Editing Claridge's

{{short description|Luxury hotel in London}}
{{for|other hotels with a similar name|Claridge Hotel (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Claridge's
| logo                = Claridge’s logo.svg
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| building_type       = [[Luxury hotel]]
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| location            = [[London]], England, UK
| address             = Brook Street ([[Mayfair]])
| coordinates         = {{Coord|51|30|45|N|0|08|51|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
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| namesake            = William and Marianne Claridge
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| opened_date         = {{Start date|1856}} (original building)<br />1898 (current building)
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| renovation_date     = 1996<br />2016–2021
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| owner               = [[Maybourne Hotel Group]]
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| material            = Red brick with red [[Mansfield]] stone, [[slate]] roofs and [[cast iron]] balconies
| size                = 
| floor_count         = Six plus four storeys of [[attic]]s and five basement levels
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| architect           = [[C. W. Stephens]] (1898)
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| other_designers     = [[Ernest George]] (interior)
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| public_transit      = {{rint|london|underground|size=15}} {{stl|London Underground|Bond Street}}
| hotel_chain         = 
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| number_of_rooms     = 190
| number_of_suites    = 
| number_of_restaurants = 2 (Claridge's Restaurant, The Foyer & Reading Room)
| number_of_bars      = 3 (Claridge's Bar, The Fumoir, The Painter's Room)
| facilities          = Health Club & Spa
| website             = [https://www.claridges.co.uk www.claridges.co.uk]
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{{Infobox designation list
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| designation1            = Grade II Listed Building
| designation1_offname    = Claridges Hotel and attached railings<br />Claridges Hotel wing
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| designation1_date       = 8 May 1981
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| designation1_number     = {{NHLE|num=1219905|short=y}}
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'''Claridge's''' is a [[5-star hotels|5-star hotel]] at the corner of [[Brook Street, London|Brook Street]] and Davies Street in [[Mayfair]], [[London]]. The hotel is owned and managed by the [[Maybourne Hotel Group]].

==History==
===Founding===
Claridge's traces its origins to Mivart's Hotel, which was founded in 1812 in a conventional London [[terraced house]] and grew by expanding into neighbouring houses. In 1854, the founder (the father of biologist [[St. George Jackson Mivart]]) sold the hotel to William and Marianne Claridge, who owned a smaller hotel next door. They combined the two operations, and after trading for a time as "Mivart's late Claridge's", they settled on the current name.

The reputation of the hotel was confirmed in 1860, when [[Empress Eugenie]] made an extended visit and entertained [[Queen Victoria]] at the hotel.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/claridges-an-opulent-hotel-where-every-polished-corner-tells-a-story-8395674.html |title=Claridges: An opulent hotel where every polished corner tells a story |publisher=[[The Independent]] |work=independent.co.uk |date=9 December 2012 |access-date=10 December 2012 |archive-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222161711/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/claridges-an-opulent-hotel-where-every-polished-corner-tells-a-story-8395674.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In its first edition of 1878, [[Baedeker]]'s London listed Claridge's as "The first hotel in London".<ref>{{cite web |author=Louis Gerber |url=http://www.cosmopolis.ch/travel/london/claridge_s.htm |title=Claridge's |publisher=Cosmopolis.ch |date=1 September 2004 |access-date=10 April 2017 |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112014348/https://cosmopolis.ch/claridges/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Acquisitions===
[[File:Claridges C. W. Stephens, architect, 1897 edited.jpg|thumb|left|Drawing of the current Claridge's building from 1897, the year before the reopening]]
[[Richard D'Oyly Carte]], the theatrical impresario and founder of the rival [[Savoy Hotel]], purchased Claridge's in 1893, as part of The Savoy Group, and shortly afterwards demolished the old buildings and replaced them with the present ones. This was prompted by the need to install modern facilities such as [[elevator|lifts]] and [[en suite]] bathrooms. From 1894 to 1901, [[Édouard Nignon]] was the hotel chef.

