'I'm biased, but there's a reason the stars love my hotel': Sir Rocco Forte reveals why royalty including Princess Diana and American presidents have crossed the threshold of his legendary London property

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The oldest and one of the poshest hotels in London began life as an unexceptional terraced house.

Yet since then, royalty, American presidents and many other leading figures from the past two centuries have crossed its threshold.

Notably, the then Princess Elizabeth attended as guest of honour at Brown’s Hotel for the regimental tea party of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in July 1951.

And Diana, Princess of Wales, was a guest of the Association of American Correspondents in London in 1996, at a time when she was consulting lawyers over her divorce from Prince Charles.

Legend has it that Winston Churchill, when asked which London hotel he favoured, replied: ‘I don’t stay in a hotel; I stay in Brown’s.’

 Sir Rocco Forte has been the owner of Brown's Hotel (pictured) in London since 2003

Sir Rocco writes that Brown's is London's oldest hotel and 'one of the poshest'. Above, the hotel's front hall 

It has offered them all a haven that is both opulent and intimate. Set in the heart of Mayfair, it remains one of the most exclusive places to stay in the capital, spread over what were once 13 neighbouring Georgian properties.

Its Kipling Suite — named after the author Rudyard Kipling — costs £6,000 per night.

Yet its original owner, after whom the hotel is named, was humble valet James Brown who, it is said, had worked in Lord Byron’s household.

He could afford only to rent the property and converted it to a hotel in 1832.

Pictured is the Kipling Suite, named after the author Rudyard Kipling, who regarded Brown's as his 'second home'

Sir Rocco reveals that the hotel once enforced a rigid dress code, which required men to wear jacket and tie. Above is the Drawing Room

But his timing was perfect, with the gentry starting to prefer hotels rather than the expense of renting or keeping a London residence.

Brown and his wife Sarah, another servant, made a winning team, by learning to mirror their guests’ own country homes in comfort and discretion.

Kipling regarded Brown’s as his second home.

The Sir Paul Smith Suite, which costs from £5,500 per night

Overlooking Dover Street, the Sir Paul Smith Suite is 'flooded with natural light'

The Sir Paul Smith suite, pictured, is a shop window for Smith's creations, such as cushions from his latest homeware collection and sofas, tables, and leather goods from his collaboration with Italian luxury furniture company DePadova

He had lunch with his best man on the day of his wedding and is believed to have begun The Second Jungle Book there.

It was also where he wrote to a friend in 1915: ‘My son goes out to Flanders this week. So we are up in town waiting till he leaves... ’ A month later, John Kipling was killed at the Battle of Loos.

The horror film star Peter Cushing similarly called Brown’s ‘my favourite hotel in London’.

The horror film star Peter Cushing similarly called Brown's 'my favourite hotel in London'. Above is the private-hire Roosevelt Room

Royal visitor: Princess Diana leaving the hotel in 1996

He even had staying there written into his Hammer studio contract during filming.

Unable to sleep one night while staying at Brown’s, American author Stephen King went downstairs to find a quiet place to write and was shown by a concierge to a desk that, according to legend, Kipling had used during his visits.

‘Stoked on cup after cup of tea, I filled 16 pages of a steno notebook,’ King recalled.

The result was the outline of Misery, his 1987 novel about a deranged fan.

History has been made at Brown’s.

In 1877, inventor Alexander Graham Bell stayed while on honeymoon and brought along his new gadget — and made Europe’s first telephone call.

The Fortes’ involvement with the hotel began in 1970 when my father Charles, who had built a considerable business, merged with TrustHouse, which owned Brown’s.

After a hostile takeover of the group by Granada in 1996, I was able to acquire it in 2003 when the Singapore sovereign wealth fund decided to sell it.

Yum's the word: Above is Charlie's, the hotel's swanky restaurant

Sip, sip hooray! Donovan's, the 1960s photography-themed bar famous for its cocktails

In 1877, inventor Alexander Graham Bell stayed at Brown's while on honeymoon and brought along his new gadget - and made Europe’s first telephone call. Above is a replica period telephone in a meeting room that honours the connection between the hotel and the Scot

A rigid dress code was once enforced which required men to wear jacket and tie.

The late actor Oliver Reed removed his trousers in protest as legwear was not stipulated.

Yet even then, the trousers were returned at the end of his meal beautifully pressed. Just as you might expect.

'Brown’s Hotel: A Family Affair', by Andy Williamson, is out now, priced at £42, available to buy at the hotel and online at roccoforteshop.co.uk