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Sofitel St James London, the capital’s newest five star hotel located in the heart of St James’ and Brasserie
Roux, creation of the world renowned chef, Albert Roux, were opened by The Rt Worshipful the
Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Harvey Marshall, and his wife, the
Lady Mayoress.
Following introductory speeches by Michael Flaxman, CEO of Accor in the UK,
and Roger Bright, CEO of The Crown Estate, Councillor Harvey Marshall
unveiled a three metre high glass panel engraved with details of the
building’s history and the plaque bearing his name.
The impressive glass structure is positioned at the entrance to the lobby
and is lit with fibre-optics, illuminating the story of this highly
prestigious and historical building.
Situated on the corner of Pall Mall and Waterloo Place, the 125,000 sq ft.
Grade II listed building is owned by The Crown Estate and was originally the
home of the bank Cox’s & King’s before becoming Lloyds Bank. It has since
been transformed into a luxury hotel by leading French hotel group Accor,
under their prestigious Sofitel brand. The opening marks Sofitel’s first
brand hotel in the UK, and is the first luxury French hotel to open in the
capital.
Brasserie Roux, the creation of the world-renowned chef, Albert Roux, will
be serving ‘new classic French cuisine’ at Sofitel St James London.
French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon has created a contemporary style
that preserves the neo-classic theme of the building, while highlighting and
respecting the strong roots of its British culture. The building’s
distinguished past is reflected in the hotel’s overall design and followed
through to the individual items of furniture and portraits taken from the
former boardrooms of Cox’s & King’s.
To encourage guests to experience a touch of French Art de Vivre, Sofitel
has extended a special opening rate of £195 per room per night, including
English breakfast, but excluding VAT until the end of August 2002. This
represents a 40 per cent saving off the normal superior double room price.
Over the past two years, Sofitel has become a benchmark for brand expansion
with prestigious openings in key international cities such as New York,
Philadelphia, Paris and Tokyo. The brand’s strategic development this year
includes the opening of over 10 flagship properties – Sofitel Silom Bangkok,
Sofitel Buenos Aires, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, Sofitel Cologne Am Dom,
Sofitel St James London, Sofitel Royal Lyon, Sofitel Montreal, Sofitel
Marrakech, Sofitel Palm Beach Marseille, Sofitel Venezia in Isola and
Sofitel Lafayette Square Washington D.C All these openings will highlight
the distinguished trademarks of Sofitel which focus on bringing an authentic
‘art de vivre à la française’ to hotel guests. These include a particular
emphasis on art, design and gastronomy, in-room amenities, floral
arrangements, and uniforms by French fashion designer Jean-Charles de
Castelbajac, as well as a library in every hotel and distinguished meeting
facilities.
Sofitel is the prestige brand of Accor hotels, with over 150 properties that
bring a unique « art de vivre à la française » to prime locations around the
world. |