===19th and 20th centuries===
The new Claridge's, built by [[Trollope & Colls|George Trollope & Sons]], opened in 1898.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=074-btrl&cid=0 |title=Trollope & Colls |publisher=National Archives |access-date=27 July 2019 |archive-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101181550/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=074-btrl&cid=0 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a Grade II [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE |num=1219905 |desc=Grade II |access-date=22 December 2008}}</ref> The hotel has 203 rooms and suites and around 400 staff.

After the [[First World War]], Claridge's flourished due to demand from aristocrats who no longer maintained a London house, and under the leadership of Carte's son, [[Rupert D'Oyly Carte]], an extension was built in the 1920s. During the [[Second World War]], it was the base of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]'s government in exile and home of [[Peter II of Yugoslavia]].

In 1996, the foyer was restored by architect [[Thierry Despont]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Foulkes | first=Nick | title=Thierry Despont: inside the mind of the chameleon architect | website=Financial Times | date=26 March 2020 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/06adac07-4c27-410a-8eb8-6912a5f6cdbb | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Art Deco Hotel in Mayfair: Design & Features | website=Claridge's | url=https://www.claridges.co.uk/about-the-hotel/design-features/ | ref={{sfnref | Claridge's}} | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

In 1998, the group of hotels—along with the later-added [[The Connaught (hotel)|Connaught]]—was sold for $867 million to two American private-equity funds, [[The Blackstone Group|Blackstone]] and [[Colony Capital]].<ref name="To Capture Claridge's">Dana Vachon (August 2014), [http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2014/08/claridges-hotel-london-battle To Capture Claridge's] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920112357/http://www.vanityfair.com/business/2014/08/claridges-hotel-london-battle |date=20 September 2014 }} ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''.</ref>

===21st century renovation and relaunch===
In 2005, the private-equity owners sold The Savoy Group, including Claridge's, to a group of Irish investors led by [[Derek Quinlan]]. The investors later sold the [[Savoy Hotel]] and [[Savoy Theatre]] and renamed the group [[Maybourne Hotel Group]].<ref name="Foulkes 2020">{{cite web | last=Foulkes | first=Nick | title=The man behind the most spectacular makeover in Claridge's history | website=Financial Times | date=16 December 2020 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/0b6d50b6-6f2e-430c-a6a0-13c67349f703 | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="To Capture Claridge's"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/savoy-group-changes-name-after-deal-bnhr9m2mtks |last1=Walsh |first1=Dominic |title="Savoy Group changes name after deal" |work=[[The Times]] |date=January 25, 2005 |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=7 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107232520/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/savoy-group-changes-name-after-deal-bnhr9m2mtks |url-status=live }}</ref> The Maybourne Hotel Group includes two other five-star hotels in London, [[The Berkeley]] and [[The Connaught (hotel)|The Connaught]].

