If The Goring’s walls could talk, they would certainly have some stories to tell. The last great hotel built during the reign of King Edward VII, the five-star establishment is quite literally a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace and occupies a prime position on Beeston Place, attracting guests from all over the world to enjoy a piece of its history and proximity to the Royal Family. And, while many are invited to treat The Goring as if it was their own home, a select few actually did. 

During the First World War, American allied forces moved into The Goring’s basement, while Lady Randolph Churchill – Winston Churchill’s mother – became a permanent resident of the hotel in 1919, nine years after it opened. “Many famous and prominent people stayed at The Goring during the 20^th century,” explains chairman David Morgan-Hewitt, who has worked at the hotel since 1990, having climbed the ranks from restaurant manager. “Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, used the hotel frequently over the years and granted it a Royal Warrant in 2013. 

“All British Prime Ministers from the day it opened have visited: Sir Winston Churchill visited his mother here, Lady Thatcher had a regular table in The Dining Room, which she used until weeks’ before her death, Sir Tony Blair celebrated a number of family milestones here, and Lord and Lady Cameron ate breakfast here the day after winning the Scottish Referendum.”

The Goring circa 1910

There is no disputing its starry clientele, but why does it have such a hold on London’s hotel scene? “The Goring opened on 2 March 1910 and was the last great hotel to open in the Edwardian era, just months before Edward VII died,” explains Morgan-Hewitt. “It was state-of-the-art, [the world’s first hotel to have] central heating and en suite bathrooms in every room.” The establishment, now offering 69 rooms and employing 200 staff, was the brainchild of Otto Goring – who initially charged seven shillings (around 30p) per night. A pioneer of sorts, Goring was an ambitious character who continually innovated his empire, from installing a fan on the roof in 1921 as a form of air conditioning, to creating an entire new wing and restaurant five years later. 

While the hotel was well-received among well-heeled guests, its opening was swiftly followed by the outbreak of the First World War, in which The Goring played a pivotal role on the home front, becoming the command centre for the Chief of Allied Forces and therefore the first point of contact for President Wilson. Later, in November 1917, the hotel became the official US Army Headquarters in London before finally being handed back to Goring in September 1919 – and it’s this tie to the US that perhaps accounts for at least 50 per cent of the hotel’s current clientele coming from across the pond. During the Second World War, it became a popular spot for Churchill, who held meetings with allied leaders in the Silver Room, while the Polish army in exile was based upstairs. 

David Morgan-Hewitt, chairman of The Goring

“It was different in the wars, of course, and there was rationing. Mrs Edna Goring, Otto’s wife, actually grew vegetables at her home in Kent and served them in the dining room – and that’s what it was all about,” adds Morgan-Hewitt. Encapsulating not only the war effort but also that integral family spirit, The Goring was a beacon during both wars – and Edna’s special recipe, known as Mrs Goring’s Salad, was a beloved fixture on the now-Michelin-starred Dining Room’s menu for many years. 

George Goring inherited his father’s business in the late 1960s, and quickly instructed a top-to-toe renovation to bring the hotel into a new era. “The Goring has never stopped being refurbished,” adds Morgan-Hewitt. “In the time I have been here the bedrooms have had four different makeovers and all the public areas are now in their third or fourth iteration. Interestingly enough, our hotel was built with concrete floors. For this day and age, that’s not very helpful because if you want to put a new bit of kit in, you do have a job on your hands.”

The Goring’s Royal Suite, where the Princess of Wales stayed the night before her wedding to Prince William in 2011

But what thick concrete floors do lend themselves well to is safety, privacy and protection. While acting as a regular meeting spot for well-heeled CEOs, and the aforementioned prime ministers and overseas forces, it’s most famous for its relationship with the Royal Family – and particularly as the destination of choice for the Princess of Wales the night before her marriage to Prince William in 2011. “Some people say we’re an annexe to Buckingham Palace and, with the coronations of George VI, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and King Charles III, the hotel was taken over by foreign royals and their entourages as they headed off to the coronations. We have been used by a number of both British and foreign royals to entertain, which has been marvellous for us.”

The long-standing relationship The Goring has with The Firm, however, is an intimate one. While discretion and privacy is key, it’s well documented that it was a favoured destination for Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, who both regularly visited and dined at their ‘neighbour’. Several nods to the family are woven into the hotel’s fabric today; take, for example, the fact that the Queen Mother’s favourite Eggs Drumkilbo – a seafood salad she first tried at Drumkilbo House in Scotland, and then asked The Goring chefs to recreate – has remained on the menu ever since. The ever-popular afternoon tea is also, naturally, served alongside the late Queen’s favourite fizz: Bollinger Champagne (which has held a monarch’s stamp of approval since 1884, making it the oldest royal warrant holder). 

Otto Goring, circa 1932

Despite its modernised appearance, what has consistently grown The Goring’s guestbook is its legacy. “The Goring is unique in London because it is the only remaining family-owned and run five-star luxury hotel. If you go back, they were all family owned: César Ritz owned the Ritz, Mr Brown had Brown’s, Mr Claridge owned Claridge’s. Their names were above the door, but we’re the only one left with the name above the door. The family still owns the hotel, and they’re still heavily involved. Jeremy Goring, the fourth generation, is in most days and is incredibly involved in anything to do with the style of the hotel, how we put things together to impress and enrich our guests’ lives. 

“What difference does that make? I think it makes a lot of difference to our guests, because the staff who work here know that they’re working for a family that has hospitality, literally running through their veins. It makes us something utterly unique in London.

The Goring Dining Room circa 1910

The Goring Dining Room in 2024

“Of course, it’s seen a lot. It’s been here during two world wars, all sorts of economic good times, economic bad times and Covid. But you know what? It’s here – and it’s been a constant for so many people. In fact, quite a lot of our current guests are second, third or even fourth generations of guests themselves.” So, if The Goring’s walls could talk, it would definitely be worth a listen. 

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