During the Second World War, the Stafford served as an air raid shelter for American and Canadian officers stationed in London.

Cunard oversaw the development of the Carriage House rooms in the late 1980s and established the Stafford as a favourite with North American visitors.

[5] The hotel underwent a six-month closure for major refurbishment in 1996 and an annual spend of over £1 million on redecorating and replacing fabrics and furniture.

[1] Nancy Wake (nicknamed the White Mouse), an intelligence agent for the British during World War II, became a Stafford resident in 2001, and celebrated her 90th birthday at the hotel.

In 2003, when she entered a nursing home, the Stafford owners absorbed most of the costs of her hotel stay (parts of her bills were paid by Prince Charles).

[3] They house over 8000 bottles of wines[12] and Champagnes, including many rare and precious vintages and a selection of Armagnac, port and single malt whiskies, some dating back to the 1920s.

[citation needed] The cellars host an informal museum, with artefacts left by Canadian and American servicemen and women in World War II.