INTERVIEW: Giving you Gore

When Edward Bracken and Con Ring took control of historic South Kensington hotel The Gore, they managed to revamp the establishment, while maintaining its distinctive character. By Clinton Cawood

There’s a fine balance to be struck when taking control of a hotel with well over a hundred years of history, particularly when the hotel in question has a particularly distinctive style.
When Edward Bracken and Con Ring took ownership of the Gore in 2006, they brought no small amount of experience. After a significant period of time at the Intercontinental and Marriot hotel groups, Bracken felt the time had come to put it into practice. As he puts it: “We felt that we could do it better ourselves.”
A measured approach was needed, however, given the hotel’s heritage and reputation. “We identified the character, and how better to use that.”
As a result, The Gore retains much of the quirkiness of its former self, including some unconventional approaches to certain aspects of the business. In terms of food and drink, for example, Bracken explains: “There is no policy. The policy is that if a customer wants it, our attitude is that we should be able to provide it.” This determination to provide customers with whatever they require extends to other aspects of the hotel. For example, the hotel’s concierge service is run by the secretary of the concierge society, The Golden Keys.

A wide offering
In order to further its inclusive approach to drink selection, the hotel keeps 35,000 bottles of wine in stock, sourced from John Armit Wines, Christie’s auctions, and elsewhere. As a result, The Gore has what Bracken calls “an eclectic wine list, at a realistic price”. He explains that the offering is informed by the fact that “the customers are more discerning, which is a challenge in itself.” This kind of consumer is primarily the result of the hotel’s location in London’s South Kensington.

Albert Nimanaj, the hotel’s bar manager, points out the primary benefit to having this kind of clientele. “The area’s perfect,” he says. “Most times the price makes no difference, so you can always upsell. That’s what they’re after, so you have to ensure that, and be sharp and precise.”
The flexibility in terms of drink selection extends to dining options as well. Between the hotel’s restaurant, Bistro One Ninety, and its bar, Bar 190, and its two banqueting rooms, there is a degree of flexibility for its patrons – providing both pre- and post-dinner theatre menus, à la carte menus, or fine dining.
The hotel’s close proximity to attractions such as the Royal Albert Hall, for example, contributes significantly. Yet Bracken confirms that the bistro and bar benefit from passing trade and local employees as well, and is quite deliberate in attempts to create an appropriate atmosphere for this. “After a hard day, you want to be able to unwind, without it being too gimmicky. A lot of places are just about a fad.”

That special something
With the practical side of the business working well, as the Gore’s success in recent times can attest to, Bracken has been able to concern himself with these intangible aspects of running a hotel. “The great differentiator of bricks and mortar is service,” he believes. “There are so many cookie-cutter hotels – this is something special.” As Nimanaj puts it: “How often do you go to a bar and feel like it’s your living room?”

While the Gore may not look like everyone’s living room, the interior is certainly appropriate, yet quite striking. The hotel contains approximately 5,000 paintings, with 92 in the bistro alone. The hotel’s 50 bedrooms (in stark contrast to Bracken’s previous experience running a 450-room Intercontinental) are each different, and each themed in some way. They have “a traditional style and feel, with four-poster beds, but modern conveniences,” says Bracken.
The Miss Ada and Miss Fanny rooms pay tribute to the two sisters who first opened The Gore in 1892, featuring mahogany-panelled bathrooms and antique throne toilets. Judy Garland stayed at the hotel frequently enough to have a room dedicated to her, where guests can sleep in the same gilt wood bed as the star once did. As a finishing touch, the room comes with ruby slippers, reminiscent of Garland’s role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
The Tudor Room, one of the hotel’s luxury rooms, features a minstrel’s gallery, cast iron bath, and a Portland stone working fireplace.
In the first year of ownership, Bracken supervised a £3 million refurbishment of the hotel’s rooms, a project that was completed in August last year. The ongoing maintenance of such intricate and unique rooms is not a straightforward matter, and Bracken confirms that now one room a week undergoes significant maintenance.
To attain an appropriate level of service, Bracken has prioritised staff experience and training at The Gore. Nimanaj confirms: “Before Edward there was no training – now people like to work here. It’s fun.”

The pleasure principle
In terms of drink offerings at the bar, Nimanaj is able to be quite specific: “The clients we have want premium Champagne. We don’t even have cava. Pricey wines give more pleasure – particularly if you’re the person who can afford anything.”

When it comes to spirits, there is the same open approach in terms of what brands are kept in stock. “Bar managers so often make the mistake where they say, ‘I like this, so we’ll stock it.’ That starting point is selfish – we rely heavily on recommendations from customers,” says Nimanaj. He qualifies this, however, saying that products do actually have to sell. “We don’t want a crowded back bar.”
One of the recent moves at the bar was the introduction of a Mojito menu, with a large number of flavour variations. The result was that, as Bracken confirms: “We did 1,200 cocktails in December.” This is significant, given the size of the bar, and the significant emphasis on Champagne and wine.
While the customers at the bar primarily drink cocktails or Champagne, Nimanaj points out that if a customer in the bar requests it, “it takes two seconds to grab a fine wine from the brasserie.”
The specific character of the hotel has prompted increasing creativity in terms of certain unique features and events. The hotel recently ran a “Burlesque Soirée” featuring London performers the Hurly Burly Girlys, with Lanson providing free Champagne to a number of visitors. The event proved a great success, and a good fit with the hotel, and is likely to be repeated.
Cinderella’s Carriage has recently been added to the bar area: a private table draped in red velvet curtains designed to resemble an Elizabethan carriage. The carriage comes with a minimum spend of £100, with a footman available for an additional fee.
Not far from the bar area are The Gore’s two banqueting rooms. The Tapestry and Mulberry rooms, providing space for 60 and 24 diners respectively, are also made available for meetings and events.
With the operation running smoothly, and the finer details being ironed out, Bracken confirms that “now we’re taking stock”, although he suggests that it is likely that another business along similar lines could soon be added to the portfolio. “The market’s quite difficult at the moment, so it’ll be interesting to see what this year brings.” Bracken is careful in his choice of words to describe the hotel, saying, “‘boutique’ is a knocked-around word”, but he confirms that any prospective venture would be a “lifestyle” kind of hotel.

In the meantime, The Gore is sure to continue to do what it does best – providing an experience about as far from that of a “cookie-cutter hotel” as possible.

© db March 2008