One Whitehall Place

The Royal Horseguards Hotel

Apparently the chaps pictured here in the hard hats are builders rather than Treasury officials protecting themselves from the imminent collapse of the economy. The builders were onsite to begin a £16m renovation of The Royal Horseguards hotel.

But at the time the photo was taken, the hotel’s 280 guestrooms had been block-booked by the Treasury for officials involved in talks between the major banks and the Chancellor Alistair Darling. The talks resulted in a multi-billion pound bailout of British banks, subsequently heralded as having averted a meltdown of the financial markets.

The marble staircase pictured here is located in One Whitehall Place – the conference and banqueting space connected the Royal Horseguards Hotel. It is the largest freestanding marble staircase in Europe. Built in 1884 in the style of a French château on the Embankment of the Thames, the hotel is just moments away from Downing Street and Parliament.

This is not the first time the hotel has played a significant role at a time of national crisis. It is adjacent to the Ministry of Defence and was used as a base by the Secret Service – who occupied the entire eighth floor – during World War One. The hotel is aiming for five-star status when it relaunches under the Guoman brand in early 2009.