London's Newest Luxury Hotel Was Once The US Embassy. A Night In Its Penthouse Costs Rs 28 Lakh

When Finnish-American modernist architect Eero Saarinen won a design competition to create a new Chancery for London, little did he know that it would one day be turned into a lavish luxury hotel in the heart of the city.

When Saarinen won the competition, the brief was simple: "a building to house all the major sections of the Embassy under one roof in a style to blend with existing architecture of Grosvenor Square".

Eero Saarinen with a model of the Chancery. Photo: Instagram/Chancery Rosewood

So, the architect got to work. The result was a building that could provide working space for 750 people, with 600 rooms on nine floors, out of which three were under the ground.

A Fortified Embassy

From 1960 to 2017, the Chancery at Grosvenor Square served as the US Embassy in London. In 2018, it moved to a new building in Nine Elms.

The Chancery, one of the most fortified and secure buildings in London, is now gearing up to welcome guests from all over the world. The coldness of the former Embassy building is now being warmed with cascading chandeliers, suites that scream luxury, and penthouses that would set you back by about 20,000 pounds a night. The former US Embassy will be the Rosewood's newest hotel in the world, come September.

A Qatar Company At The Helm 

The Chancery Rosewood is expected to host guests from September 1 this year. Converting a former embassy, that too one as secure as America's, was a gargantuan challenge for a Qatari real-estate company. It was an engineering test as well. But trust the Qataris to do it all and do it well.

So, Qatari Diar, the real-estate company backed by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, turned it around. Qatari Diar got Rosewood Hotels in in to do the deed. The Hong Kong-conglomerate owned luxury hotel chain retained the Chancery's American elements while giving the building a modern makeover fit for millionaires from the Middle East.

The Eagle Of 'Little America'

What stays intact is a gilded aluminium eagle atop the building. The eagle, with its 35-foot wingspan, was created by Polish-American sculptor and painter Theodore Roszak. Statues of former US Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan that once graced the square, have been reinstalled. The square itself is popularly known as 'Little America'.

The eagle atop Chancery Rosewood. Photo: Instagram/Chancery Rosewood

While the architectural restoration was done by British architect Sir David Chipperfield, the Chancery Rosewood's suites and communal spaces were designed by French interiors architect Joseph Dirand.

The hotel will have eight restaurants and bars once open, including New York's famous Carbone and an Asian concept restaurant. A subterranean wellness facility with a 25-metre-long swimming pool, on one of its three underground floors, is also part of the hotel's highlights.

All Suites And Penthouses  

The Rosewood will be an all-suite property. Its suites come in four categories: Junior Suites, Suites, Signature Suites, and Houses. Charles House and Elizabeth House, named after the English monarchs, are the biggest penthouses at the Rosewood. 

Inside the Chancery House. Photo: Chancery Rosewood

A night at one of the penthouses at The Chancery Rosewood start at 17,000 pounds or Rs 20 lakh, and go up to 24,000 pounds or Rs 28 lakh, subject to change.

The lowest rate at the hotel is a junior suite. You'll need to shell out 1,520 pounds or Rs 1.76 lakh a night.

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