Between 2016 and 2021, the hotel was renovated and expanded as part of a "relaunch" by co-owner [[Paddy McKillen]]. The top two floors were replaced by a four-storey, 14-bedroom extension that included a penthouse with swimming pool, gym, private lake, and {{convert|1800|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} grand salon.<ref>{{cite web |author=Lauren Eads |url=https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/09/claridges-plans-five-storey-iceberg-basement/ |title=Claridge's plans five-storey 'iceberg' basement |publisher=The Drinks Business |date=8 September 2016 |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=2 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102223030/https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2016/09/claridges-plans-five-storey-iceberg-basement/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A {{cvt|22|m|ft|adj=mid|-deep}} excavation was dug beneath the Art Deco 1920s extension to create a five-level basement. Construction work was largely done by hand to avoid disturbing guests, and the hotel continued in operation throughout the building work.<ref>{{cite web |author=Lynne Kelleher |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/groundbreaking-irish-miners-who-dug-out-subterranean-extension-to-claridges-by-hand-feature-in-new-bbc-series-42255462.html |title=Groundbreaking – Irish miners who dug out subterranean extension to Claridge's by hand feature in new BBC series |publisher=Independent.ie |date=1 January 2023 |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=1 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101130527/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/groundbreaking-irish-miners-who-dug-out-subterranean-extension-to-claridges-by-hand-feature-in-new-bbc-series-42255462.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The project was recorded in a BBC documentary series, ''The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-92gg22/the-mayfair-hotel-megabuild-season-1/ |title=The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild Season 1 |website=Radio Times |access-date=2 January 2023 |archive-date=2 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102223031/https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-92gg22/the-mayfair-hotel-megabuild-season-1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notable guests==
Actors, directors, and entertainers who have used Claridge's include [[Cary Grant]], [[Audrey Hepburn]], regular visitor [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Brad Pitt]], [[Joan Collins]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[U2]] and [[Whitney Houston]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} In his memoir ''[[The Moon's a Balloon]]'', [[David Niven]] wrote that for film producer [[Alexander Korda]],
"Home was the penthouse at Claridge's". The hotel lobby and several guestrooms appear in [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s 2001 [[BBC]] television drama ''[[Perfect Strangers (BBC TV series)|Perfect Strangers]]''. Claridge's has hosted visiting royalty and guests of the [[Royal Family]]. The late [[Hassan II of Morocco|King Hassan]] of Morocco travelled with his own mattress, but at the hotel he used a [[Savoir Beds|Savoy Mattress]]. Impressed by the quality, he ordered 24 identical mattresses from the Savoy for his [[Royal Palace of Rabat|palace]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Ronald F |title=Inside the Best Hotels: Grand Hotelier |year=1997 |publisher=Jones & Jones |isbn=0953273709 |page=248}}</ref>

[[Peter II of Yugoslavia|King Peter II of Yugoslavia]] and his wife, [[Alexandra of Yugoslavia|Queen Alexandra]], spent much of the [[Second World War]] in exile at Claridge's, and suite 212 was supposedly ceded by the United Kingdom to [[Yugoslavia]] for a single day (17 July 1945) to allow their heir, [[Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia|Crown Prince Alexander]], to be born on Yugoslav soil,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christopherlong.co.uk/pri/cropri.html |author=Christopher Long |title=A Regal Bid Too Far? |access-date=15 December 2006 |date=25 October 1991 |quote=I was born on Yugoslav territory at Claridge's Hotel in London, 1945, on 17 June, and this was done in agreement with the British Government. |archive-date=4 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704064632/http://www.christopherlong.co.uk/pri/cropri.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although no documentary evidence now exists to support the story.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Amos |first1=Owen |title=Did a London hotel room become part of Yugoslavia? |work=BBC News |date=17 July 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36569675 |access-date=18 July 2016 |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426140531/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36569675 |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the end of the [[Second World War]], when unexpectedly defeated in [[1945 United Kingdom general election|the general election of 1945]], [[Winston Churchill]] was temporarily without a London home and took a suite at Claridge's.<ref>{{cite web |author=Louis Gerber |url=http://www.cosmopolis.ch/travel/london/claridges.htm |title=Claridge's |publisher=Cosmopolis.ch |date=1 September 2004 |access-date=10 April 2017 |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112014349/https://cosmopolis.ch/claridges/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In December 1951, [[West Germany|West German]] chancellor [[Konrad Adenauer]] secretly met [[World Jewish Congress]] president [[Nahum Goldmann]] at Claridge's to begin negotiations on [[Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany|German reparations]] to Jewish survivors of the [[Holocaust]].<ref name="Shinnar 1967">{{cite book |last=Shinnar |first=Felix Eliezer |title=Bericht eines Beauftragnten: die deutsch-israelische Beziehungen 1951–1966 |date=1967 |publisher=Tübingen : R. Wunderlich |page=25}}</ref>

