Annual London walk: the secrets of London's luxury hotels

With more than 20 annual London walks under our belt, it can reliably be said that the high standard of London Walks guides continues. And this time it was none other than Andy (aka Andy Hotels) who is the resident historian of Brown’s Hotel, the oldest luxury hotel in London. He’s written a very fine book on Brown’s. And indeed another gem of a book on the Savoy Hotel. Main thing, though, is he was born to be a great guide. He’s warm, he’s friendly, he’s funny, he’s laid back, he’s super bright, he’s passionate about his subject, he’s a great raconteur, he knows things other people don’t know. So no surprise then that he’s the go-to expert for television documentaries and radio interviews on the subject.

Meeting at Green Park on the edge of Mayfair, we heard the history of the Ritz Hotel before moving onto Brown's Hotel, now a Rocco Forte hotel, the historic five-star luxury hotel located at 33 Albemarle Street. After exploring the histrory of other hotels as we passed by, our final stop was the Savoy Hotel built in 1889 by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte where we said goodbye to Andy and at least four of our party returned to Brown's for a well-earned lunch.

Always a popular event, we are aleady thinking about what next year's walk will be. Watch this space.