The hotel on London’s Park Lane, re-opened its new-look Park Room and lobby areas last month with a view to making its public spaces appeal to a wider audience.
General manager Stuart Bowery told BigHospitality that while he was pleased the hotel’s main function room - the Great Room - was a popular space for organisers of gala dinners and major events, it was time the rest of the property shared some of the spotlight.
"People know the Great Room and the hotel is busy, but we have so much more going on here, such as our in-house restaurant the JW Steakhouse. The Park Room's new look will help us to shout about what we have to offer a little more."
Next chapter
The Park Room's refurbishment by hospitality interior design specialists The Gallery HBA alludes to nature and is designed to enhance the hotel's location opposite Hyde Park. It follows refurbishment of the 450-bedroom hotel's executive lounge and executive suites and will allow it to better cater for different day parts, Bowery said.
“Part of our next chapter is to regenerate this iconic property and make it appealing to a wider number of people throughout the day – from morning coffee, through to afternoon tea and pre-dinner cocktails," he said. "The renovations are partly about making the Park Room more of a destination in its own right."
Bowery said the hotel, which starts its programme to refurbish its bedrooms next year, had a loyal following from American, British and Middle Eastern guests, but was also starting to welcome more guests from emerging markets such as China and Brazil.
He said he had noticed a shift in traveller trends recently. "We usually welcome guests from the Middle East in the springtime and from the US in the summer with the UK's guests visiting mainly at weekends, but we are seeing more guests from the Middle East visit all year round," he said.
The hotel, which currently awaits an owner after its previous one - Sahara Grosvenor House Hospitality Limited - went into administration last year, continues to be managed by Marriott International under the JW Marriott brand.