Close Up: The Savoy in London is Now Open After £220m Renovation

It's here. The hotel we've all been waiting for reopened its doors on 10/10/10 and the press is going wild. And after a £220m renovation that lasted three years, how could The Savoy *not* be the talk of the town? The iconic hotel has been pampering guests since 1889 with a guest list that reads like a "who's who" in world history (from Edward VII to Marlene Dietrich). The Independent was there this week for the talked-about reopening:

"It wasn't about changing the hotel. It was about restoring it," said Simon Gilkes, the director of sales, standing next to the bar on the hotel's old cabaret stage, where George Gershwin premiered his "Rhapsody in Blue" in 1925. "We wanted to keep its soul, but elevate it, and make it the best hotel in the world."

Slovakian Erik Lorincz, this year's winner of the Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year, and thus the world's finest cocktail maker, has been installed in the restored American Bar, long considered the purveyor of the best cocktails in London.

Check out The Guardian's slideshow to revel in the beauty of the refurbishment. Get ready to be dazzled.