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
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.
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]
In December 2018, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) is expected to buy Belmond Ltd., the 40-year-old company that owns among other properties the Madeira Belmond Reid's Palace,[7] in a €2.8 billion deal which closed in April 2019 in a $3.2 billion final transaction.[13]
^ abDenby, Elaine (1998). Grand Hotels: Reality & Illusion; An Architectural and Social History. Reaktion Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-1861891211.
^Gubler, Fritz (2008). "Getting Away from it All: Reid's Hotel". Great, Grand & Famous Hotels. Great, Grand & Famous Hotels. p. 183. ISBN 978-0980466706.
^Luckhurst, Gerald (2010). "25: Reid's Palace Hotel". The Gardens Of Madeira. Frances Lincoln. pp. 148–157. ISBN 978-0711230323.
^ abRice, Christopher; Rice, Melanie (2005). "Reid's Palace Hotel". Madeira. Globetrotter Travel Guides (2nd ed.). New Holland Publishers. p. 155. ISBN 978-1845372361.
^ ab"Reid's Palace". cosmopolis.ch. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
^"Reid's Palace – A Belmond Hotel". Taste of Portugal. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
^ abcRees, Paul (17 December 2018). "Madeira - Arnault Buys Belmond Reid's Palace Hotel In €2.8 billion Deal". Algarve Daily News. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
^ abHudson, 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.
^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)
^"Madeira: Coming late to the first tea", 17 Sept 2001. Accessed 15 August 2014
^"Guide to Madeira", Conde Nast Traveller Accessed 15 August 2014
^"Orient-Express Hotels LTD. To launch Belmond brand". Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
^Travis Hoium (14 December 2018). "Why Belmond Ltd's Shares Jumped 40% Today". Fool.com. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Reid's Palace Hotel.
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