10 legendary hotels that have hosted the rich and famous
Agatha Christie, Oprah, Jacqueline Kennedy and Winston Churchill are just some of the notable guests that have stayed at these historic properties.
Agatha Christie, Oprah, Jacqueline Kennedy and Winston Churchill are just some of the notable guests that have stayed at these historic properties.
1. Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe
This grand dame, opened in 1904 in what was then the British colony of southern Rhodesia, could do with a facelift but who doesn’t love a spot of shabby chic decor. Guestrooms have had an upgrade and technology has landed with fast wi-fi, flat-screen TVs and bedside lighting. Beyond these 161 chambers over several wings, Stanley’s Bar, surely inhabited after dark with the ghosts of pontificating British colonels, serves the expected snifters; there’s spiffing afternoon tea on the terrace and in parquet-floored salons, and big buffets at Jungle Junction. Hallways surely are wide enough for carriages to pass and those thundering falls are within walkable distance.
Also try: The Bronte Hotel in the capital, Harare.
2. Raffles Le Royal Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Dating back to 1929, there are hallmarks of its famous Singapore sibling’s distinctive architecture at this less fabled property. Expect charm by the bucketload across the original spaces and two sympathetically styled wings, opened in 1996, have been seamlessly integrated. Suites are named for former guests, including Charles de Gaulle and Somerset Maugham. Think four-poster beds, high ceilings, well-chosen Khmer antiques, and hallways lined with historical prints. Dine in style at Le Royal or tarry in the atmospheric Elephant Bar over a Femme Fatale cocktail named for Jacqueline Kennedy, who popped by in 1967. Happy hour is an encouraging 4pm-9pm.
Also try: Pavilion Phnom Penh.
3. Sofitel Winter Palace, Luxor, Egypt
This grand property right by the River Nile has long been a favourite of the rich and recognised. But an accommodation refurb is sorely required, and the Accor management group needs to get cracking. My recent stay came with a spot of Fawlty Towers nuttiness, including a lack of hot water and mere trickle of a shower. Nonetheless, the guestroom was huge, with a French-style balcony and long view down an immaculate garden planted with palms and flowering vines. Recommended for Agatha Christie fans; the so-called “countess of crime” was in residence in the late 1930s penning Death on the Nile.
Also try: Marriott Mena House, by the Pyramids of Giza, Cairo.
4. Galle Face, Colombo, Sri Lanka
A Dutch villa on this seafront site beside the acreage of Galle Face Green was acquired by British businessmen in 1864 and expanded over the next three decades to the landmark property in place today. The North Wing was upgraded in 2015 and offers the superior accommodation options. Drop into the Travellers’ Bar for a serve of history, although ghosts of yesteryear might baulk at a watermelon vodka-tini. There’s a small museum (a motor vehicle owned by Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh is a star exhibit) and the roster of past guests includes Richard Nixon, Indira Gandhi, Don Bradman, Roger Moore and Yuri Gagarin.
Also try: The Aman group’s superbly restored Amangalla at Galle.
5. The Imperial, New Delhi, India
Opened in 1936 on Janpath, the city’s fabled artery, and still standing in colonial splendour amid manicured gardens swooped by parakeets, this classic pile is home to, among other Raj-era acquisitions, a massive collection of artwork. Staying here feels like being in a TV mini-series peopled with sahibs and memsahibs and the prospect of a lot of G&Ts and lying down in the afternoons. The hotel is immaculately maintained, and its history chronicled in documents and paintings displayed along cavernous corridors with almost museum-like detail. Read up on Nehru, Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten and the cruelly conceived process of partition before a stay.
Also try: The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata.
6. Country Club Lima Hotel, Peru
The Spanish were busy in the 16th century conquering Peru and dealing with the Incas and, for better or worse, left behind a strong architectural legacy. The capital is home to this unlikely “country club” set in abundant grounds. The odd name harks to the golf club across the way, while the oasis-like hotel, immensely popular with the city’s ladies who lunch and take afternoon tea, is a lemon and white confection built in 1927 and now designated a cultural monument. There are high-ceilinged boudoirs, a wood-panelled English Bar and a sprawling layout that mimics Singapore’s fabled Raffles, complete with colonnades and potted greenery.
Also try: The historic Belmond Hotel Monasterio, Cusco.
7. Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
Affectionately dubbed the Nellie, this well-kept old dame was the first hotel to offer hot and cold running water in South Africa when it opened in 1899. One of the first guests to stay there was a youthful Winston Churchill, who was then a foreign correspondent reporting on the Anglo-Boer War. More recent celebrity aficionados include Bono and Oprah Winfrey. Now a member of the Belmond portfolio, there are 198 rooms and suites, vast country-style gardens and panoramas of Table Mountain. As expected, high tea comes via traymobiles rattling with silver stands of crustless sandwiches and warm scones. Its latest accolade is position 28 on the World’s 50 Best Hotels list, 2024.
Also try: Cape Heritage Hotel.
8. The Majestic, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
This is not a pure example but a most intriguing place to stay. Built in 1932 with just 51 rooms, it’s an odd hybrid of styles, with art deco touches and neo-classical design elements. Faded and near forgotten by the 1970s in favour of the capital’s expansion into high-rise hotels, The Majestic was saved from demolition and gazetted under a government heritage act. From 1984-98 it became a temporary home to the National Art Gallery and is now firmly back in business, stylish and comfy but not too ultra-shiny. Eschew the 15-storey Tower Wing, added in 2012, in favour of an original chamber.
Also try: Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang.
9. The Fullerton, Singapore
The fabled Raffles is the most obvious example in this city-state but there’s atmosphere aplenty at this imposing conversion of the 1928-built, heritage-protected general post office. It looks as grand as a fortress with an imposing neoclassical facade, decorative cornices, imposing Doric columns, vast public spaces and soaring ceilings. Choose from an inventory of 400 rooms with categories that include loft styles, options with courtyards or suites with terraces. Sister property Fullerton by the Bay offers a contemporary alternative of waterfront accommodation.
Also try: Goodwood Park Hotel, opened as a club in 1900, or gloriously refurbished Raffles, with six spacious suite categories.
10. The Peninsula Hong Kong
Still lauding it over the Kowloon waterfront, this regal hotel, opened in 1928, remains the territory’s prime spot for afternoon tea in the lobby amid potted palms and pillars. Consider booking accommodation in the original building as there’s far less atmosphere (although better views) in the Tower Wing, added in 1994. Since the former British colony’s rule ended in 1997, there has been civil unrest but latest reports reveal a 52 per cent bounce back of international tourism numbers year on year.
Also try: The nine-room Tai O Heritage Hotel on Lantau Island, converted from a marine police station built in 1902; it’s reached by ferry from HK Island or Kowloon.
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