With an unparalleled history, the palace of Mayfair continues to keep up with the times thanks to a rare asset: contemporary chic with celebrity and glamor in its wake.
Sitting on the comfortable Chesterfield sofas in the Connaught Bar, it's probably the compositions by Agostino Perrone, director of mixology (head bartender, what), which will make you radiate with well-being. But even more, in a historic palace like the Connaught, there is another element that you can almost feel from your armrest. These are legends, history, ghosts. Better than the triple carpet, they give this house erected in 1815 a disturbing depth.
Starting with the hotel steps. During the last world war, the American general Ike Eisenhower arrives in his famous uniform jacket, strapped and close to the body that he invented himself. But it's not his good-natured side that shocks the hotel porters, that big mouth that already exasperates the English: Oversexed, overpaid over here..., as we thought of the Americans. It is the presence, just behind him, of Kay Summersby, a former model at Worth, cap swaggeringly tilted, impeccable tie knot and tailored jacket. Sort of Greta Garbo in uniform, she serves as his driver and will maintain with the hero one of the most beautiful love stories of this time.
In the kitchen, there was not yet Michel Bourdin. He came to London in 1975 and brought the Michelin star with a classical repertoire that enchanted customers. Just as much this divine moment, when before dessert, the butlers, in an aerial choreography, rolled up the tablecloth like a cigarette paper then replaced it in a perfect movement. Michel had a famous half-brother, the great photographer Guy Bourdin. When he came with his models, Michel was in his little shoes: “I can assure you that he will come with a tie, he announced to his teams, but for the rest I cannot guarantee you anything. »
Today, in the kitchens of Connaught officiates Hélène Darroze who, after meticulous background work, was able to win a third star. She did so far from Parisian pressures. Very often with great chefs - as with clients, lovers, athletes - distance disinhibits. The hotel, for its part, goes through the ages with the grace of a water skier. There were half-light shades, the languid candy box, room for more insolent volumes like the new bar The Red Room bringing together female artists around the theme of red, as well as this piece hung above the fireplace, I Am Rouge by Louise Bourgeois. The Connaught thus remains faithful to this way of being cheeky, the bust straight.
Music is completely different in the bedrooms. Accustomed to private residences, interior designer Guy Oliver has managed to calm things down by reconciling British discretion with contemporary design. This gives frank universes with touches of historical reminder like these solid mahogany light fittings skilfully mixed with soft leather evoking the original wall lights. Sometimes, the set-back of the windows frees up an intimate alcove from which, for a romantic room service, one can rediscover the atmosphere of Mayfair and contemplate the superb fountain created by Tadao Ando on the forecourt of Carlos Place.
The Connaught has understood that its customers come here for privileged moments, the time of a chosen shopping where the eye is constantly awake, seeks the detail, the sharp chic, the touch of glamour. He needs food, quotations, awakening. The hotel knows how to answer them without, however, anticipating the questions. He proposes, you dispose. Because the arguments line up like an insolent card game: a spa, its swimming pool, works of art, several bars, the restaurant of Hélène Darroze, that of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a grill, the tea room, a grill, a chef's table, the sommelier's table... Curiously, where that would produce an effect of satiety, here, you experience a kind of amused complicity with this playful one-upmanship. Moreover, from your deep sofa, your hand rose on its own to call the bartender and order him a second americano chinato...
the-connaught.co.uk
The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London.
François SimonAlso read on SLAll rights reserved - Les Echos 2020
