Meredith O’Shaughnessy in The Savoy enchanted forest
(Picture: Jeremy Selwyn)The Savoy has marked the countdown to Christmas by unveiling a pink “enchanted forest” in its famous Art deco entrance hall.
The luxury central London hotel has created Reverie: A Savoy Christmas, which is being billed as the “world’s first immersive champagne forest”.
The installation includes tens of golden trees, bedecked with fairy lights and pink laser cut leaves inspired by the works of Kay Nielsen, an illustrator who created drawings for Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and on Disney’s Fantasia.
Guests can enjoy the forest before venturing in to the main hotel for its festive offerings including a cocktail or a glass of sponsor Laurent-Perrier’s champagne.
It was created by experiential architect Meredith O’Shaughnessy, who worked with the Savoy during the pandemic to create the five-star hotel’s first ever outdoor dining terrace, called Solas, on its forecourt.
She said: “The inspiration for the forest was that I wanted to capture the essence of Christmas without being traditional, and rather than delivering one tree, delivering a forest full of trees. Champagne and celebration are intrinsic to the Savoy and the modern opulence people have when they come here.”
Franck Arnold, managing director of The Savoy, said they wanted to create “an environment that had a fairy-tale, magical quality to it, but it had to do two things, it had to connect to our history and also feel fresh and original at the same time”.
“Meredith and our team have worked to create a decorative theme that is inspired by the Art Deco illustrations of Kay Nielsen who worked between 1910 – 57. It’s an immersive experience that has sparkle, but style.
“Our primary aim is to create joy. That’s our aim year round, but given we’ve just lived through hard and strange times, it seems even more important at Christmas this year. “
The hotel has also transformed its Thames Foyer into a winter wonderland with English sparkling wine brand Nyetimber.
This Christmas the hotel is offering festive themed Afternoon Tea, while tickets are still available for its New Year’s Eve celebration - New Year’s Eve Gala – Revelry: A Savoy New Year.
The decorations will remain until January 5.
