The multi-million pound refurbishment programme at Grosvenor House in Park Lane was one of London's largest ever hotel rebuilding projects, encompassing virtually all areas of the building, front and back-of-house. The hotel stayed open throughout, which, for ReardonSmith, acting as project leader and co-ordinator, presented significant planning and site management challenges that required rigorous phasing of all works to minimise disruption. In the course of the project, the practice administered seven contracts, worked with two different operators and provided an on-site team of architects, technicians and administrators. The most striking architectural intervention was the upgrading of the main forecourt and entrance where two substantial cantilevered and lit glass canopies were introduced rising over a newly ramped courtyard. Inside, all 446 guestrooms and suites were refurbished and a further 48 rooms added, all designed to meet the luxury standards of a JW Marriott. Most of the public areas were refurbished and an extensive back-of-house programme brought the services infrastructure up to the highest level of efficiency and health and safety. This included the installation of over 5,500 sprinkler heads, nearly 10,000 metres of new pipe-work and the installation of 280 tones of marble on the guestroom floors alone. New fire alarm systems were also introduced and all 20 lifts were upgraded.