Having his name above the door is genuinely terrifying for Jeremy Goring, CEO of The Goring, one of London’s most luxurious and iconic hotels. It is the only downside to having what he calls the best job in the world. “If any of my four children ever get involved in the business, I would advise them to change their name,” he teasingly said.
Goring, 57, spent his earlier career with the luxury likes of Four Seasons, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Orient Express Hotels. He is the fourth generation of his family to run the 69-room hotel, a five-star-rated property that is a long-time favorite of the British royal family.
He is more passionate today about the hotel than when he took over the reins from his father, George, in 2005, and loves running what he describes as “a nice, fun business,” and creating special moments for loyal guests. But the fact that the buck stops with him, weighs heavily on his shoulders.
Founded in 1910, The Goring is the only hotel in London that is still owned and operated by the family that built it. When George Goring joined the hotel in 1961, around half of the hotels in London were family owned. Since then, almost all of the hotels at the same elevated level as The Goring have been sold on, some several times over, and most to international conglomerates.
ON ITS OWN
Being able to stand out from the crowd as a privately owned hotel has its advantages, most importantly it allows The Goring to be dynamic in its decision making. “If we decide one morning that we want to have a pond in the garden that kids can paddle in during the day and that turns into a hot tub at night, we can sign it off by the end of the day and start building next month. We’re never fearful to try new things,” Goring said.
On the flip side, Goring points out that the hotel does not benefit from the support that a large organization could provide. “Can we send a team member round the world on work experience? No, not that easily,” he said.
The Goring has always been renowned for being innovative, with the founder of the hotel Otto Richard Goring (better known as OR) leading the way by having the vision to develop what was to be the last grand hotel of the Edwardian era on a plot of land adjacent to Buckingham Palace. When it welcomed its first guests in 1910, it was believed to be the world’s first hotel with a bathroom and central heating for every bedroom. A fresh flower continues to be placed in the buttonhole of a statue of OR in the foyer of the hotel, 365 days a year.
OG (Otto Gustave) Goring, OR’s son, was appointed managing director in 1926 and during his tenure the hotel’s chefs were commissioned to bake the now King Charles III’s christening cake in 1948. The Goring’s connection with the royal family reaches back to the early days of the hotel when some 20 royal guests booked to stay at the hotel during the coronation of King George V in 1911.
It has since gone on to act as an overflow to Buckingham Palace for the most esteemed royal occasions, including the coronations of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and the current King earlier this year. In 2011, it hosted the Middleton family on the night before their daughter Catherine (now Princess of Wales) married Prince William (now Prince of Wales). The Goring’s ongoing connection with the royal family resulted in the property becoming the first hotel to receive a Royal Warrant for hospitality services.
While Goring does not divulge any specific details of the royal family’s patronage of the hotel, he confirms it is something that helps drive business, particularly from the North American market, which accounts for around 50% of all guests during the peak summer season between May and September. And consider that Winston Churchill frequently came to the hotel to visit his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, an American who moved into the hotel for a period in 1919. There is an unmistakeable aura and mystique.
“The default position of American guests is to have fun,” said Goring, whose focus is to create a haven of joy. Hence, they love the individual quirky touches evident throughout the hotel, whether it is the cuddly toy sheep placed on every bed or the nativity party hosted prior to Christmas featuring a life-sized snow dome.
BEMOANING BREXIT
With London experiencing an explosion of major new hotel openings—The Peninsula London, Raffles London at the OWO, The Emory and the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair all opened this fall—The Goring is enthusiastic that the city has got its “mojo” back” after the devastation wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s the critical mass thing, confirming the status of a city that people want to visit rather than being a Brexit backwater,” Goring said.
He does not hold back on his contempt for the current Conservative government, who he believes has displayed “a supreme act of self-indulgent arrogance” in driving through the Brexit deal, which has resulted in thousands of talented workers in the hotel sector returning to their home countries across Europe.
“Recruiting and retaining staff has always been our biggest challenge, but now it is harder than ever,” he said. “This government has done more damage to hospitality than any other event during the hotel’s 113-year history and I’m including two world wars.”
Concerned by the desperate skills shortage, The Goring joined forces with Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, an organization focused on homelessness, to set up the Hotel School, which provides training and holistic support for people overcoming challenges and provides a route into hospitality jobs. Launched six years ago, the school is now supporting and entering around 60 students a year into the industry, some joining the 185-strong team at The Goring.
Meanwhile, the current environment of lower occupancy levels, but higher average daily rates is a better business model considering staffing difficulties, explained Goring. “Teams in London, as they are in the U.S., are under pressure like never before, so no one would want to see us 100% full and guests paying half price,” he said. Current annual occupancy is around 75%, with starting average daily rate at £900 during the busy summer season and £710 during January. This equates to an annual turnover figure of £17.5 million.
FORWARD MARCH
Despite receiving entreaties to sell the hotel, Goring said he has no intention of entertaining the notion, concentrating instead on moving the hotel forward to ensure it retains its position as one of London’s leading hotels—a combination of English tradition and idiosyncrasy.
Immediately on the horizon is a new kitchen, to include a Chef’s Table in the center of the action, and a refurbishment of the dining room by interior designer Russell Sage. “Our brief to Russell was to think of how Cesar Ritz would create a restaurant today,” Goring said. “It will be the embodiment of luxury, glamor and barely restrained bling.”
Once the new restaurant is launched in early 2024, a new food and beverage concept will be unveiled for the bar and lounge.
The Goring has been a long family affair, but Goring can’t predict yet whether his children will follow him into the business. In the meantime, he is ensuring that the hotel will be in its most superlative state for when he does eventually let go.
Story by Janet Harmer.