London Hilton on Park Lane
51°30′20″N 0°09′02″W / 51.505512°N 0.150423°W / 51.505512; -0.150423
The London Hilton on Park Lane is a hotel situated on Park Lane, overlooking Hyde Park in the exclusive Mayfair district of London. It is 100 metres (328 ft) tall, has 28 storeys and 453 rooms including 56 suites.
History
The hotel opened as the London Hilton on 17 April 1963.[1] It is a concrete-framed building, designed by William B. Tabler, an American architect who designed numerous Hilton hotels. The building was the first skyscraper hotel to be built in London, containing more than 500 bedrooms and six restaurants.[citation needed]
On 24 August 1967, the Beatles met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Hilton and subsequently went to Uttar Pradesh with him in order to meditate.[2]
On 5 September 1975, the London Hilton was the target of an IRA bomb which killed two people and injured 63 others.[3]
During the 1990s, the Pools Panel met each Saturday in a meeting room in the hotel.[4]
A fire broke out in the hotel on 1 July 2011. There were no fatalities or injuries, and damage was limited to a few of the lower floors.[5]
The London Hilton Park Lane served as the Olympic Family Hotel during the 2012 London Olympics, hosting members of the International Olympic Committee and other dignitaries attending the 2012 Games.
The hotel is also the site of the death of the Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan on 15 January 2018, aged 46. She had drowned in her room's bathtub after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol.[6]
On March 2022, London Hilton on Park Lane to announced the appointment of the hotel’s new General Manager, Matthew Mullan. With his appointment to oversee extensive renovations and changes with in the Hotel. [7]
On 28 November 2022, Trader Vic's Worldwide announced the closure of their oldest running location inside the London Hilton Park Lane.[8] This sparked an online campaign to reverse the Hilton's decision, due to the valuable Polynesian interior that predated the hotel. The campaign was led by an online petition [9] which received over 7500 signatures, and an Instagram page.[10] There was also a community Facebook group. Many celebrities became involved with the campaign, including presenter Jonathan Ross, and filmmaker Edgar Wright who both made statements in support of keeping the restaurant open. The restaurant closed on 31 December 2022 with no comment from the Hilton regarding the campaign.
On April 2023, the Hotel closed the WYLD night club at the site formerly known as Drama Park Lane and Whisky Mist.[11]
On July 2023, it was announced that Paramount and Channel 5 commissioned “Inside The Hilton On Park Lane”, a docuseries featuring exclusive access to the prestigious London hotel. Produced by Wonderhood Studios, the 4 x 60-minute series goes behind the scenes at the hotel as it undergoes a multi-million-pound renovation. It was screened on Channel 5 on the 7th April 2024 to 28th April 2024.[12]
On 15 March 2024 the hotel's former Business Development Director Jubilee Jenna Mandl was charged at Westminster Magistrates' Court with fraud and money laundering charges. It is alleged that between 1 January 2022 and 16 February 2024 she had committed fraud up to the value of £549,292. A hearing is planned later in 2024.[13]
On the 28th April 2024, London Hilton on Park Lane closed Galvin at Window and the 10 degrees bar. [14]
Popular Culture
The London Hilton on Park Lane, when first built, was frequently regarded as a modern landmark of its era known as the London Hilton. It was prominently referenced in popular culture during that time.
In the 1974 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman the main character William Mandella, took a leisure cruise in a "Dirigible" a floating hotel which crossed the Atlantic Ocean in three days and docked atop the London Hilton.
The mention of the London Hilton on Park Lane in Only Fools and Horses appears in the episode titled "A Royal Flush," which is the Christmas special of 1986. In this episode, Del Boy attempts to integrate Rodney into high society after Rodney starts dating a young woman named Vicky, whose family is quite wealthy. During one of the scenes, Del Boy makes a reference to staying at the London Hilton on Park Lane, trying to impress Vicky's aristocratic family and fit into their world of affluence.
A scene for The Crown was filmed in Trader Vic's used as a back drop for one of the destination of the fictional Prince Charles during one of his international scenes. The scene was ultimately cut from the series.
The post credit scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home of Eddie Brock drinking in a bar was filmed in the Trader Vic's a bar which was located in the basement.
Gallery
- London Hilton on Park Lane
- Reception at London Hilton on Park Lane
- View of Buckingham Palace and other London landmarks from the 27th floor of London Hilton on Park Lane
- Executive Lounge at London Hilton on Park Lane
See also
References
- ^ "Hilton Press Center". newsroom.hilton.com.
- ^ "The Beatles meet Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". The Beatles Bible. 24 August 1967.
- ^ "1975: Bomb blasts rock Northern Ireland". BBC News. 22 September 1975.
- ^ Baker, Andrew (27 March 1994). "Almanack: Pools panel draw a veil". The Independent. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ^ "Guests back in Hilton Hotel in Mayfair after fire". BBC News. 2 July 2011.
- ^ Simpson, Fiona (6 September 2018). "Cranberries singer 'drowned in bath after drinking excessive alcohol'". Evening Standard.
- ^ https://www.hmi-online.com/news/newsmatthew-mullan-appointed-as-new-general-manager-at-london-hilton-on-park-lane-9550449
- ^ "Trader Vic's on Instagram: "To our loyal and amazing fans and family, I wanted to address some rumors that have begun swirling around the last few days. First, the good news. Our flagship Emeryville location isn't going anywhere, so we hope you are ready for even bigger and more fun celebrations. Now, the bad. We just learned, like most of you, that London Hilton Park Lane has decided to renovate, and unfortunately (for now), we will be shutting the doors on January 1st, 2023. More info to come. But I wanted to say from the bottom of my heart how much we appreciate and love all of you. Rhett Rosen CEO Trader Vic's Worldwide #TraderVics #TraderVicsLondon"". Instagram. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Trader Vic's: Campaigners Rally to Have 1960s Tiki Bar Listed Before It Gets Ripped Out". 19 December 2022.
- ^ "SAVE TRADER VICS LDN! (@savetradervicsldn) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Wyld". clubbable. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ https://tbivision.com/2023/07/24/paramount-channel-5-visit-park-lane-hilton-in-wonderhood-docuseries/
- ^ Austin, Jon (16 March 2024). "Former ice skate champion charged with fleecing Park Lane Hilton out of £549k". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ https://www.timeout.com/london/news/galvin-at-windows-set-to-close-28th-floor-restaurant-after-18-years-041724
External links
- The official hotel webpage
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