Latest news with #RafflesLondon
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Who dressed Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon's The Champions' Dinner and who convinced Jannik Sinner to dance?
At Wimbledon's post-tournament party, 'The Champions' Dinner', Iga Swiatek, the winner of women's title, bedazzled in a lilac Stella McCartney gown that was reportedly worth over 2000$. Who dresses the Wimbledon champions? Town & Country magazine reports that the styling is done by Elisabeth Piner, the stylist and owner of 'Having a ball dress hire', a company that rents out dresses for formal affairs. She sets up a full-service salon inside centre court in an empty space across the hall from the ladies' locker room. 'We've got everything, we kit them out from top to toe,' Piner told Town & Country. She and her team reached the club at 8 am on the morning of the ball, 'with a car full of hundreds of dresses in multiple sizes; 50 to 60 pairs of shoes; jewelry including diamonds and colored stones; and an assortment of handbags', the magazine reported. The Champions' Dinner is held at the lavish Raffles London. 'Because we don't know who will win the tournament we choose styles that perhaps can be flexible, perhaps they have a lace up back or are more or less an average size,' she says. 'The jewellery is easier because it's one size. We try to choose items that are just glamorous and ready to compliment the dresses … Most of the footwear and accessories are carefully selected for comfort, elegance, and reliability under pressure,' she said. 'The jewellery ranges from contemporary pieces to vintage-inspired.' The magazine noted that she ' also tries to guess which players are most likely to make it to the finals and gather looks that might suit their individual styles'. 'The room is totally transformed into a glamorous, lovely boutique with all these wonderful dresses,' Piner said. 'It's a tennis locker room with rails of silk and sparkle.' Wimbledon doesn't offer this kind of service to the men's winners, letting their individual sponsor attire them. Sinner had worn a custom dark Gucci suit, with signature loafers. Sinner and Iga would dance, though it wasn't initially part of the plan. 'Yes I mean we were there and, in the beginning, they told us that because it was quite late that we don't have to do it and then Iga told me, no, no, let's do it and I was like OK,' said Sinner. 'Its a tradition. So it's good to make that happen. And yea it was nice to share that moment with Iga. And it's yeah, a beautiful moment,' Sinner shared later with BBC Sport. On the 'Nothing Major' podcast, the American tennis player Sam Querrey shared more details from the night. 'It's in the city. At that hour, there is no traffic, so it's like 25 minutes. They have a cocktail party, and then you go down to the dinner, where it's set up beautifully. Laura Robson hosted, and she went up and gave a speech. You have some appetisers, and then Iga showed up at 10:30 pm. 'She came in, and you stand up. They made this cool video up on the Jumbotron. She holds up her trophy, and then you sit down.'Sinner came at 00:05. I did not care, but he was just in the back hammering drinks with his team, having a good time. He came out with the trophy, and at some point, Laura Robson brought them both on stage. She does a Q&A with Iga and Jannik pretty quickly. And there was a rumour they were not going to have to dance, and the crowd peer pressured them into dancing.'It was good, though. Jannik did a good job; he was feeling good and made it really fun. He started twirling Iga, and then 45 seconds in, they were done dancing and went back to the table … You had unbelievable food, wine,' Querrey shared.
Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
The uncomfortable truth behind this year's Wimbledon champions
A tradition once discarded but now an annual convention, the iconic dance between the men's and women's singles champions took place at the Wimbledon Ball on Sunday night. Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, two natural introverts, smiled and laughed their way through a shake and a twirl at the Raffles London hotel in Whitehall. It was an endearing sight.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek celebrate first Wimbledon wins with Champions' Dinner dance
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek celebrated their respective first Wimbledon triumphs at the traditional glitzy Champions' Dinner on Sunday night. Women's world No3 Swiatek crowned her best-ever run on grass with a maiden SW19 victory on Saturday, afternoon lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish after thrashing American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in less than an hour in her first final on Centre Court. Advertisement Never before in the modern Open Era of tennis had a player produced a ruthless double bagel to win the women's Wimbledon singles final, with Dorothea Lambert Chambers the last do to it all the way back in 1911 against Dora Boothby. It was a sixth Grand Slam success in total so far for the first Polish Wimbledon winner, who now just needs to win the Australian Open to complete the full set of major championships, having won four French Open titles since 2020 as the 'Queen of Clay' in addition to the 2022 US Open. That dominant victory was followed up 24 hours later by reigning men's world No1 Sinner, who responded to his agonising five-set defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros showpiece last month by toppling the back-to-back defending Wimbledon champion 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the latest instalment of their growing rivalry. Advertisement The Italian is now a four-time Grand Slam winner, having also won the Australian Open in back-to-back years in addition to last year's US Open. As is long-standing Wimbledon tradition, respective singles winners Sinner and Swiatek later got dressed up on Sunday night for the glamourous annual Champions' Dinner, which was held at the luxury Raffles London at The OWO, located in the heart of Whitehall. First-time winners: Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek pose with their trophies at the Wimbledon Champions' Dinner (AELTC via Getty Images) The duo again posed with their trophies that were initially presented on court over the weekend by The Princess of Wales, also honouring custom by sharing a short dance together, the footage of which has since been posted on social media by the official Wimbledon accounts. Advertisement Sinner and Swiatek danced together for around 20 seconds to the tune of Portugal. The Man's 2017 hit 'Feel It Still', with the host for the evening joking beforehand that they would be awarded a 10 out of 10 regardless if Annabel Croft was in attendance with Strictly Come Dancing scorecards. After the dance, she joked: 'We said 10 out of 10, I think everyone in this room is drunk enough that it doesn't even matter. It's all good, enjoy your champagne and the rest of the night. Congratulations.' On the prospect of performing the traditional Champions' Dinner dance, Sinner had said with a smile after winning Wimbledon: 'That's a problem. I'm not really good at dancing. But come on… I can handle it.'
Forbes
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Secrets And Scones: A Spy Themed Afternoon Tea Launched In London
A watch you can eat. Raffles London London doesn't exactly have a tea shortage. You can sit in Mayfair with a £12 cup of something floral, eat cucumber sandwiches in Belgravia, or sip Earl Grey under a chandelier that could concuss a small child if it ever came loose. That's all fine. Predictable, even. But now? There's a tea service in town that's a bit more… covert. Raffles London, which recently opened in the old War Office building (yes, that one), is now hosting an afternoon tea called Secrets & Spies. And before you roll your eyes—no, it's not a costume party. Nobody's handing out trench coats. You don't need a code word. It's actually very restrained, and more to the point: it's really good. The War Office, for anyone who missed that particular history class, was where Churchill worked, where MI9 was born, and where a fair number of young intelligence officers were quietly ushered in, briefed, and then sent off to play dangerous games in occupied Europe. It's heavy stuff. And now, weirdly but wonderfully, it's where you can get scones. The tea's held in The Drawing Room, which is all velvet and quiet lighting—basically what you'd expect if you imagined a very rich relative's living room and then doubled the ceilings. You sit down, you're handed a menu, and if you squint just slightly, you can almost hear old war secrets still echoing in the corners. Let's talk about the food. It's themed, yes, but not obnoxiously so. The standout is a dessert called Time to Spy, a blackcurrant-and-dark-chocolate cake that looks like a pocket watch—more specifically, like the kind spies carried in the 1940s. You almost don't want to eat it. But then you do. Other sweets are inspired by real women who served in the Special Operations Executive during World War II. Noor Inayat Khan. Odette Sansom. Violette Szabo. These aren't made-up characters—they were real, brave, terrifyingly cool women who worked behind enemy lines and often didn't come back. Each dessert nods to one of them through flavor or design. It's subtle, not sentimental. If you catch the references, great. If you don't, you'll still get a really nice tart out of it. The savory food leans traditional but with a few small changes that make it feel more thoughtful. The chicken sandwich, made with high-quality poultry, is paired with parmesan instead of the usual mayonnaise, which keeps it lighter while still adding flavor. The smoked salmon has been cured with beetroot, and it's served with lemon confit and horseradish cream, which adds a bit of brightness without overpowering the other flavors on the plate. Cucumber sandwiches are there too, of course, but in this case, they're layered on rye bread and softened with cream cheese and a little mint, which makes them more refreshing than expected. The ham is honey-roasted and served with caraway bread and a slightly tangy spread that complements the richness of the meat. Even the egg sandwich has been given a bit more care, using Arlington eggs and a grain mustard that adds texture and just enough bite to make it interesting without complicating it. Rather than overwhelming you with too many choices, the tea selection offers a carefully curated range that has been thoughtfully chosen. The house blend, created especially for The OWO, combines black tea with a touch of rose petal for a floral note that doesn't feel overly sweet or perfumed. There's also a Churchill blend, which leans toward a smoky profile, thanks to the lapsang, and includes a hint of ginger to add warmth. In addition to those, you'll find familiar names like Darjeeling and Earl Grey—nothing surprising, but all of it well prepared and served with quiet confidence. What really gives the whole experience its character, though, is the room itself. The Drawing Room still carries the feel of its former life as part of the War Office, not through obvious decoration or forced storytelling, but in the quiet way the space holds its history. You notice it in the layout, in the weight of the architecture, and in the small moments—like sipping tea while sitting just a few feet from where military briefings once took place. Will you leave changed? Probably not. But you'll leave charmed. And maybe—just maybe—you'll look over your shoulder as you walk out, half-expecting to spot a trench-coated figure watching from the corner. Because in this room, secrets aren't just part of the décor. They're baked right in.
