http://www.bonjourparis.com/story/goring-hotel/The Goring Hotel
By Judith Reitman I am on the Titanic. It has begun to snow, but there is no iceberg in sight. In the Empire-inspired red lacquer bar, I am seated deeply in a handmade leather arm chair. I feel only the warm undercurrent of good manners, good will and a sway toward a staff whose attentiveness borders on telepathy. Champagne and cognac, which costs a King's ransom, flow freely. A server appears with exquisite canapés. Guests speak quietly in the Queen's English. Their ease suggests they are at home among friends on a wintry evening.
It is my first evening in an inner sanctum favored by Royals, Prime Ministers, Ambassadors and international Presidents who covet a gentility that suspends time. The bar's elegant maitre de shakes my hand 'good night' as I prepare to return to my room, a distance marked by shining marble floors and carpets that smell of lemon. I turn the key. The interior lights have been dimmed to the setting "Cozy” by the housekeeper, my bed has been turned down and a box of
Sir Hans Sloane of London chocolates placed on the nebulous cloud that is my comforter. The ivory ruffled curtains have been drawn. In the dim light the silk walls are a muted deep salmon, a color selected from the archives of the
Gainsborough Silk collection of the British Embassy.
Graham Copeman, the cherub-faced General Manager, had shown me another "Silk Room,” one done in royal blue, the same color as the interior of
the Queen's carriage, he pointed out, "so the next time you are in Her carriage you will recognize this color." He smiles.
Every Prime Minister since
Winston Churchill has been a guest at the Goring. The Royal Family has entertained in its private suites. The Goring has, in fact, acted as a sort of annex to Buckingham Palace since it has always supplied personal luxury en plus. As the
King of Norway put it in the late 1930s, “I prefer to stay at the Goring since at the Palace I do not have a private bathroom.” The Goring was the first grand hotel in London to install a bathroom in each bedroom and use central heating. It is the last of the great Victorian hotels,
King Edward having died months after its opening.
And yes, this is where I am installed, not on that ill-fated luxury liner reminiscent in style and grandeur but on terra firma that has been in the Goring family for four generations. My room, priced at 499.00 GBP, is best described as delectable. It faces the formal garden, the largest private garden in London apart from the Queen's, “but we allow Her that, given who She is,'” the Front of House Manager told me. In the morning, when I open the curtains, I see a whimsical sculpture of a dancer coated with frost. Word has it that she dances if you have imbued sufficient quantities of champagne.
This year, London’s only family-owned five star hotel is celebrating its Centennial under its dashing CEO
Jeremy Goring. The hotel prides itself on the longevity of its good name and its staff whose ethos is most evidently one of personalized service. One of the doormen has been at his post for 43 years. Most of the senior staff have spent at least 20 years at the hotel. Copeman says, “We are like a family and we treat our guests like family." One frequent visitor (neither a Royal nor a President) told me he had been gone for a year, but on his return the doorman welcomed him back by name, and his “usual Campari and soda" was waiting for him at the bar.
Life changes but not at The Goring. Certainly there has been the recent refurbishing orchestrated by
Lord David Linley, the Queen's nephew, with the artistry of
Tim Gosling, affectionately known as The Goose, but renovations have largely conformed to original photos, particularly in what Copeman calls “the most beloved public room, the Sitting Room.” Gilt now overlays the domed ceiling and newly handwoven carpets have an antique patina. Carved moldings have been restored. The most dramatic change is in several bedrooms designed by
Nina Campbell, with free-standing bathtubs and sophisticated hand painted wallpaper. Lord Linley's remodeling of the Dining Room has added a sense of spaciousness but the eye goes directly to the free form Swarovski crystal chandeliers in dazzling blue.
During its Centennial, head chef
Derek Quelch (formerly of
Claridge's) is featuring on the menu a dish favored during one of the “100 Years of Glorious Goring Grub;” to wit:
Mrs Goring's Pig's Fry Salad with poached Duck Egg, served during The War Years. Inventive, yes. Haute cuisine, that too. Last year the
Reunion des Gastronomes voted the Goring's menu, the “Menu of the Year.
Don't eat a large lunch if you plan to take Afternoon Tea, which won
The Tea Award of Excellence by the
British Tea Guild Council. Three tiers of delicacies commence with an amuse-bouche (perhaps lobster in cream) , then it's on to classic scones and thick clotted cream, finger sandwiches, cream pastries and the Goring's signature
"Not a Trifle," a sponge cake drenched in liqueur. Tea is taken in the amber-swagged atrium, where one might spot a knighted actress or the wife of a Prime Minister. The Goring won't disclose names; it guards its guest book as it does its reputation.
Leaving is difficult. An heiress faced the same dilemma in the 1930s. One night was just not enough. She decided to stay on, for 30 more years. As time passed her girth broadened and it took a trio of maids to extricate her from her bathtub. The day she was carried out on a stretcher she paused, with her last breath, to thank each member of the Goring staff for their kindness.
The Goring HotelBeeston Place, London
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7396 9000
Booking:
[email protected]Website:
www.TheGoring.com