victoria Station....

 

This hotel is just around the corner of the British Museum and Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the whole Theater District is in walking distance...

Thanks! We ended up choosing a different hotel, The Resident Covent Garden location. Hoping we like the location, it seems to be great.

[onyx007]

20 minutes ago, erinsmom03 said:

Thanks! We ended up choosing a different hotel, The Resident Covent Garden location. Hoping we like the location, it seems to be great.

Also nice, be sure to check out Covent Garden next door itself and Trafalgar Square; the "National Gallery" is right at the square and free of charge to visit...

[erinsmom03]

2 hours ago, onyx007 said:

Also nice, be sure to check out Covent Garden next door itself and Trafalgar Square; the "National Gallery" is right at the square and free of charge to visit...

Thanks for the tip!