Sky News AU
29-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Darling Harbour's stunning new 'W' hotel, hilltop Singapore resort among new entrants on luxury list of the best places to stay in Asia, Australia and beyond
A new hilltop hotel in a tropical garden with its own beach has helped reignite a tourism boom in Singapore. It is one of a number of new hotels from Asia, Europe and Australia to make the hotel hot list this year. Raffles Sentosa is Singapore's first all-villa hotel featuring 62 contemporary lodges, each with its own private pool. It is an ideal place for a mini break for travellers making the arduous trip to and from Europe. Or stay longer and settle into a resort style hotel with access to an award-winning golf club and Sentosa's Tanjong Beach. Raffles Sentosa is set in 100,000 sq m of gardens. It is a far cry from the original Raffles hotel built at 1 Beach Road in 1887 and named in honour of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the British statesman and the father of modern Singapore. It is steeped with history and nostalgia. Rudyard Kipling edited his first draft of The Jungle Book there. Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, W. Somerset Maugham, Noël Coward, and Ernest Hemingway also stayed there. The hotel was refurbished in 2017. The Raffles name also spread to 18 hotels including new properties in Cairo, Istanbul, London and Bali. Raffles London at the OWO occupies a stately Grade II Edwardian Baroque building in Whitehall once the centre of British Government and the Old War Office. It is close to St James's Park, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey and close to West End theatres. Raffles Bali features 32 oceanfront villas, each with their own pool and garden. Raffles Sentosa is noted for its culinary offerings starting with the Empire Grill, a modern Italian restaurant. And of course there is a restaurant offering Cantonese cuisine. Royal China is set in a dining room framed by floor-to-ceiling windows and surrounded by lush greenery. And there is a Japanese omakase restaurant, Iyasaka by Hashida. Chef Kenjiro "Hatch" Hashida's aim is to make it the best Japanese restaurant outside his homeland. Hilton, the global hotel colossus, already operates 8,600 hotels and resorts and is planning more. The new ones are being built in New York, Costa Rica, Athens and Osaka. In London, The Emory at Belgravia in London seems to be top of the hit parade with the critics. It's the capital's first all-suite hotel and one of the last projects by the late Richard Rogers, one of England's most celebrated architects. The Emory was built by the Maybourne hotel group which owns and runs the Berkeley next door as well as Claridge's and the Connaught. In Sydney, the curvaceous W hotel at Darling Harbour reeks of glamour and sophistication and features weirdly wonderful mirror aluminium panels on the ceiling. It is a grand edifice with 588 guestrooms and suites. Josh and Julie Niland's boutique hotel Grand National in Paddington couldn't be more different. It has 14 rooms and is a study in a restrained elegance. It sits above their celebrated restaurant, Saint Peter, and is a drawcard for the culinary cognoscenti. Their original restaurant, Saint Peter, opened around the corner in 2016, was the only Australian restaurant that made it to The World's Best Restaurant List in 2024. The new Eve Hotel on the border of Surry Hills and Redfern in Sydney draws on the Australian landscape for its architectural inspiration. Guests enter a calming lobby anchored by natural stone and bespoke glazed terracotta. Architect Adam Haddow designed the hotel to wrap around a central courtyard allowing sight lines through to lush greenery. The hotel's 102 guest rooms each offer a 'unique experience with an Australian inspired palette of either eucalyptus or red clay tones'. Each room has a private balcony. Haddow's groovy hotel is the centrepiece of the new Wunderlich Lane retail and hospitality precinct on Cleveland Street. TRAVELLERS' TIP Singapore Airlines is offering competitive business class fares to Singapore. A sampler: Sydney to Singapore return, from $6,108. Melbourne to Singapore return from $4,343. Adelaide to Singapore return from $4,448. Brisbane to Singapore return from $5,659.16.
