13 - Those silver-spooned children living the palace life

The little girl in red, Gritti Palace 1991

      Watching silver-spooned children living the supreme grand hotel experience somehow underscores the simplicity of my own childhood, growing up in Aberdeen.

I never cease to be amazed when I see young children at grand hotels.  It’s a kind of life I couldn’t have imagined as a little boy, although I would have loved it.  That being said, had I grown up in such a pampered environment, then my special hotels today certainly wouldn’t seem nearly so special.

It was Christmas of 1991 at the Gritti Palace in Venice when I saw the beautiful little girl in the red dress.  Of that visit, it is that elegant, sophisticated child who sticks in my mind.  She’d be almost middle-aged today; I wonder what kind of life she leads.

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On our last stay at Claridges in London, just before leaving for the train station, we had checked out and were waiting in the lobby.  Brenda was getting more and more anxious to slip into the restroom, but every time she tried, there seemed to be a surprisingly young crowd blocking the door.

Claridge's Hotel 2010

We suddenly realized the entire teatime area was filled with all of these tiny pre-school children.  Soon we were surrounded by dozens of elegantly attired tots with their even more elegantly attired mommies coming into the lobby from all directions.

It turned out Claridge’s was host to the FIRST birthday of one of the little tykes and about sixty of her closest and dearest friends.  It made for a colorful and stimulating Sunday afternoon ambiance.  Pity the camera was all packed away!

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Here are a few photos of the younger generation spotted at some special addresses.

Emma and Nathan are Brenda’s grandchildren and mine by adoption.  They definitely were not born with a silver spoon, nor do they have one now.  However, at eight years old, one gets accustomed to things fast.  Here they are enjoying ice cream last year in the Paris Ritz gardens.

 Christmas vacation 2011, young hotel residents ice skating in the newly-created rink at the very luxurious Plaza Athenée in Paris. 

Checkout time for this Japanese
family at the Paris Ritz

Unidentified cutups, Hotel New York, Rotterdam

Little girl enraptured with cat in the gardens of the Hotel Bristol in Paris.  I had assumed it was hers, but in fact "Fa-Raon" belongs to the luxury palace and is something of a hotel mascot (see sidebar: Grand Hotel Cats)

 Youngster undoubtedly unimpressed by the cushioned hotel atmosphere as he enters the Plaza Athenée on his little scooter!

Eloise and vintage photo of the Plaza (photo google)

Last but not least, do not forget hoteldom's most famous youngster, Eloise, whose adventures at the New York Plaza have been chronicled in five best-selling children's books.  Written by the late Kay Thompson, Eloise is a six year-old living in a room on the "tippy-top floor" of the Plaza with her nanny, her pug dog Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee.  Thompson's goddaughter, Liza Minnelli, has frequently been cited as the original model for the mischevious title character.

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An awkward pre-teen Gloria
with her mother (photo Google)

P.S. Gloria Vanderbilt, once the richest little girl in America, was a good example of too many grand hotels too soon.  Almost permanently living in hotel palaces between Paris or Biarritz and New York from infancy, she acquired an aversion to them by the time she entered adolescence.  

In her original autobiography, "Once Upon A Time," G.V. described her dread of having to stay at the Sherry Netherland Hotel when her mother was in New York.  Further, her grandmother, who lived around the corner at the more modest Hotel 14, always insisted they have Sunday lunch at the Sherry en famille.

When at around 14 she brought her first, older boyfriend home to meet the family, she tells of being seized with panic at the idea Grandmother Morgan was going to spill the beans and blurt out that  they went every week to the "old boring Sherry Netherland"!

SIDEBAR:  GRAND HOTEL CATS

Fa-raon, King of the Bristol

     Fa-raon (the French word for Pharaoh), the Bristol’s feline guest, is of a long line of grand hotel pets.  The three-year old white Burmese has taken on celebrity status since the Bristol finished massive renovations two years ago.

The chic, Parisian establishment, situated almost in front of the presidential palace, has elevated the chubby Fa-raon to stardom, using him shamelessly to attract press attention.  He has frequently appeared in newspaper features, and is purported to be an important part in attracting return business.

Fa-raon spends much of his time resting on the concierge’s desk or curled up on one of the sumptuous Louis XVI-syle sofas in the main lobby.  He seems to take all the attention in his stride, and is said to have a preference for hotel residents under the age of twelve.

Fa-raon with young admirer in the Bristol gardens

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The Parisian palace’s publicity campaign was possibly inspired by the New York City Algonquin Hotel’s Matilda, who has garnered more than her share of television and newspaper coverage over the last half century.

Garbo & Barrymore on set of Grand Hotel 1932 

This year marks the 80^th anniversary of cats roaming the tony NYC hotel’s lobby.  In 1932, then-owner Frank Case welcomed a stray looking for food and shelter, and a tradition was born.

Hotel lore says actor John Barrymore (one of the original members of the Algonquin’s literary “round table”) insisted the tomcat  needed a theatrical name, and he proposed Hamlet.

The name perservered, but some decades later new management chose Matilda for the hotel’s first female kitty.  The current Matilda, the tenth, is a Ragdoll who has won cat-of-the-year at the prestigious Westchester, N.Y. Cat Show.

Matilda (photo Librado Romero)

It is hardly a surprise that she has her own page on Facebook, with well over 5000 “likes.”  

And she has a secretary to answer emails, because as executive assistant Alice de Almeida, who doubles as P.A. for Matilda, explains, “Everyone knows cats don’t have thumbs, and you need a thumb to send emails!”

For a more in-depth video interview with Matilda from the Cat Channel, click below:

KASPAR, THE SAVOY'S BLACK CAT

Kaspar

      The Savoy Hotel's most famous resident checked in over 85 years ago, and he never left! 

Kaspar the cat, an impressive art-deco feline wood sculpture, was originally created to circumvent any superstitious problems involving dinner parties at the London hotel’s Savoy Grill.  Hotel legend has it that any dinner table with thirteen guests is headed for no good as the first to rise from the table is destined to meet with a tragic end.  Kaspar's role is simple:  he serves, when needed, as an official fourteenth guest.

Artist Basil Ionides was commissioned in 1926 to design and carve the three-foot-high black cat, which he produced from a single piece of London plane.  Kaspar has since resided in the entrance hall, but whenever a party of thirteen requires an extra guest he is brought out to sit at table. He has a napkin tied around his neck and is served every course, just like any other guest.

 

Winston Churchill became particularly fond of Kaspar, and for many years insisted the cat be present at every meeting of The Other Club, a political dining group he founded between the two wars.

A successful 2008 children’s book has now ensured Kaspar's continuing celebrity status for new generations.  “Kaspar: Prince of Cats” was written by “War Horse” author Michael Morpurgo, a former Savoy writer-in-residence.

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Your input is welcomed:  hotel-musings@hotmail.fr

Next Friday:  "Around Africa with Brenda"

 [Photos are mine, unless otherwise credited]