==Restaurants and other facilities==
Claridge's has been described as London's most "food centric hotel".<ref>{{cite web | title=Acclaimed Parisian patissier Yann Couvreur takes to Claridge's kitchen - | website=Walpole | date=2 September 2019 | url=https://www.thewalpole.co.uk/news/acclaimed-parisian-patissier-yann-couvreur-takes-claridges-kitchen | ref={{sfnref | Walpole | 2019}} | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> It offers [[afternoon tea]] in The Foyer and Reading Room. There are three public ground floor bars; Claridge’s Bar acts as the main bar, when not being used for afternoon tea; The Fumoir, a former cigar bar until the [[smoking ban in England|smoking ban]] prohibited indoor smoking in 2007; and the Painter's Room, opened in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | title=Luxury Restaurants & Bars: Mayfair, London | website=Claridge's | url=https://www.claridges.co.uk/restaurants-bars/ | ref={{sfnref | Claridge's}} | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> A cafe at the back of the hotel opened in 2023 called The ArtSpace Café <ref>{{Cite web |title=Claridge's ArtSpace Café: Art Gallery Café, Mayfair - Claridge's |url=https://www.claridges.co.uk/restaurants-bars/claridges-artspace-cafe/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Claridge’s |language=en}}</ref> which has an extensive gallery space beneath it. 

Davies and Brook, with head chef [[Daniel Humm]], closed in 2021 after Humm proposed a [[vegan]]-only menu <ref>{{cite web | last=Lutrario | first=Joe | title=Dmitri Magi named culinary director at Claridge's amid shake-up of hotel's F&B | website=bighospitality.co.uk | date=2 August 2022 | url=https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2022/08/02/Dmitri-Magi-named-culinary-director-at-Claridge-s-amid-shake-up-of-hotel-s-F-B | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> similar to that of [[Eleven Madison Park]],
his three-star Michelin restaurant in New York.<ref>{{cite web | last=Hansen | first=James | title=World-Famous NYC Chef's London Restaurant Closes Over Disagreement on Plant-Based Menu | website=Eater London | date=12 November 2021 | url=https://london.eater.com/22777880/daniel-humm-vegan-menu-davies-and-brook-claridges-closing-london-eleven-madison-park | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> The hotel received criticism for "not moving with the times".<ref>{{cite web | last=Conroy | first=Rosie | title=Claridge's to close Davies and Brook after the hotel refuses to allow chef Daniel Humm to make it fully vegan | website=SquareMeal | date=15 November 2021 | url=https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/news/claridges-closes-davies-and-brook-daniel-humm-vegan_10057 | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> In 2023, the hotel opened Claridge's Restaurant <ref>{{Cite web |title=Claridge's Restaurant: British Restaurant in Mayfair, London - Claridge's |url=https://www.claridges.co.uk/restaurants-bars/claridges-restaurant/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Claridge’s |language=en}}</ref> in the same space. 

For 12 years, the fine dining main restaurant was run by [[Gordon Ramsay]], with various head chefs including Steve Allen and [[Mark Sargeant]]. [[Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's]] lost its Michelin status in January 2010. The restaurant closed in 2013 after having "lost its way". ''[[Harden's]]'' guide rated the restaurant second in London for "most disappointing cooking" and fourth for "most overpriced restaurant" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web | last=McKeever | first=Amy | title=Gordon Ramsay OUT at Claridge's in London | website=Eater | date=28 February 2013 | url=https://www.eater.com/2013/2/28/6474559/gordon-ramsay-out-at-claridges-in-london | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

Claridge's later replaced Ramsay's restaurant with Fera, meaning 'Wild' in Latin, run by chef [[Simon Rogan]]. Fera was awarded a Michelin star in 2015 and Rogan left the restaurant in May 2017, leaving the restaurant's head chef Matt Starling in charge. Following Rogan's departure, the restaurant closed in December 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Hilary |title=New Openings: Fera, Claridge's |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/drinking_and_dining/33090/new-openings-fera-claridges.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140510082311/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/drinking_and_dining/33090/new-openings-fera-claridges.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 May 2014 |access-date=18 March 2015 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=9 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chomka |first=Stefan |title=Fera at Claridge's to close at the end of the year |url=https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2018/12/18/Fera-at-Claridge-s-to-close-at-the-end-of-the-year |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=16 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816190648/https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2018/12/18/Fera-at-Claridge-s-to-close-at-the-end-of-the-year |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurant/Mayfair-W1K_4HR-Fera_at_Claridge_s-435093-41102 |title=Fera at Claridges |access-date=18 March 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114504/http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurant/Mayfair-W1K_4HR-Fera_at_Claridge_s-435093-41102 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ryden |first=Bethan |title=The OFM 50: the 50 hottest places, people and trends in food |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/drinking_and_dining/46605/michelin-stars-2015-announced.html |access-date=18 March 2015 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=25 September 2014 |archive-date=10 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710104118/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/drinking_and_dining/46605/michelin-stars-2015-announced.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

