Putting The Royal Back In The Lancaster London

The Royal Lancaster London relaunched in September, following an £83 million renovation. The extensive refurbishment has resulted in a new entrance facade and reception lobby, and the re-design of all 411 guest rooms and suites in the 18-storey tower, which overlooks Hyde Park.  The hotel has also reinstated its original name of ‘Royal Lancaster London’ in time for the property’s 50th anniversary. Sally Beck, General Manager of Lancaster London, explains. 

When did the renovation begin?

The renovations started in 2013 as a planned £40 million project. Most of our guests didn’t know anything about it as it was all back-of-house. It has since grown into an £83 million refurbishment.  The hotel deserves the investment and our owner has done it properly. We’ve stayed open through-out and I believe that was the best decision as we’ve kept all our amazing staff. It was logistically challenging and it has taken us longer because we didn’t close. But I believe, it was better for the long-term future of our business. 

Is there anything still left to do?

The public areas and the lobby, along with the completion of all meetings areas and all 411 rooms will be finished by the end of this year. We then start renovating the Lounge and our Park restau-rant in January. Once that is finished, we will be a completely new hotel from the inside out, which will be fit for purpose for the next 50 years. 

What can business and event guests now expect from the Royal Lancaster London?

I want our guests to feel special and receive an emotionally intelligent service from the whole of our team. That means using a customer’s name when appropriate, instead of three times in one sentence for example. I want us to genuinely make our visitors happy and to deliver beyond expectations. 

What’s the staff culture like?

We’ve just taken on 100 new members of staff and they have to feel part of our family quickly so that they can deliver the type of emotionally intelligent service that we’re looking for.  I want to run the happiest hotel in London. We’re currently 72nd in The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Places to Work. We managed that during our renovation period, which is a great achievement. I want to be top 20. There’s 172 questions and the newspaper surveys all of our staff. The bit we can control is making sure that they fill it in but I can’t control what they say.  When we get back the results, you get a genuine feel to the organisation and the happiness and engagement of our staff. 

What’s your message to those event planners who have stuck with the hotel during the past few years?

Our message to our loyal customer base is thank-you for staying with us. Our future is very bright and we care deeply about loyalty. I believe our long-term pricing is fair and we are focused on developing long-term relationships. 

I understand planners no longer need to book bedrooms as part of their event?

That’s right. We’ve changed our strategy from asking for a fixed number of room bookings from event organisers. I don’t think we need it anymore. The bedrooms now stand on their own two feet and the events space creates a separate demand that we can now cater for. Organisers book further in advance than transient business so if event planners need bedrooms, I believe we’ll be able to supply what’s required. 

Finally, tell us why the Royal has returned to the hotel’s name?

The hotel opened as the Royal Lancaster in 1967. We have royal heritage and we’re located next to a royal park. There was a time in our history when it was felt that the word ‘Royal’ was dated and that we needed ‘London’ in our name. In 2009 therefore, we dropped the ‘Royal’ from our title.  Five years later, I reviewed the decision and found that there was substantial confusion in London as there are other Lancaster-named hotels. Our staff wanted the ‘Royal’ back and when I presented our owner with the results of my research, it was the easiest yes I have ever had. We decided that the Royal should return as part of the refurbishment. I am very proud that we’re now back as the Royal Lancaster London.