Inside the Hilton Park Lane – a photo essay

A look behind the scenes at one of London’s most celebrated hotels

Hosting more than 200,000 guests a year, the Hilton hotel on Park Lane is one of London’s landmarks. It was here in 1967 that the Beatles met their guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. A decade later, two people lost their lives and many more were injured when the Hilton was rocked by an IRA bomb, and in 2012, the International Olympic Committee set up residence during the London Games. The first skyscraper hotel to be built in the capital, it will celebrate 60 eventful years this coming April.

Behind the £1,500-a-night rooms and extravagant banquets is a small army of staff who keep the vast operation going.