We’ve all done it at least once—tucked a miniature shampoo bottle or fancy soap into our luggage before checking out of a nice hotel.
Maybe even eyed the bathrobe and wondered, “Would anyone notice?” But when it comes to true luxury hotels like The Savoy in London, celebrity guests have taken those cheeky impulses to a whole new level.
Channel 5’s new documentary, The Savoy: Great Hotels Through Time, narrated with warmth and flair by Fay Ripley, dives into these very stories—where luxury, history, and scandal meet under one grand roof.
When A-Listers Leave With the Furniture
Forget slipping away with a towel. Hollywood icons like Alfred Hitchcock and Katharine Hepburn once made such a fuss about the heavenly comfort of their beds that they demanded to take the entire mattress home. And yes—the Savoy said yes.
Apparently, the hotel’s horsehair, cashmere, and wool-stuffed mattresses are so beloved, they now sell them for a jaw-dropping £17,000 a pop for a king size.
Clearly, some guests can’t get enough of the hotel’s royal-level rest.
Royal Tears and Hollywood Glamour
The documentary glides between refined nostalgia and jaw-dropping tales, like the time Princess Diana was a regular visitor during her turbulent divorce.
To lift her spirits, staff filled her suite with balloons—15,000 of them—on her birthday.
Marilyn Monroe once turned heads at the Savoy, too, famously stepping out in a skin-tight number dubbed the “wiggle dress,” showing off her midriff in a moment that quickly became iconic.
Wilde Nights and Bright Lights
Even literary legend Oscar Wilde has a chapter in the hotel’s glamorous history.
While the Savoy was the first hotel in the world to boast fully electric lighting back in the 1890s, Wilde apparently wasn’t impressed.
The harsh glow didn’t suit him—perhaps he felt he looked better bathed in candlelight.
But Wilde’s time at the Savoy wasn’t just about aesthetics.
He faced accusations of hosting male prostitutes in his room, a claim that added fuel to the fire during his infamous downfall.
A Scandalous Soap Opera from the Archives
For all its polish, some of the Savoy’s juiciest moments weren’t mentioned in the show at all.
If the producers had really wanted a scandal, they’d have done well to dig through the Daily Mail archives.
Take the late-1800s divorce case of Edwin Bratt, a well-off pub owner, who accused his wife Grace of sleeping with four lovers—often meeting them at the Savoy.
When Edwin discovered that one admirer had gifted her racy lingerie, he beat her with his walking stick until it snapped.
Violent, yes—but she clearly had good reason to leave him.
Rock Star Romances and Secret Meetings
Fast forward to the 1970s, and the hotel was still playing host to steamy affairs. Mick Jagger was a frequent guest—especially when he was secretly meeting Jerry Hall while still married to Bianca. It’s the kind of high-profile love triangle that only makes a hotel’s legend grow.
The Day Lady Docker Got Drenched
And then there’s the unforgettable Lady Norah Docker.
In the 1950s, she and her husband Bernard (head of the BSA industrial empire) were the definition of flashy, new-money celebrities.
One night at the Savoy Grill, Lady Docker was loudly slandering an absent acquaintance, tossing in racist remarks without care.
An American guest, Mr. L. Schwartzchild, and his companions were horrified.
When they asked her to quiet down and she refused, one bold woman in the party stood up and splashed a glass of water in Docker’s face.
Soaked and stunned, Lady Docker reportedly said, “I suppose I deserved that,” before leaving in a huff.
As for the Americans? They were escorted out—via the kitchen—to avoid more drama.
These days, they’d probably get a standing ovation.
A Glittering Past That Still Captivates
The Savoy: Great Hotels Through Time is part love letter, part tabloid memoir, spotlighting one of the world’s most iconic hotels.
It’s a place where the glamorous and the notorious have always mingled—sometimes in five-star suites, sometimes behind closed doors, and sometimes under the gaze of history.
And if you’re wondering—yes, you can still stay there.
Just be ready for your mattress to steal the show.