The Savoy Boutique Hotel is located at the very heart of Tallinn – in a place where the city centre meets the medieval old town. It is a superb place for people who travel for business as well as for pleasure. The capital city’s most noteworthy business, entertainment and shopping centres are nearby, right next to the hotel.
The hotel building was constructed in 1890 and renovated in 2006, following the art déco style. The result is highly decorative due to clever use of luxurious materials and various elements of modern art in the overall interior as well as in the design and furnishing of the hotel rooms.
History
The building, which has been united at the beginning of the 20th century, historically consists of two houses – Suur-Karja 17 and 19. This piece of land, as well as the buildings on it, has always played an important role in the lives of the citizens and the country.
The 14th century – Karjavärav and Karjaveski (The Cattle Gate and Cattle Mill) The first records of this site originate from the year 1363 when it used to be the location of one of the oldest gates of the town of Tallinn – the Karjavärav (the Cattle Gate) or “forta pecorum verpote”. The gate was used for herding the citizens’ livestock to the grasslands in the other side of the city wall. In the 15th century, the Karjaveski (the Cattle Mill) was built next to the gate. A part of the mill was supported by the city wall and it remained intact upon the destruction of the gate.
In 1890, the collapsed mill was demolished. Part of the land was used for widening the street and another part for building a business and residential house.
20th century – a bank, the Ministry of Culture and the Prosecutor’s Office The building gained its present appearance in 1927 when the house at Suur-Karja 19 was acquired by the Estonian Popular Bank and three additional storeys were constructed on top of the building in accordance with architectural plans by Georg Hellat. During the same year, a narrow two-storey house at Suur-Karja 17 was also reconstructed into a four-storey building.
In 1937, the buildings were united and their facades become one. The substructures of the two buildings however, are still located on two opposite sides of the city wall, constituting thus a historic paradox. A section of the medieval city wall can still be seen in the basement of the Savoy Bar.
What is interesting about the city block is the fact that in the 1930s, the entire neighbourhood surrounding the Karjavärav constituted a financial centre – an Estonian version of Wall Street (it was the location of five banks).
During the Soviet era, the building had several important functions – for years, it used to be the location of the Ministry of Culture and several shops.
In 1997, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Estonia was moved here.
The building of the Savoy Boutique Hotel was renovated in 2006 in accordance with the art déco style. art déco (< les arts décoratifs 'decorative arts’ in French), marks a style that prevailed in Europe and in the USA during the 1920s and 1930s mostly in the fields of interior design, poster and book art, painting, architecture, sculpture and photography. It is characterised by decorativeness, use of geometric shapes, luxurious materials and different elements of modern art, where several shapes and motifs have been taken from ancient styles of Egyptian and Aztec art. The architecture is not so much embodied in the building as in the style of its décor. Hints of art déco in Estonian art can be found in pieces by J. Greenberg, Adamson-Eric and E. Wiiralt.
The Savoy Boutique Hotel is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, in the heart of the medieval Hansa town of Tallinn. It takes a day-long ferry trip to get here from Stockholm or from St. Petersburg. A ferry from Helsinki, however, only needs a couple of hours to deliver you to Tallinn. If you come by car from Riga, you also need a couple of hours, whereas the journey from Vilnius or Moscow will take just a day. The dignified appearance of the old town of Tallinn originates from the 15th century – the narrow, winding streets, the high city walls and the gothic architecture. In the 13th century, the Karjavärav and Karjaveski (the Herd Gate and the Herd Mill) – objects of the utmost importance to the city’s inhabitants – used to be located on the grounds of the hotel. At the beginning of the 20th century, the plot was covered with residential houses and bank buildings that were later enlarged and two of the buildings were united. In 2006, the house was renovated in a luxurious style common to the era of art déco.
A gate to the heart of the city The Savoy Boutique Hotel is located at the border of the city centre and the old town of Tallinn. The location is quite strategic, being on one of the most heavily used streets that leads to the old town. No matter whether it is day or night – the street is always busy with cafes, restaurants, pubs, wine cellars, theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, galleries, boutiques, different service facilities and shopping centres – all right here in the neighbourhood.
In order to enter the old town, with its UNESCO World Heritage listing, you only need to turn the corner. The centre of the old town – Town Hall Square – is only 300 metres from the hotel. Historic scenes, museums and churches are within a short walk.
The business and shopping centre of Tallinn is within a five-minute walk of the hotel. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Reisisadam passenger port or to the railway station, and the airport is a 20-minute taxi ride away. Regardless of the proximity of the old town, the hotel is very easily accessible by car, as Pärnu Road – the beginning of Via Baltica connecting the Baltic Countries – is about twenty metres from the hotel.
Restaurant L'arancia
At the hotel restaurant L’Arancia (Italian word for orange) you can enjoy dishes of the Mediterranean cuisine and a great wine selection. The staff are always at your service and friendly as can be expected of a Mediterranean restaurant.
The Mediterranean L'Arancia restaurant has a superb view over busy Suur-Karja Street. Gourmets who value privacy can enjoy a separated corner in L’Arancia with miniature orange trees on the windowsills.
With paintings by Italians masters on the walls and a general cosy interior, the restaurant becomes the perfect place where you can focus on good company and delicious food.
Savoy Bar
The lounge-like Savoy Bar awaits you from early morning till late at night by being a comfortable meeting place.
The selection of drinks available in the bar is meant to satisfy demanding customers. The menu includes soups, salads, and sandwiches as well as locally made cakes and cookies.
A rich sushi menu with its Japanese teas and sake adds an exotic touch.
The Savoy bar is unique for its leather armchairs. Customers can also take their drinks to the lobby and warm themselves on couches next to the fireplace.
The bar has a rather respectable selection of cigars and there is also a separate smoking corner in the back of the bar.
There is also a basement in the bar where in addition to privacy, one can find a section of the city wall that has kept its secrets from the 13th century.
At the reception you can ask about the following additional services:
- Laundering and dry-cleaning
- Ironing
- Photocopying and faxing
- Currency exchange
- Concierge
- Porter
- Car rental
- Transfer from the airport
- Baby bed
- Child care
- Daily newspapers
- Shoe cleaning
- Souvenirs
- Laptop rental
- Tallinn Card and other tours
Breakfast
Restaurant L’Arancia is on the hotel’s ground floor with a view onto Suur-Karja Street.
Restaurant L’Arancia serves a rich buffet breakfast: Mo-Fri 7:00-10:00 Sat; Sun 8:00-11:00 (including national holidays)
Phone and Internet All rooms have direct dial phones – standard equipment includes WIFI and ISDN connections. Local calls, WIFI and ISDN services are all free!
The art déco furniture used in the rooms of the hotel has been custom made in Italy. The luxurious interior design of the rooms has taken into consideration even the smallest details and all the necessary accessories in order to make your stay a truly enjoyable one.
Single room
- Air conditioner
- Mini-bar
- Hairdryer
- TV
- Bathrobe
- Slippers
- A strongbox with an internal power socket to allow safe charging of your laptop computer
- WiFi
Double room
- Air conditioner
- Mini-bar
- Hairdryer
- TV
- Bathrobe
- Slippers
- A strongbox with an internal power socket to allow safe charging of your laptop computer
- WiFi
Suite
- Air conditioner
- Mini-bar
- Hairdryer
- TV
- Bathrobe
- Slippers
- A strongbox with an internal power socket to allow safe charging of your laptop computer
- WiFi
- Jacuzzy
- The opportunity to make tea and coffee
- Trouser presses
- Extra TV
