The Lanesborough Hotel’s magnificent auction

Lavish lots, from crystal chandeliers to four-poster beds

What does a hotel do when it needs a facelift? Sell off the family silver – quite literally. In 2007, The Savoy sold much of its contents as part of its transformation, and The Lanesborough Hotel is now following suit. An auction will be running from December 9 to 13 at the hotel, with viewings on December 7 and 8.

Some of the pieces are extraordinary, as lavish as if they were from the set of an opera. The Royal State Bed from The Royal Suite is a mahogany-framed extravaganza, with column-style posts and a cornice with ormolu (fine gilt) mounted with an upholstered canopy. It seems a steal for the £2,100-£2,500 estimate. A standard hotel bed with a mahogany headboard starts from £220, or with a canopy or a corona from about £450 (second picture). In case your home is throne-free, two chairs from The Royal Suite with gargoyle-masked arms are estimated to fetch £650 each.

So, what is to become of the former hospital that was transformed into a hotel 22 years ago? The new plans are by world-renowned interior designer Alberto Pinto, who sadly died last year and was also responsible for the reimagining of The Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad. “This marks an unprecedented renovation project,” says Geoffrey Gelardi, managing director of The Lanesborough. “Through Alberto Pinto’s vision, combined with the last innovations, we look forward to unveiling a new era.”

Aside from beds, the most prized pieces must be the three crystal-column chandeliers from Apsleys Restaurant (first picture), with a guide price of £5,000-£5,500 for the trio. From the same restaurant is a mural by Simon Casson, called The Great Daedala (estimated at £40,000-£45,000). It depicts the festival held every 59 years in Greece that celebrates the reconciliation of Zeus and his wife Hera after his various infidelities. A mural perhaps best not relocated to a newly Lanesborough-sourced bedroom…