There’ll always be an England — and a Savoy

By Joe Brancatelli

The Savoy in London, located on The Strand.

Insanely over budget and months late, The Savoy hotel in London reopened for business early in October. A three-year, 220-million pound renovation leaves the historic property with 268 guestrooms, including 38 new “river” rooms and suites with views of The Thames. Some of the hotel’s public areas won’t reopen until next month, however. The 121-year-old property is now managed by Fairmont.

• Notable new hotel openings: a 118-room Four Points by Sheraton in Galveston, Texas; a 267-room Courtyard by Marriott in Suzhou, China; and a 188-room Doubletree by Hilton in Novosibirsk, Russia.
• Notable recent conversions: The former Westin City Center in Dallas is now the Marriott City Center. The former Hilton Columbia in suburban Maryland is now the Doubletree Columbia. And the 140-room Grand Hotel Minneapolis is now managed by Kimpton.

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Joe Brancatelli is editor and publisher of JoeSentMe.com, a non-commercial Web site for business travelers. Copyright 2010 by Joe Brancatelli. Licensed by contract for Orbitz use.

Tagged: Europe, Hotels