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Selected contents from London's famous Savoy Hotel are going under the hammer at a special auction over the next few days.

The three-day sale, which is being hosted by auction house Bonhams, is expected to fetch in excess of £1 million.

Three thousand items of furniture, works of art and other items are being sold from the hotel, just days after it closed for a £100 million refurbishment.

The Savoy, which opened in 1889 and has played host to some of the world's most powerful dignitaries and glamorous celebrities, will not open again for business until early 2009.

Reports claim more than 3,500 people visited Bonhams yesterday to view the mainly art deco-style furniture up for auction from today until December 20th.

Bonhams says the nature of the sale means some items could go for as little as £20, although the Savoy's more important furnishings are expected to fetch in excess of £15,000.

Among the items up for auction are two pairs of chandeliers from the hotel's Thames Foyer, with each pair expected to be sold for between £10,000 and £15,000.

A large oak parquet dance floor from the Savoy's Lancaster Ballroom, consisting of 100 sections, is also one of the more unusual items on sale and is anticipated to fetch up to £600.

However, the majority of lots consist of furnishings from the hotel's 215 bedrooms and suites, including the renowned Monet Suite – whose past guests have included silent screen actor Charlie Chaplin and former US president Harry S Truman.

Bonhams' director of the Savoy sale, Harvey Cammell, said: "The auction presents everyone around the world with a 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity to acquire an extraordinary range of iconic items from one of the most famous hotels in the world."