EP Business in Hospitality Issue 48 - January 2014

BUSINESS
Opened in 1854 and
originally designed by
architect Lewis Cubitt,
the Great Northern Hotel
was London’s first
railway hotel. It enjoyed the glamour
of being the first of its kind and drew in
wealthy travellers using the station at
King’s Cross. When the St. Pancras Hotel
opened directly opposite 20 years later,
it seemed that the Great Northern Hotel
was destined to fall away. Whatever status
the hotel had enjoyed before was eroded
with the arrival of this Gothic neighbour.
Later, the Great Northern Hotel’s
owners tried to gain occupancy by
refurbishing its interiors for budget
travellers, at which point the hotel lost
all credence. It was shut down 12 years
ago and was picked up from the real
estate market by RAM, an asset
management group, who gave it £42
million worth of love and restoration.
Jeremy Robson, the owner of RAM,
has now become the owner-operator
of the Great Northern Hotel. A former
banker, Jeremy has been interested in
architecture from an early age. He had
studied architecture for the first year of
university until a defining meeting with
his university professor, who strongly
suggested he change degrees. Jeremy
went on to qualify as a chartered
surveyor with Hilier Parker in 1992 after
graduating with a first class honours
degree in estate management in 1990.
Later, he moved to investment banking,
where he specialised in real estate
finance and eventually became Senior
Managing Director and Head of Principal
Finance at RBS, delivering a £330 million
net income return for the bank in his last
year. He established RAM in 2007 to
become more directly involved with
his property investments. Through the
group he owns other hotels in Scotland,
but the Great Northern Hotel was the
first property he decided to operate.
Despite having no prior experience in
operating hotels, Jeremy seems to be in
his element. “I love hotels because all my
interests intersect. There is an important
component of design, working with
people and being able to respect and
challenge convention. When I took on
the Great Northern Hotel, it was an
honour to take a part of London’s hotel
history that had failed for so long and
completely turn it around. Alongside my
management team, we asked ourselves
what we were trying to achieve and then
worked out the most efficient way to do
it. At the beginning, many in the industry
felt that my vision of converting GNH
into a luxury boutique hotel was unwise.
They were strongly suggesting I take
the budget hotel route and not try and
compete against the Renaissance St.
Pancras. I feel that I’ve got a good sense
of trends and saw an opportunity
to create something truly special
with the Great Northern Hotel.”
Jeremy went on with his vision and
surrounded himself with a management
team that supported this view. Running
through the list of names working
alongside him we encounter some
experienced industry players.
“I don’t have a general manager.
Anthony Thwaites, who was the GM with
Malmaison for 16 years, is my rooms’
director. There is an important split here
because I believe that in most cases,
hoteliers are not good restaurateurs.
Scott Sapot, former Director of the Ivy
members club, is my Food and Beverage
Director. Finally, I wanted to establish
a strong culinary presence in the area so
it was exciting to bring on Mark Sargeant
and Mike Denman (previous head chef
at Hix Soho) as my executive chef team.
I try to run the business with the guys
acting as entrepreneurs not heads of
department. If the hotel does well they
are rewarded accordingly.
“Following my instinct and staying
true to my vision has paid off. I’ve got
four business offers here: Kiosk, the GNH
bar, Plum + Spilt Milk and of course the
rooms. There is a design ethic and a brand
that runs all the way through and the
environments that we have created are
distinct. We focused on creating business
offers that were outward looking – most
hotels have ancillary uses that are used by
residents. Plum + Spilt Milk is 85 percent
non-resident, GNH Bar is 90 percent nonresident
and Kiosk is about the same. My
food and beverage spend is about 50
percent of my total revenue because I run
that department as a separate business.
We are able to offer unrivalled value to
the discerning customer.”
Attention to detail is apparent
throughout the hotel. The focus on the
transient customer’s comfort is evident
with sound-proofing to detract from the
noise levels of King’s Cross, international
power outlets to aid travellers and
comfortable chairs to sink into in all
the lounging areas. Each guest floor
has complimentary self-service pantries
where guests can indulge in freshly baked
cakes and a selection of sweets. References
to the hotel’s past as a railway hotel are
discreet and present in features that add
character and style to the rooms’ interiors.
“I’ve loved working as a hotel operator
and setting up GNH has proven to be a
rewarding challenge. I’m just focusing on
hotels and I can’t see myself changing for
the next 10 years or so. My family own the
hotels in Scotland and our plan is to grow
that portfolio to 20-25 and then go for an
IPO. Next plans for me are more boutique
hotels – I’ve got a property I’m considering
in the Caribbean and another in London.”
At the time of this interview, the Great
Northern Hotel had been operating for
19 weeks and had already made it on to
The Sunday Times Ultimate 100 British
Hotels. They were also shortlisted for the
European Hotel Design Awards for the
conversion of an existing hotel building.
Since then they have gone on to win the
Best Hotel Interior from the International
Hotel Awards, among other accolades.
It is clear that they have established
themselves as a competitive player in the
London hotel scene and a grand revival
has been completed. •
EP | January 14 | 35