The romance of the hotel is attracting interest around the world

Beds, pink and white signature plates and an oak dance floor are among 3,000 lots to go under the hammer at Bonhams auction house over the next three days.

A 24-light chandelier under which Noel Coward and Anna Pavlova performed is expected to attract the highest bids.

The hotel, which has a distinct art-deco style, will reopen in 2009.

Other highlights of the sale include the contents of the Monet Suite, where dignitaries and celebrities from Harry S Truman to Charlie Chaplin have slept.

It is going to draw a lot of people who haven't been to an auction before, who perhaps stayed at the hotel in the past and who want to take home a memento Charlotte Wood, Bonhams

Meanwhile, a baby grand piano from the River Restaurant is expected to fetch between �2,000 and �3,000.

Overall, the hotel's history and romance are conservatively expected to bring in anywhere from �600,000 to �1m.

Charlotte Wood, a spokeswoman for Bonhams, said: "The Savoy is part of London's history, and there has been a huge amount of interest in the sale.

"It is going to draw a lot of people who haven't been to an auction before, who perhaps stayed at the hotel in the past and who want to take home a memento."

Earlier, union officials accused the Savoy of shoddy treatment towards its loyal workers following its closure.

The GMB Union said the hotel's decision to make long-term staff reapply for their jobs after the 16-month closure was unfair and disrespectful.