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Belmond Reid's Palace

Coordinates: 32°38′26″N 16°55′27″W / 32.64056°N 16.92417°W / 32.64056; -16.92417
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Belmond Reid's Palace
View looking up to the main hotel building from the swimming pool.
Map
General information
LocationFunchal, Madeira, Portugal
Coordinates32°38′26″N 16°55′27″W / 32.64056°N 16.92417°W / 32.64056; -16.92417
OpeningNovember 1891
OwnerBelmond Ltd.
ManagementBelmond Ltd.
Design and construction
Architect(s)George Somers Clarke & John Thomas Micklethwaite
DeveloperWilliam Reid
Other information
Number of rooms128
Number of suites35
Website
www.reidspalace.com

Belmond Reid's Palace (a.k.a. Reid's Palace) is a historic hotel located to the west of Funchal Bay in Madeira, Portugal, in an imposing position looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.[1][2] The hotel has sloping gardens.[3] The hotel's complex include more than 40,000 square meters of space designed as a subtropical botanical garden.

Early colour photograph of Reid's Hotel and the surrounding landscape from Funchal, Madeira, by Sarah Angelina Acland, c. 1910

History

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William Reid, the son of a Scottish crofter, originally arrived in Madeira in 1836.[4] He hired out quintas to wealthy invalids and moved on to hotels, but died before his Reid's hotel was completed.[5][6]

The hotel was designed by the architects George Somers Clarke and John Thomas Micklethwaite.[1] Reid’s two sons, William (Willy) and Alfred, brought their father’s project to fruition and the doors to Reid's Palace opened in November 1891,[7] as the New Hotel, later became the New Palace Hotel, then Reid's Palace or just "Reid's".[8] It was a luxury retreat combining Edwardian elegance with the latest comforts of the day.[5][7]

The pioneer colour photographer Sarah Angelina Acland (1849–1930) stayed at the hotel during the early 20th century and took many photographs in and around the location of the hotel.[8] The hotel had a darkroom for use by guests.

Famous guests over the years have included General Fulgencio Batista, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, David Lloyd George, deposed emperor Charles I of Austria, Józef Piłsudski, Roger Moore, Gregory Peck, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, the missionary Albert Schweitzer, and dramatist George Bernard Shaw.[4]

The Cinema Museum in London has film from 1936 of the hotel and its guests.[9]

Reid's is particularly known for its tradition of serving afternoon tea on the terrace.[10][11]

The hotel was acquired by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., which changed its name to Belmond Ltd. on 10 March 2014. At that time the hotel changed its name to Belmond Reid's Palace.[12]

Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) purchased Belmond Ltd., the 40-year-old company that owns (inter alia) Belmond Reid's Palace,[7] in a €2.8 billion deal which closed in April 2019 in a $3.2 billion final transaction.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Denby, Elaine (1998). Grand Hotels: Reality & Illusion; An Architectural and Social History. Reaktion Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-1861891211.
  2. ^ Gubler, Fritz (2008). "Getting Away from it All: Reid's Hotel". Great, Grand & Famous Hotels. Great, Grand & Famous Hotels. p. 183. ISBN 978-0980466706.
  3. ^ Luckhurst, Gerald (2010). "25: Reid's Palace Hotel". The Gardens Of Madeira. Frances Lincoln. pp. 148–157. ISBN 978-0711230323.
  4. ^ a b Rice, Christopher; Rice, Melanie (2005). "Reid's Palace Hotel". Madeira. Globetrotter Travel Guides (2nd ed.). New Holland Publishers. p. 155. ISBN 978-1845372361.
  5. ^ a b "Reid's Palace". cosmopolis.ch. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Reid's Palace – A Belmond Hotel". Taste of Portugal. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Rees, Paul (17 December 2018). "Madeira - Arnault Buys Belmond Reid's Palace Hotel In €2.8 billion Deal". Algarve Daily News. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  8. ^ a b Hudson, Giles (2012). Sarah Angelina Acland: First Lady of Colour Photography. Oxford: Bodleian Library, University of Oxford. pp. 248–249. ISBN 978-1-85124-372-3.
  9. ^ HMO325. "Cinema Museum Home Movie Database.xlsx". Google Docs. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Madeira: Coming late to the first tea", 17 Sept 2001. Accessed 15 August 2014
  11. ^ "Guide to Madeira", Conde Nast Traveller Accessed 15 August 2014
  12. ^ "Orient-Express Hotels LTD. To launch Belmond brand". Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  13. ^ Travis Hoium (14 December 2018). "Why Belmond Ltd's Shares Jumped 40% Today". Fool.com. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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