History of The Landmark London

The hotel was opened as The Great Central Hotel in 1899 with 700 bedrooms and was the last of the great Victorian railway hotels constructed during ‘the golden age of steam’

The Story: 

• The origins lie with a visionary entrepreneur, Sir Edward Watkins, who dreamt of establishing a great rail network, linking his own Great Central Railway to Europe via a Channel tunnel, ending at Marylebone Station (later Eurostar obviously stole his idea!).
• Great Central Railway ran in to financial problems in 1895 before even beginning to build the hotel, so Sir John Blundell Maple (Chairman of the famous furniture company Maples) bought the site at a price of 4.5 pence per square foot and began work on the hotel. (FYI: Maples went bankrupt in 1997 and was taken over by Allders, which then went into administration in 2005)

The Design:

• The Architect was Robert William Edis, well known for buildings displaying the Gothic Revival style.
• The design should reflect the wealth and power of the Victorian era.
• The Owner wanted it to surpass all previous establishments in terms of opulence and luxury.

Usage:

• Like many hotels that were built around that time, it was laid around a vast central courtyard, allowing horse-drawn carriages to deposit guests at the heart of the property in privacy and comfort.
• Later during the post-war ‘roaring twenties’ the central courtyard was transformed into a dance floor.

World War I & World War II:

• Requisitioned by the Government for convalescing officers and soldiers on leave.

First period as a hotel ended:

• The advent of the motorcar in the early 20th century replaced rail as the dominant mode of transport, and after only forty years the most luxurious of all the great Victorian railway hotels was forced to close its doors.
• The next forty years the building was used as offices such as the headquarters of the British Railways Board.
• All original fixtures and fittings were covered.
• The railway staff referred to the building as ‘The Kremlin’

A New Beginning:

• Bought by Ritz Carlton in 1986 who started the renovation work
• Aim was to re-instate the hotel in 1993 as the focal point of business and social life, as originally envisioned by Sir Edward Watkins almost a century before.
• Sold to Four Seasons in 1993 and opened as The Regent, London
• Purchased by The Lancaster Landmark Hotel Company in 1995 and changed its name overnight to The Landmark London Hotel