The Goring has a long connection with the Royal Family (the Queen Mum used to take tea there, and the Duchess of Cambridge’s family stayed there before the Royal Wedding, when she was still Kate Middleton), but hotel’s regal status has just gone up with the unveiling of the new Royal Suite.
Jeremy Goring commissioned the two bedroom, two-reception-room suite in 2010 to mark the centenary of his family’s hotel that year. Russell Sage, who has been working with the hotel since 2009, was challenged to create a suite that would feel like a London apartment. As far as we’re concerned, he’s pulled it off quite nicely.
We hear that one of the most unusual features of the suite is the new balcony, which runs the entire length of the top floor of the hotel. (If the weather is inclement, guests can look out through the large French windows in each of the rooms, which open up onto the balcony.)
Russell commissioned a number of silks to be rewoven by The Gainsborough Silk Company (the great English silk maker in Suffolk), including two powder blue silks, a gentle champagne pink, a rich red stripe and a dusky green silk originally woven in 1910 for the First Class Dining Room of the Titanic.
The suite also has an impressive collection of British antiques. The Dining Room, for example, has a selection of Georgian decanters and engraved glasses, and there are plenty of wooden tea caddies, antique books, clocks, silver and prints throughout. In the Drawing Room, visitors can see a set of 19th-century green Nailsea Glass paperweights, displayed in two campaign-style cabinets especially commissioned for this space. A shower (big enough for six, we hear) features an almost life-size portrait of Queen Victoria. (To be fair, she was just a little over five feet tall…but still! How often do your clients get to shower with royalty?) The Master bedroom has an antique four-poster bed.
Guests staying in the suite can get several unique perks, such as complimentary pick-ups from the airport; in-suite check-in; a private decanter bar; personalized bathrobes, slippers and stationery; daily sweets baked fresh by the pastry chef; and handmade chocolates.
Luxury travel advisors should contact Reservations Manager Oliver Milne-Watson for help in booking or for special requests.