Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS + / Watch Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV
As the first luxury hotel in Britain, The Savoy Hotel delivers the glamour, elegance, history and character their guests truly wish to experience. The holiday season is an especially busy time for staff as they work diligently to ensure guests have a wonderful stay during this time of the year.
“The Savoy at Christmas” offers a behind-the-scenes look at The Savoy Hotel during the holiday festivities. In this documentary, staff at The Savoy are pushed to a breaking point while they welcome hundreds of residential guests and diners on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. All staff members must work either Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, with many of them not knowing until last minute if they will get the day off.
When the holiday season finally concludes, the staff is able to relax and enjoy a champagne toast to celebrate their hard work. For visiting guests, it is a home away from home as the staff prepares a special holiday experience during their stay.
For the Sprenger family from Yorkshire, junior staffer Michael has their picture-perfect suite ready, complete with all of their presents under the tree, sweets on the table and cold champagne ready to pour.
For Howell Harris, an elderly man who knows everyone on staff, head butler Sean treats him with a ride in the hotel’s Rolls Royce to take in the Christmas lights.
Watch On Your Schedule: "The Savoy at Christmas" is available to stream with KPBS Passport, a member benefit that unlocks exclusive shows and extra content on KPBS+ ,a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.
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