Newly installed Italian chandeliers and an original imperial staircase dominate the grand entrance of the Grade II listed Edwardian Baroque OWO building.
History oozes from the walls of the former War Office in London’s Whitehall, the former workplace of Winston Churchill.
Once the beating heart of Britain’s military empire and home to some of the most important decisions in modern British history, the building now has a new future as Raffles London, one of the capital’s most exclusive hotels.
Eight years of painstaking renovations have completed the Grade II* listed Edwardian Baroque building. Located within the grounds of Whitehall Palace and a stone’s throw from Downing Street, the hotel brings a different kind of mystique that shakes up national secrecy as the first European store for the iconic Singaporean brand.
It’s a magical combination of building, location, name and Raffles.
fiona harris
Communications Director, Raffles London
“The building, the location and the name Raffles are a magical combination,” Fiona Harris, communications director at Raffles London, told CNBC Travel.
The hotel’s opening last month represented a full-circle moment for the Raffles brand, whose name and original location pay homage to Sir Stamford Raffles, the British diplomat who founded modern Singapore.
The building’s new owner, the Hinduja Group, bought a 250-year lease from the Ministry of Defense in 2016 and has expanded into a global conglomerate that started as a trading company in colonial India in 1914 and is now a global conglomerate. It has become.
CNBC Travel took part in the £1.4 billion ($1.7 billion) redevelopment tour. Here, we survey his 100-year transformation from administrative center of the British Empire to luxury residential area for foreign tourists visiting Britain.
Originally constructed for the British Army between 1899 and 1906, the vast OWO buildings served as the embodiment of imperial influence at its peak.
At the time, more than 2,500 British military men and women worked in the building’s 1,100 rooms and 2.5 miles of corridors.
The Grade II-listed Old Army Building was built in 1906 for the British Army and is based on the site of Whitehall Palace, home to several former British monarchs, including Henry VIII.
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Its grandeur remains today thanks to extensive renovations by EPR Architects, which have restored many of the building’s original features.
Inside the grand lobby, an Italian marble imperial staircase and two-tiered chandelier testify to the building, the birthplace of the British Secret Service and the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond series.
The new Italian-made chandelier, whose design is said to symbolize international trade, was carefully installed by a company that handles nuclear equipment.
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Above this, on the ground floor, is the balcony where Churchill addressed his staff, replacing the former offices of various political and military heavyweights, including David Lloyd George and Lord Kitchener.
“This building would have been filled with state secrets,” Harris said.
The former Army Secretariat was occupied by various political and military leaders, including wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill. A replica of his desk and bust are on display in the Churchill Suite.
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Churchill’s own office, which Harris called “the room where all the big decisions were made,” including his entry into World War II and the decisions behind the D-Day landings, has been given a new life as a suite. It is equally magnificent. A replica of the former Prime Minister’s desk and his bust are on display.
The Churchill Suites was rebuilt in honor of the building’s history by the late Thierry Despont, whose architectural accolades include the restoration of the Statue of Liberty in New York and the redesign of the interior of Manhattan’s residential skyscraper 220 Central Park South. It’s just one of the rooms imaged.
The hotel has 120 suites and rooms, including five historic suites that were former offices of politicians and military leaders, and eight corners named after famous women and female spies. It’s sweet.
Raffles London has 120 rooms and suites, including eight corner suites named after famous women and female spies.
raffles london
Meanwhile, deep underground, a three-story excavation expanded the building’s footprint by more than a third to 800,000 square feet and included a ballroom, 65-foot pool, and Guerlain Spa.
The addition of nine new restaurants run by multiple Michelin-starred chefs, including three by Argentina’s Mauro Colagreco, aims to enhance the hotel’s credentials as the city’s culinary capital. , three new bars aim to showcase the building’s unique history and location.
A 65-foot in-ground pool is at the heart of Raffles London’s four-storey spa. It features nine Guerlain treatment rooms and a gym.
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For example, guests at Guards Bar and Lounge can enjoy a prime vantage point to watch the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony while sipping on the London Sling ($29), a gin and cherry cocktail named after Singapore.
Those looking for more discretion can opt for the underground Spiber, located in an old interrogation room, where they can pay homage to the various spies whose secrets were hidden within its walls.
Run by Argentine Michelin-starred chef Mauro Colagreco, Saison is one of Raffles London’s nine restaurants and three bars. It is housed in the library where James Bond author Ian Fleming once wrote.
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Non-paying guests also have the opportunity to visit and tour the building on one of 11 open days per year as part of the Department of Defense lease.
“We’re turning that on its head,” Harris said of the building, which once required a security check to enter. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a millionaire or just want to meet your friends for coffee, everyone can join,” she says.
Staying at Raffles London can be quite pricey. A classic room at the hotel costs around £1,100 (approximately $1,340) a night, while a stay in one of the five most exclusive suites will set you back between £18,000 and £25,000 per night.
Those looking to stay forever can do so by budgeting over £8 million for one of 85 Raffles-branded OWO Residences. At the time of writing, around half of these units have already been sold to buyers from the US, China and the Middle East, but a five-bedroom penthouse priced at £100m is still available for pick up. It has become.
The Granville Suite’s luxurious bathroom features a roll-top bath named after British spy Christine Granville.
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The huge sum was paid at a time when the UK economy and many of its citizens remain under financial pressure amid high inflation. But Raffles isn’t the only company betting big on London’s luxury market.
In September, another £1 billion hotel, The Peninsula, will open in a corner of Hyde Park, and in the coming months, the Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood and Claridge’s new sister hotel, The Emory, will open in the next few months. All are planned to be opened as luxury hotels. A pocket of the capital.
The hanging, fragmented poppy art installation pays homage to the Royal Legion of British Legion, a charity for members and veterans of the British Armed Forces.
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Gopichand Hinduja, owner of OWO and chairman of the Hinduja Group, coincidentally bought the property in 2016 ahead of the Brexit recession, making this investment a long-term investment in the UK’s long-standing position as a luxury travel market. He said that it shows a certain charm.
“We’re not going in the short term,” Hinduja told CNBC in July. “The UK is an important country and everyone loves coming to London, whether it’s on holiday or on business.”
“We have transformed the place into a place of peace and solace,” Hinduja added about the OWO building. “It’s a unique and singular property and destination.”
The Granville Suite is one of five traditional suites at Raffles London, each of which previously served as offices for some of Britain’s most important political and military leaders.
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