Mayfair's Westbury hotel to auction off furniture

More than 8,000 items from the Westbury hotel in London's Mayfair will be put up for auction next month, including furniture, artwork, commercial kitchen equipment and wine stock.

Items in the three-day sale, organised by Pro Auction, include sofas, drapery, writing desks, headboards and canopies, along with furniture and fittings from the public areas, bars and restaurants.

Also to be auctioned are bespoke luxury Italian lighting and chandeliers from Barovier & Toso, as well as pieces from Italian furniture company Smania.

According to Pro Auction, the sale precedes a major refurbishment of the 225-bedroom property across all guest rooms and public areas. However, a spokesperson for the hotel said the owner, Cola Holdings, had not yet decided if the refurbishment is going ahead.

Simon Rose of Pro Auction said: "This unprecedented renovation project for the hotel brings with it the opportunity to purchase a piece of the hotel's history at auction as the owners pave the way for a new chapter for the Westbury."

The hotel has no reopening date yet confirmed after it closed its doors last year due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Westbury also hit the headlines recently after it was forced to pay former employee chef Alyn Williams £57,000 in damages. Williams was dismissed after hosting a private lunch with friends and family at his eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant at the hotel in 2019.

Late last year an employment tribunal heard that the chef was sacked without notice or payment due to the incident. It later ruled he had been unfairly dismissed.

The auction will take place at the hotel between 7-10 June at 10.30am each day. Online bidding will also be available via a live webcast and the bedroom furniture can be purchased by a timed online auction.

Viewing from 10am-4pm by appointment only. Catalogues are available by calling 01761 414000 or via download at Pro Auction's website.