In 2005 Jeremy Goring, the fourth generation of the hospitality family took over from his father at the helm of this quintessentially British hotel. Paul Andrews went to meet them both...
Founded in 1910 by O.R Goring during the reign of the King Emperor Edward VII, The Goring Hotel is the oldest privately owned hotel in London. It was in fact the very last grand hotel of that era to be built as Edward died a couple of months later.
Designed by John Evelyn Trollope, the hotel is a subdued and elegant example of Edwardian Baroque architecture, with an imposing yet welcoming façade. It was also the first hotel in the world to offer central heating and a bathroom for every bedroom.
Since these early years, The Goring has continued to remain at the forefront of technology and now boasts superb in-room, state-of-the-art technology, all hidden so as to retain the charm of the hotel but providing guests with facilities that they would expect from a hotel of its stature.
Indeed, the hotel has a true warmth about it, from the moment you arrive and are greeted by the Doorman to the waiters and waitresses serving lunch in the Garden Bar, The Goring provides a real throwback to a time when the guest is treated as a guest and offered an exemplary level of service is so often missing from other establishments today.
Father Georges perspective…
Since he was born in 1938 in room 114 Mr George Goring was inevitably destined to run The Goring Hotel and after 43 fantastic years at the helm, “Mr George” as he became affectionately known by his staff, retired in March 2005.
A truly inspirational gentleman of the old school, Mr George, the third Goring to run the hotel since the doors opened in 1910, continued in the footsteps of his predecessors in delivering the perfect service, style and charm that has made the hotel into the bastion that it is today.
“For me, consistency and opportunity are important facets and when I took the helm of The Goring in 1962 it was one of many privately owned hotels – but if you look at the market today it is very different. The Goring is unusual in that it has remained a five star hotel for 97 years and essentially is what it is.”
“In fact, I remember speaking to a guest a couple of years ago who returned recently having not been back since her wedding in 1921. She was delighted to say that the hotel hadn’t changed and that it was still her wedding hotel. It costs us £1 million a year to keep The Goring the way it is and it is pleasing to see that the guests and the staff continue to see that reinvestment that helps The Goring keep up the standards for which it is world-renowned.”
“I was at The Goring every day and for me this is important for any business leader. It is important to be seen by the staff and to be recognised by clients, and I remember Rocco Forte tell me that my staff did not know how lucky they were as his hotels were lucky to see him once every six months. This is not how we do things at The Goring. Leadership, passion and drive come from the top and it is why we have remained successful."
Passing the baton…
Mr George explains that succeeding him at the helm was never going to be easy and that Jeremy was only going to get the job on merit, if he was actually the right man for the job. “I think that I provided a good induction into the business for Jeremy and he has many of the same qualities that I do – we both believe that it is important to set a good example and create the right atmosphere for people to work successfully and being a good role model is great for morale.”
“Letting go was the easiest thing for me – Now I get to do all of the things I like doing and none of the things I don’t”
Mr George continues, “Letting go was the easiest thing for me – Now I get to do all of the things I like doing and none of the things I don’t. I am always welcome at the hotel and pop in on a regular basis so the hotel is still very much part of my life too.”
“It is only now that I have more time on my hands away from the hotel that I realise how much having your name above the door means. When your name is above the door it certainly encourages you to put in more effort.”
“If I had to share anything about my time at the top, I think it would be that today is the most important day of your life and will never happen again so make the most of it and secondly ‘toujours l’attack’ because there are no second chances in a competitive world so from time to time it is important to just go for it!”
“I am delighted that Jeremy came through to take the helm – it is truly better than I could ever have imagined. Passing on the reigns to my son is so much better than to see the hotel sold to someone else.”
Jeremy has a long history in the hotel industry having graduated from the Lausanne Hotel School in 1988 and then working as the Duty Manager at the Observatory in Sydney, Food and Beverage Manager at the Lanesborough, and at the Inn on the Park, and a stint opening hotels for Rosewood in Mexico, the Caribbean and Indonesia. It was this experience that has helped him in his current role and undoubtedly stood him in good stead to lead the hotel towards its centenary year in 2010.
“I grew up running around the hotel corridors and even at home my parents entertained a lot and there were some great parties at the hotel that I remember fondly, so the industry really was in my blood from a very young age.”
As Jeremy himself explains, “I would never have expected to be handed the role at the top, although like my father there was probably a degree of inevitability about my fate. I grew up running around the hotel corridors and even at home my parents entertained a lot and there were some great parties at the hotel that I remember fondly, so the industry really was in my blood from a very young age.”
The new boy in charge…
“I was a bit worried when I took the new role but I had done the job elsewhere so knew what I was getting into. Dad and I have always got on well too and I knew that I was taking over from someone who had already made his mark and created a team that could deliver so I also knew that there was a good team around me.”
“One of the first things that I remember on my first day at The Goring was Dad offering to introduce me to the staff but I was not going to let him do that so I said that I would do it on my own and went and introduced myself to them individually and to be honest, have not looked back since.”
“As a business, the guest experience is paramount,” continues Jeremy. “I expect passion from everyone because we pride ourselves on service and if we look after our guests properly, then we are taking care of the business and should continue to do well. We are obviously acutely aware of the finances but we are debt free and reinvest significantly every year to retain our standards, and I particularly see the detailed breakdowns of laundry costs, staffing, cleaning etc, but these are necessary expenses in our business and although they need to be managed, and they are, it is important not to cut down on the areas that really do have a direct impact on the guest, and influence whether they are likely to come back again.”
“The food at The Goring is also important – we offer good quality, traditional British food that guests love and we are continually striving to bring in fresh, new ideas too.”
Important Values at The Goring
Encouragement of everyone to feel that they have a contribution to make
Management are encouraged to know all the staff by name
Embrace individuality of what people do
Encouragement of staff to let their ideas be known
Not to be seen as “running to a manual”
Accessibility of senior management to staff
The Goring has seen some quiet times such as post 9/11 when London was empty and the hotel was far from full, and there is concern over the influence that the government is having on the competitiveness of London as a destination. In fact, there are rumours of a 10% bed tax on top of the fact that London already has the title of being the most expensive city it the world in which to stay and if the tax is introduced there is concern that visitor numbers may again be hit.
So what does the future hold?
Jeremy explains that his vision is for “The Goring to become the very best, small hotel in London, to continue to do things as differently as possible and offer an alternative to the chain hotels, and to retain the family ownership whilst ensuring the passion of the hotel continues to deliver what the guests want.”
“We are continuing to invest in the hotel, £1 million is being spent this year on bedroom refurbishments, we are investing in our staff and are doing everything we can to drive up the ‘wow’ factor too!”
As for the next generation of Gorings – the kids are still very young and it will be up to them to do what they want. “I would be absolutely delighted if one of them chose the hotel as the career for them but he choice will be theirs, and I am not going to be prescriptive either – the family are gunning for the hotel to do well which is the most important thing, and if the kids decide they want to race Formula 1 cars then they can!”
With a guest list that is second to none, from politicians to celebrities, and due to its proximity to Buckingham Palace, the occasional Royal visitor too, the hotel is popular as a discreet venue. It has always offered an unsurpassed level of personal service and likes to treat its guests as old friends. Not surprisingly, they return time after time and can always be assured of a really glorious Goring welcome. It is this approach to the business that has seen the hotel be blessed with many awards and accolades since opening her doors in 1910.
A bastion of all things great about the British way of life, The Goring Hotel has the balance right and as a family business, is certainly on the right track to succeed for years to come.
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