For Sale: London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, the Most Expensive in Europe’s Hotel Real Estate History

Hot off the press. The Grosvenor House Hotel-- the "Grande Dame" on Park Lane in London-- is up for sale, and The Wall Street Journal is reporting that this could be the priciest hotel ever to hit the real estate market in Europe. We're talking $753 million. According to one source the property could have sold for as much as $1.2 billion, if lease constraints didn't get in the way. Operated by JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts, the 494-room hotel recently celebrated its 80th birthday by launching a rose-scented Afternoon Tea. A dramatic multi-million pound restoration was completed in 2008 which touched every aspect of the hotel. Fans of Guy Ritchie's recent Sherlock Holmes movie will want to check in at the Grosvenor House Hotel, offering the "Discover Sherlock Holmes" package until early April. (You'll get tix to the dedicated museum and a map illustrating Holmes' old haunts on a self-guided walking tour.)