Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, The Lanesborough is renowned for quality and service. Front of house manager Michael Naylor-Leyland explains to Gay Sutton how this enviable reputation has been achieved.
You could not ask for a better London address than the heart of Knightsbridge, looking out over Wellington Arch and Hyde Park. Ideal for shopping, dining, leisure and entertainment, the area is replete with some of London’s best hotels, and The Lanesborough is one of the best—but with a difference. “We like our guests to feel that this is their home while they are with us,” explains front of house manager, Michael Naylor-Leyland.
It’s a strategy that has proven very successful. The hotel’s many regular guests return again and again, attracted by the discretion of the staff, the quality and comfort of the five star offering, and above all, the personal service they receive. There have been numerous accolades, including the Travel and Leisure 2010 Number One Small City Hotel in Europe; the Condé Nast Traveller 2008 Best UK Leisure Hotel; and the Best New Hotel Bar in the UK from the Imbibe Hotel Bar Awards 2009.
The hotel comes with an interesting history. Built in 1719 as a home for Viscount Lanesborough at a time when London was largely confined within the old city walls, it was transformed into St George’s Hospital on Lanesborough’s death. Then in 1825, William Wilkins, the architect famous for designing the National Gallery and University College London, was called in to redesign and update the building, transforming both the interior and exterior to the current regency style.
At about this time, the hotel also acquired its current illustrious neighbour—Apsley House—home to the Dukes of Wellington and popularly known by the address Number One London. It was not until 1990, however, that The Lanesborough’s final transformation was completed and it opened as a hotel.
As a Grade II listed building the transformation into a hotel was by necessity both sensitive and lavish. The exterior remained untouched in the regency form created by William Wilkins, while the interior was extensive in recreating the height of regency style and elegance. Meanwhile, state-of-the art comforts such as underfloor heating and spa baths were discretely installed, providing all the luxuries of modern living in an authentic period setting.
The ethos of the hotel is what makes it unique—it aims to provide all the comforts of a home away from home. The interior therefore does not resemble a hotel, and the welcome guests receive is no less than they would expect were they guests in a private residence. In fact, when entering the hotel for the first time, guests can be forgiven for wondering where reception is—there are simply two beautiful and discreet desks with no technology visible.
Guests are escorted straight to their rooms and checked in there. “There is therefore no signage anywhere,” explains Naylor-Leyland. “If a guest wants to know where something is, one of the team will take them there.” Throughout their stay, guests also enjoy the services of their own personal butler who will see to their creature comforts.
This quality of service requires impeccable attention to detail and the services of a large team of dedicated staff. And many of those at The Lanesborough have been with the hotel since its launch. “Of our 300 employees about 30 have been here since the opening, and they hold key positions such as the doormen, the night manager, the executive head chef and the concierge. They are in fact the face of the hotel,” says Naylor-Leyland.
Such continuity adds significantly to the sense of stability and belonging. “This high staff-to-guest ratio also means that we’re hardly ever rushed when dealing with guests,” Naylor-Leyland continues. “We can make them feel more at home because we can spend more time with them. And that’s the key to our high level of service.”
There are currently 95 guest rooms including 43 suites that range from the luxurious Royal Suite—three bedrooms, a drawing room, dining room, study and kitchen—through to a number of Buckingham, Grosvenor, Apsley and Junior suites. And these are supplemented by a range of deluxe and executive rooms.
Each room is fitted with a full suite of state-of-the-art technology concealed within the period 1820s furnishing, intelligently combining the luxury and elegance of the old with the convenience of the new. Laptops, for example, are provided in each room, while there is wireless internet connection, access to a digital music library and television. Meanwhile, there are six superb private dining rooms that can be arranged in a variety of formats for private functions, all drawing on the superb cuisine of the hotel’s renowned chefs.
The interior design of the hotel is continually being updated and improved. “When the hotel opened, we had a restaurant called The Conservatory which was modelled on Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, and it was completely extraordinary,” Naylor-Leyland says. “Two years ago we completely redesigned The Conservatory and created a restaurant called Apsleys, after our neighbour.”
The original glass conservatory roof was retained but the interior was completely stripped out. Gone are all the Chinese lanterns and prints, and the green and pink colour schemes. They have been replaced by something much more contemporary and formal in maroons, beiges and browns. “You would never know it was the same room but for the glass roof,” says Naylor-Leyland.
Another innovation at The Lanesborough is a first for London—the creation of a luxury outdoor smoking room housing an extensive collection of Cuban and pre-Castro cigars. Called The Garden Room, it incorporates everything you would expect of a regency salon—but out of doors.
“Building this was quite a challenge,” Naylor-Leyland admits, “because of our listed building status. But our managing director Geoffrey Gelardi came up with the idea. We utilised what used to be a sunken garden and installed underfloor heating and an open fire, then partitioned off part of one of our function rooms and converted it into the indoor bar area. And there is nothing else like it in London.”
One of the real jewels in The Lanesborough’s crown, however, is the quality of its cuisine. Two years ago, the catering was divided into two sections. Executive head chef Paul Gaylor, who has been with the hotel since inception, took charge of in-room dining and private-dining; while Heinz Beck, the chef with three Michelin stars to his name, was lured from the La Pergola Restaurant at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome, to take over Apsleys.
“The new Apsleys restaurant is entirely high Italian cuisine, and is an exciting new addition for us,” Naylor-Leyland says. Attempting a culinary leap of nature was something of a gamble but it has paid off handsomely. Apsleys, a Heinz Beck Restaurant, was awarded its first Michelin star this January.
The Lanesborough is never likely to stand still. Its reputation is built on providing the very best, and tastes and needs are constantly changing.
Over the past 20 years, The Lanesborough has established an extensive marketing network that spans Europe, North America, the Middle East and Russia, and is now reaching into the Far East; however, much of the marketing is achieved purely by personal recommendation and word of mouth. And in any business, there can be no greater recommendation than that. www.lanesborough.com
