The Waldorf, London, opened in 1908 with a vision to follow the American tradition of offering not just rooms but a place for passers-by to stop for dinner, afternoon tea or a drink.

It opened with 400 bedrooms, 176 bathrooms and a range of innovative features – a telephone and electric lights that could be switched off at the bedside in all rooms, three elevators and central heating.

[1] 1889 – Theatrical impresario Edward Sanders decided to build a major West End hotel on the northern rim of Aldwych.

Sanders partnered with accountant Thomas Wild to raise the sum of £700,000, with the assistance of William Waldorf Astor, whom the hotel was named after in gratitude.

One stray bomb missed the hotel but shockwaves shattered the Palm Court roof and tango tea dances were suspended.

Marshall Mackenzie (brother-in-law of distinguished Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh) went to New York to capture the pioneering new style in luxury.