The London Hilton on Park Lane is a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

situated on

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...

, overlooking

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

in the exclusive

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

district of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. It is tall, has 28 storeys and 453 rooms including 56 suites and a

Michelin star The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

red restaurant Galvin at Windows on the top floor of the hotel.

History

The hotel opened as the London Hilton on 17 April 1963. It is a concrete-framed building, designed by

William B. Tabler William B. Tabler Sr. (October 28, 1914 – February 3, 2004) was an American architect who designed more than 400 hotels. He was best known for giving Hilton hotels the clean but sometimes stark face of corporate America, most notably in the 46-s ...

, an American architect who designed numerous Hilton hotels. The building was the first skyscraper hotel to be built in London, containing more than 500 bedrooms and six restaurants. On 24 August 1967,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

met

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma, 12 January 1918

at the Hilton and subsequently went to

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

with him in order to

meditate Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

. On 5 September 1975, the London Hilton was the target of an

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

bomb which killed two people and injured 63 others. During the 1990s, the

Pools Panel In the United Kingdom, the football pools, often referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of association football matches taking place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, and may encou ...

met each Saturday in a meeting room in the hotel. A fire broke out in the hotel on 1 July 2011. There were no fatalities or injuries, and damage was limited to a few of the lower floors. The London Hilton Park Lane served as the Olympic Family Hotel during the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, hosting members of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

and other dignitaries attending the 2012 Games. The hotel is also the site of the death of the Cranberries lead singer

Dolores O'Riordan Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist for the alternative rock band the Cranberries. One of the most recogniza ...

on 15 January 2018, aged 46. She had drowned in her room's bathtub after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol. On 28 November 2022, Trader Vic's Worldwide announced the closure of their oldest running location inside of the London Hilton Park Lane. This sparked an online campaign try and revert the decision made by the Hilton, due to the valuable Polynesian interior that predated the hotel. The campaign was hosted by an Instagram page and a petition. Many celebrities became involved with the campaign, including presenter

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...

, and filmmaker

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...

who both made statements in support of keeping the restaurant open - the restaurant closed on December 31, 2022, with no comment from the Hilton regarding the campaign.

Gallery

File:The London Hilton on Park Lane 1.jpg, London Hilton on Park Lane File:Reception, London Hilton on Park Lane.jpg, Reception at London Hilton on Park Lane File:View from 27th floor at London Hilton on Park Lane.jpg, View of

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

and other London landmarks from the 27th floor of London Hilton on Park Lane File:Executive Lounge, London Hilton on Park Lane.jpg, Executive Lounge at London Hilton on Park Lane

References

External links

The official hotel webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:London Hilton on Park Lane Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotels Hotels in the City of Westminster Hotel buildings completed in 1963 Hotels established in 1963 Skyscrapers in the City of Westminster Skyscraper hotels in London

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links