Hotels are full of stories. Some are grand enough for the history books. Others were never meant to be recorded at all – whispered in a corridor, discussed over dinner, tucked away in a guest register or remembered by someone who worked there for 40 years.
A famous name may have slept in the bedroom. A marriage may have been celebrated downstairs. A political crisis may have begun over breakfast. A waiter may have known more about the prime minister than the newspapers did. And somewhere in the building there is usually a story that has been told so often that nobody has stopped to ask whether it is actually true.
That is what makes hotel history so fascinating.
I research the people, buildings and events behind historic hotels, with a particular focus on London’s luxury hotels. I look beyond the familiar anecdotes to original sources and the historical record – sometimes confirming the stories, sometimes discovering something rather different.
The result is not simply a history of a building. It is a way of looking at London, society, travel and changing ideas of luxury through the hotels that have witnessed them.
Brown’s Hotel, London
The official history of London’s oldest hotel. Step inside.
The Milestone Hotel, London
A study of a smaller luxury hotel and its place within Kensington’s development. Find out more.
Egerton House Hotel, London
How one man’s will provided the way to turn fields into finery.
The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
A new history exploring the development of the city’s most-iconic hotel, revealing tales of royalty, revelry and railways. Discover the stories.
More stories to discover
These hotel histories are part of a wider body of research into the people, places and changing world behind London’s luxury hotels and the golden age of travel. Explore the articles →
Or discover the hotels for yourself through my guided walks → and specialist hotel experiences.
