In conversation with Sally Beck, General Manager, Royal Lancaster London (Exclusive Interview)

How is the Royal Lancaster positioned in London’s hospitality sector? What are the USPs and which is your comp set?

We are number 3 on trip advisor and seen as a mid-range 5 start hotel in London. We have held position 3 for over a year now which is reflective of the high service levels ttat we have as a team for our guests.  For us at Royal Lancaster, the Primary Comp set is made up of Marriott Grosvenor Square, Grosvenor House, Intercontinental Hyde Park, The Biltmore Mayfair, The Churchill, Hilton Park Lane, Royal Garden and the Hilton Paddington – as it is very close to us.  We also have a secondary set which is made up of more event hotels  this set consists of Grosvenor House, Hilton Park Lane, The Gloucester, Hilton metropole, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and Park Plaza Riverbank and the Intercontinental 02

Please share more on the performance of the hotel in 2024 and what are your expectations for the rest of the year?

We have had an exceptional year with a growth of over 10% over last year which was our best year ever.  We have exceeded our event goals and have taken business from our competitive set and others including The Dorchester and Savoy, this is because of our service delivery and the flexibility of the event space that we have, as well as the high quality event food that is restaurant quality  for large numbers.  We have also had a very high level increase in the leisure market and have welcomed more cruise clients, families and long stay leisure clients than ever before.  Our location next to Hyde Park and the Italian Gardens is proving more and more popular for the international guest.

Tell us more about the guest profile. Has the guest profile changed post pandemic? Do you see opportunities in reaching other source markets? 

The guest profile hasn’t changed significantly since the pandemic, what we have seen though is a blending of business and leisure and our guests combining both for a stay. Our Middle East families are increasing ear on year with good growth in all International markets with the exception of China and Russia – the Chinese market has been slow to return, due to their policy of asking their nationals to holiday within China and the Russian market has decreased significantly mainly due to the global impact of the war in Ukraine.

How do you achieve and maintain consistency in service? 

We have an inverted hierarchy leadership and management style in our hotel – which is a little unusual within the hospitality profession, we find that it really helps with team engagement and morale.  This open style of leadership encourages team communication and spirit and I believe that it is this style that enables us to maintain a high level of consistent guest service and has contributed to our TripAdvisor reviews and our high staff morale. Last year our turnover was 16.7%, for a team of 320 full time equivalents this is record breaking and enables us to have high levels of trust and team spirit across the hotel delivering excellent commitment to each other and the guest.

What about the product? Is there an ideal recipe to provide a product which is relevant not only aesthetically but also in regards to comfort? 

In an ideal world we would have larger classic and deluxe rooms than we have – we have 320 entry level rooms that are 20 meter square.  But despite this perceived ‘small’ area, the rooms are really well designed with king beds, good seating areas and walk in showers and an excellent use of space. As hoteliers, we have to be very honest about what we have and ensure that it is tailored to our guests needs as much as possible – we have many interconnecting rooms and suites that give us good flexibility to create family spaces and multiple room configurations.  It is about meeting and exceeding expectations for the guests and not over promising and under delivering.

You cater to both MICE / corporate and leisure guests. 

We do, our hotel is ideally set up, with our MICE guests having private entrances to both ball rooms and our meeting space including private check in areas, so that our individual guests are never overwhelmed by a group arrival. so our Corporate and leisure guests feel valued and cared for at all times.

How do you balance desirability and value? 

Having a good handle on price integrity is key to ensuring that the hotel is positioned correctly giving value tied in with price.  We keep a daily view on pricing of our competitive set and monitor our pick-ups and revise pricing accordingly, our goal is to always deliver value and have the  guest feel than we are not rapacious in any way

Which are the major advantages of a non chain or group affiliation? 

Being independent allows us to connect in a very real way with our guests and give an authentic, from the heart service.  We do not run our hotel by standard operating procedure, but by engaged empowered staff who are trusted to deliver to the best of their ability.  This style of freedom of expression is not allowed within a chain environment and therefore gives us a major advantage in making a stay for our guests memorable.

What has been your approach in motivating your team? 

I try to be the  best I can be at all times and in all interactions, I  believe my team see me as a kind leader who gives trust and has a high level of integrity and expectations. I believe the team know that I want them to be the best that they can be and to be happy, this positive vibe contributes to the whole hotel and is motivating in itself.  If you give trust then you gain trust ,which makes all relationships work better as people don’t want to let each other down.  Also having a flat structure and the inverted hierarchy is motivating for all levels, as they are all contributing to the whole and are part of the solution for our business. This transparency gives ownership to everyone and we ensures that we are all working for the same goal.

Are you planning any novelties for the rest of 2024? What about 2025?

We are about to start a new partnership with the Natural History Museum that we are very exciting about.  One of our values is caring for the environment and this partnership is celebrating pollinators – including bees, we have our own Bee Team in the hotel and have done for the last 15 years, and have 5 hives on our roof.  This exclusive  partnership showcases a pollinators afternoon tea – ‘A Blooming British Afternoon Tea’

Our chefs have collaborated with the museum on the pollinators and then created some amazing desserts, pastries and sandwiches celebrating the resulting flora and fauna.  We are also partnering with a new restaurant in our Island Grill – which will be launching in Spring next year and I am having my first meetings with a spa team, to see if we can bring a spa to the hotel – so lots going on!

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