For 10 days in 2012, the hotel hosted the restaurant [[Noma (restaurant)|Noma]], while the restaurant in [[Copenhagen]] was closed for refurbishment. Owner [[René Redzepi]] and his head chef and staff from Noma served a £195-per-head nine-course [[New Nordic Cuisine]] menu that included [[scone]]s and clotted cream, [[Lancashire hotpot]] with British ingredients, and live ants foraged in Denmark and flown to London.<ref>{{cite news |last=O' Ceallaigh |first=John |title=The 'world's best restaurant' comes to London: Copenhagen's Noma restaurant will decamp to Claridge's hotel this summer |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/9223140/The-worlds-best-restaurant-comes-to-London.html |access-date=19 December 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=24 April 2012 |archive-date=9 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209050022/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/9223140/The-worlds-best-restaurant-comes-to-London.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lisa |first=Markwell |title=World's best restaurant comes to town... and it's serving ants |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/worlds-best-restaurant-comes-to-town-and-its-serving-ants-7995007.html |access-date=19 December 2012 |newspaper=The Independent |date=1 August 2012 |archive-date=25 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225080308/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/worlds-best-restaurant-comes-to-town-and-its-serving-ants-7995007.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bazalgette |first=Peter |title=A nomadic Noma: The Copenhagen restaurant is hosting a 10-day London pop-up at Claridge's. Its crew will bring their own red seaweed oil, but many ingredients will be British |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/4874fc62-cbb7-11e1-911e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2FWPOTrX0 |access-date=19 December 2012 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=13 July 2012 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307172847/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/4874fc62-cbb7-11e1-911e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2FWPOTrX0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2021, Claridge's opened an art deco bar in the Painter's Room featuring art work by [[Annie Morris]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Saunders|first=Daniella |title=The Painter's Room: What To Expect at Claridge's Art Deco Bar |url=https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/food-and-drink/claridges-new-bar/ |access-date=17 January 2023 |newspaper=Country and Town House |date=12 January 2023}}</ref>

==Artistic installations==
[[File:Claridge's London Christmas tree 2015 (23695089782).jpg|thumb|right|220px|The 2015 Claridge's tree by Burberry's Christopher Bailey]]
Claridge's built an art gallery and started an [[artist in residence]] programme;<ref>{{Cite episode |title=The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gqn8/the-mayfair-hotel-megabuild-series-1-episode-1 |access-date=17 January 2023 |series=The Mayfair Hotel |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=2 January 2023 |season=1 |number=1 |time=28:29 |quote="Narrator: In the past Damien has taken up residence at the hotel. Damien:I had a studio in claridge's where I was painting" |language=en}}</ref> illustrator [[David Downton]] became the first artist in residence in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.maybourne.com/siteassets/media-centre/press-releases/claridges/jan-2018/claridges-fashion-artist-in-residence-press-release.pdf |title=CLARIDGE'S CONTINUES ITS STYLISH COLLABORATION WITH FASHION ARTIST IN RESIDENCE DAVID DOWNTON |last=Fitzherbert |first=Paula |date= |website=Maybourne |publisher= |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> Downton created the Talking Heads Gallery, which displayed sketches from guests including [[Kristin Scott Thomas]], [[Sarah Jessica Parker]] and [[Thandiwe Newton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.london-tv.co.uk/new-exhibition-by-world-renowned-fashion-illustrator-david-downton-opens-at-claridges-for-international-womens-day/ |title=NEW EXHIBITION BY WORLD RENOWNED FASHION ILLUSTRATOR DAVID DOWNTON OPENS AT CLARIDGE'S FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY |last= |first= |date=3 March 2022 |website=London-TV |publisher= |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

