In an ever-changing, increasingly fast-paced world, there’s something deeply comforting in the presence of history. Longevity is not only a marker for success; in hospitality terms, it also provides a story and context for the sophisticated globe-trotter. Hotels which can claim to be part of the centurion-plus club, those that have been in business for over a hundred years and have stood through the ebb and flow of cultural and fashion trends, a testament to their individual adaptability. Many of these were pioneers of their time; the first to onboard the kinds of new technologies, services and amenities we barely think of as special today. Read on to discover a selection of these celebrated centenarians and their illustrious heritage.
Ritz, Paris
If you thought The Ritz London was the first of its kind, you’d be mistaken. Ritz Paris, in fact, arrived eight years before its English counterpart, making it the chain’s inaugural property. Epitomising Parisienne chic, both then and now, it was also the first hotel in Europe to offer en-suite bathrooms, telephones and electricity in every room. And, as it welcomed iconic guests such as Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway in the early part of the last century, it garnered a reputation for high-value patronage. Founded by Swiss hotelier César Ritz in 1898, the Ritz group now has a global reach, with recent additions including a Masai-Mara Safari Camp and three impressive superyachts.
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The Goring, London
En-suite facilities and heating fall well below the threshold for luxury nowadays. But The Goring is a reminder that even high society travellers were once not so routinely pampered. Established in 1910 by Otto Richard Goring, this Belgravia-based hotel was the first to offer every guest both a private bathroom and central heating throughout. And modern-day visitors can enjoy plenty of yesteryear touches, such as bowler-hat-wearing doormen and waiting staff in velvet jackets. The hotel also contains London’s largest private garden and stunning period architecture echoed in vintage design that tells the visual story of the hotel’s 115-year history.
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Corinthia, Budapest
You may know this hotel better by its former title, the Grand Hotel Royal, and as the muse for Wes Anderson’s 2012 movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. At the time of its inception, it was the largest hotel in Europe and served as the venue for the first screening of a motion picture in Budapest (indeed, the hotel’s cinema became a much-loved part of the building’s fabric, helping to establish it as a bohemian and exciting artistic trailblazer). The Second World War — and a period serving as an office building — sadly took its toll on the building. However, a post-millennial €100 million renovation helped restore the Grande Dame to its former glory, including a splendid Art Deco-style Royal Spa, which draws upon the city’s thermal springs.
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Raffles, Singapore
Dating from 1887, Raffles is a colonial-era icon (and still somehow manages to feel both fancy and cheeky). The hotel is perhaps best known for its Long Bar, where patrons can eat monkey nuts while tossing the shells on the floor (a distinct privilege in a city where littering is met with severe penalties), and drink its famed Singapore Sling cocktail. But a lesser-known fact, is that it was the first hotel in the region to introduce electric ceiling fans (a treat less pertinent in the northern hemisphere) and electric lighting. Since its centenary, notable guests have included Hollywood greats such as Ava Gardner and Elizabeth Taylor, and writers Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham — Maugham famously commented: “Raffles Hotel stands for all the fables of the Exotic East”.
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The Adlon Kempinski, Berlin
In a prime location beside the Brandenburg Gate, stands the first Kempinski residence. Inaugurated by wine merchant and restaurateur Berthold Kempinski in 1907, the hotel began a legacy which would spread across multiple continents. Though the hotel was largely destroyed in the final days of the Second World War, its 1997 reconstruction honoured the spirit of the original. Now guests can immerse themselves in Belle Epoque grandeur, dine in the Michelin-starred Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, and rejuvenate in the 9000-square-foot Adlon Spa by ReSense.
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Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
After the devastation of Bombay during the Bubonic Plague, industrialist Jamsetji Tata set about creating a palatial residence which would rejuvenate the city and successfully host those of all races and creeds. Arriving just after the turn of the century, Taj Mahal Palace was the first establishment in India to have electricity, lifts, a power plant and even an ice machine (a welcome relief for westerners acclimatising to the tropical temperature), and continues as the nation’s oldest hotel. The prestigious corridors have been graced by celebrities, politicians and royalty, including George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Hillary Clinton and King Charles III. BBC viewers were granted a glimpse behind the scenes in the Taj Mahal Palace a little over a decade ago, in a documentary entitled Hotel India.
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