Research a hospitality facility development or refurbishment of your Paper

A hospitality facility development or refurbishment of your choice - Research Paper Example The banner â€Å"The Character of London† was successfully upheld through the hotel’s various refurbishment efforts to exude the luxury for the 21st Century. Hotel Savoy’s legacy of being the first luxury hotel in London was preserved with the renovations and series of changes they made to make the establishment more pleasing to the customer’s taste and according to environmental trends. Hotel Savoy History It all started with a piece of land given by King Henry II to Count Peter II of Savoy. There, Peter II built the Savoy Palace. The structure underwent several destructions especially that it was built at the time when Britain was at serious political strife. After few centennials, a theater in the same place was built by Richard D'Oyly. D'Oyly, a constant traveler, was inspired with the hotel he had seen in the United States, and this inspired him to transform the theater into London's first luxury hotel, the Hotel Savoy (Peck, 2010). Ever since Hotel S avoy became more than just the owner’s concept, it has been enjoying a celebrity-like status, just like their guests. Being the first hotel in London to offer electricity services and lift (then called as ‘ascending rooms’), the success became sensational that the most famous people in various fields never fail to drop in Hotel Savoy whenever they visit London. Notable figures who became frequent visitors of Hotel Savoy include Katherine Hepburn, Oscar Wilde, Coco Chanel, Bob Dylan, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, The Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more (Savoy, n.d.). A-list customers such as the above mentioned made the hotel legendary. Through the fast-paced changes, a good thing about the hotel’s management system is that it prioritizes customer satisfaction. In doing this, hotel staff and hoteliers were trained extensively to meet the discriminating customers. From bartenders to administrative staff, competence can be observed. Last 2007, the hotel was closed temporarily for an extensive overhaul and was reopened last year, complete with new features and more luxurious services (Anon., 2010). The Hotel’s Refurbishment After more than a centennial of luxury hotel service, Savoy’s owners decided to close it temporarily for refurbishment to take the hotel to a new level of elegance. In a report by Stinson (2007), owners of the hotel revealed that they plan to auction few of the items owned by the hotel such as the grand piano which Frank Sinatra once played when he was invited by the hotel some years ago, and the tiles of the ballroom which Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II danced on when they visited the place. The starting prices of auctioned items began with more than 200 pounds to as high as 1000 pounds or more. However, hoteliers assured that the hotel’s trademarks such as the figure of Kaspar the Cat and everything found in the American bar will not be sold to preserve the antique feel of the establishment (Stinson, 2007). Customers who are frequent in the hotel are not quite sure about the changes the management had decided because there might be a lot missing in the hotel and they might lose nostalgia of their previous visits; however, the hotel heads were assuring the customers that Savoy will still be recognizable. The Edwardian features and Art Deco style of the hotel would be maintained and developed. Financial analysts did not believe that the hotel’s timing in refurbishing the property is good, considering