Hugh Wontner
Wontner was closely involved in the City of London as a leading member of two of its ancient guilds and as alderman, chief magistrate and Lord Mayor.
[1] When Wontner took over, World War II was at its height, and he and his staff had to cope with bomb damage, food rationing, manpower shortage, and, at first, a serious decline in the number of foreign visitors.
[1] Under his control Claridges became a home in London for numerous statesmen, from President Tito and King Hussein to Gandhi, while the Savoy attracted such show business stars as Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren and was visited by British royalty including George VI and Elizabeth II.
Under Wontner's leadership, the group bought the Connaught Hotel in 1956, and in the early 1960s decided to relocate the Berkeley from Piccadilly to new premises in Knightsbridge for an opening in 1972.
[1][2] Throughout his career, according to The Times, "Wontner was admired by business associates for his acumen, integrity and loyalty while being accused by his critics of aloofness and arrogance.
"[2] Under his leadership, the Savoy group successfully fought off several hostile takeover bids using, on occasion, controversial stratagems to defeat the bidder.
[5] In 1953 the entrepreneur Charles Clore attempted to buy the Savoy group, and when his bid was rejected he sold his shares to the property developer Harold Samuel, who planned to redevelop the Piccadilly site of the Berkeley Hotel.
The financial magazine The Economist found this ploy outrageous: "On grounds of principle, it is difficult to find condemnation too severe for what the Savoy Hotel board have done.
[1] He also inherited his father's love of the theatre and served as a member of the board of trustees of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and of the committee of the Barbican Centre.
[6] He was proud of being a member of the Old Stagers, England's oldest amateur dramatic society, and of his association with the Savoy Theatre, of which he was chairman and managing director from 1948 until his death.