The hotel hired artist [[Damien Hirst]], and over 200 of his prints were installed in guest rooms. During the [[Frieze Art Fair]] in 2019, Hirst's sculptures were displayed in the lobby.<ref>{{cite web | title=Impressive sculptures of this famous artist take over Claridge's lobby | website=The Hotel Trotter | date=13 October 2019 | url=https://www.thehoteltrotter.com/impressive-sculptures-of-this-famous-artist-take-over-claridges-lobby/ | ref={{sfnref | The Hotel Trotter | 2019}} | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> In 2021, a skylight designed by Hirst featuring butterflies was installed,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/damien-hirst-illuminates-claridges-hotel-with-a-kaleidoscope-skylight|title=Damien Hirst Illuminates Claridge's Hotel With a Kaleidoscope Skylight |last=Cochran |first=Same |date=18 November 2022 |website=Architectural Digest|publisher= |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gqn8/the-mayfair-hotel-megabuild-series-1-episode-1 |access-date=17 January 2023 |series=The Mayfair Hotel |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=2 January 2023 |season=1 |number=1 |time=28:18 |quote="Damien did 200 prints for us. Such a friend of Claridge's." |language=en}}</ref> and Claridge's Art Space opened and included an exhibition by Hirst and others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.claridges.co.uk/claridges-artspace/ |title=Claridge's ArtSpace |last= |first= |date=3 March 2022 |website=London-TV |publisher= |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fadmagazine.com/2021/10/08/new-claridges-artspace-to-launch-with-damien-hirst-exhibition-during-frieze-week/|title=New Claridge's Artspace to Launch With Damien Hirst Exhibition during Frieze Week |last=Westall |first=Mark |date=8 October 2021 |website=FAD Magazine |publisher= |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref> Since 2023, Claridge's rooftop penthouse suite has been housing 75 works by Hirst.<ref>[https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/10/23/claridges-new-rooftop-penthouse-is-filled-with-75-works-by-damien-hirst Claridge’s new rooftop penthouse is filled with 75 works by Damien Hirst] ''[[The Art Newspaper]]'', 23 October 2023.</ref>

Illustrations by artist [[Annie Morris]] are painted directly on the walls of the Painter's Room bar.<ref>{{cite web | last=Ure-Smith | first=Jane | title=Annie Morris on her passion for pigment and finding solace in art | website=Financial Times | date=8 October 2021 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/6f86978d-fc87-41f8-97eb-5e0f62eec03f | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

The [[Christmas tree]] in the lobby is designed annually by artists, designers or fashion houses; these have included [[Diane von Furstenberg]], [[Karl Lagerfeld]], [[Christian Louboutin]], [[Jimmy Choo]], [[Burberry]] and [[Dolce & Gabbana]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Karmali | first=Sarah | title=Claridge's Christmas tree 2021 designed by Dior's Kim Jones | website=Harper's BAZAAR | date=19 November 2021 | url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a38298192/claridges-christmas-tree-dior-kim-jones/ | access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref><ref name="Foulkes 2020"/>  In 2015, [[Christopher Bailey (fashion designer)|Christopher Bailey]] decorated the tree with around 100 umbrellas, and 77,000 lights triggered by passersby.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ferrier |first=Morwenna |title=Claridge's Burberry tree: what it says about Christmas 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/16/claridges-burberry-tree-what-it-says-about-christmas-2015 |access-date=8 December 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 November 2015 |archive-date=23 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823155344/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/16/claridges-burberry-tree-what-it-says-about-christmas-2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Inside Claridge's]]'' (British documentary television series)
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Claridge's}}
*{{Official website|https://www.claridges.co.uk/}}

{{Hotels in London}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1812 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Art Deco architecture in London]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Mayfair]]
[[Category:Buildings by C. W. Stephens]]
[[Category:Hotels in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Grade II listed hotels in London]]
[[Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1812]]
[[Category:Hotels established in 1812]]
[[Category:Yugoslavia in World War II]]