The Secret Life of the Savoy

When Victorian theatre impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte opened The Savoy, Britain's first luxury hotel, it elevated his family to a unique vantage point on high society. Over the course of an extraordinary century, through the roaring twenties and two world wars, the hotel's revolving doors welcomed a 'who's who of distinguished guests.

Now, for the first time, Olivia Williams revives the family's incredible cultural legacy, as pioneers of the modern theatre who propelled Gilbert and Sullivan to lasting stardom and made Oscar Wilde a transatlantic celebrity, and as hoteliers who popularised British fine dining, early jazz and Art Deco.

Telling the remarkable story of the D'Oyly Carte family and their iconic hotel, The Secret Life of the Savoy is an uproarious read packed with glamour, scandal and a cast of eccentric characters.