London, United Kingdom – Reported by Elite Traveler, the private jet lifestyle magazine
June 20, 2012 was always going to be a special day for the luxury Corinthia Hotel in London. HRH The Prince of Wales was invited to tour the hotel by founder and chairman Alfred Pisani and attend celebrations marking The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s 15th anniversary.
The Prince’s Regeneration Trust ensures that historic buildings across the UK at risk of decay or demolition are regenerated and given a new use that will provide economic and social benefits to their communities.
Corinthia has itself just completed what has been one of the United Kingdom’s most prominent regeneration projects in recent years, where an original Victorian-era hotel has been lovingly recreated as a luxury grand hotel fit for the 21st century.
On Wednesday evening, June 20, The Prince of Wales duly arrived to tour the hotel, and was shown around by Mr. and Mrs. Pisani, who recalled the opening of the company’s first hotel, the Corinthia Palace in Attard, itself inaugurated by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1968.
As if The Prince’s visit was not enough, so much more was happening at the Corinthia in London. With 100 per cent occupancy, restaurants in full swing and a flurry of activity around the hotel, staff members were not only pressed to keep a close eye on The Prince’s walk through the hotel but had to contend with a host of other VVIPs staying at the hotel.
In one room, six Middle Eastern Foreign Ministers, some of whom staying at the hotel, plus their minders and advisors, were huddled in a grand meeting room, spilling out into every nook and cranny of the grand foyer for some more private conversations.
Outside the hotel, paparazzi and loyal teenage fans were lined up, held back by security, as they awaited not one, but two American singer superstars to leave their penthouse suites in the hotel – which has become a second home to countless A-List celebrities over the past year since the hotel has opened.
The Corinthia in London is now established and considered to be among the very best in the city. The property has won various accolades and awards, from some very prestigious organizations. Above all, the hotel has firmly set itself some astonishing standards for service, regularly topping surveys and feedback from high-end customers among the city’s famous luxury hotels.
All in all, a tough day for the staff at Corinthia but a red letter day nonetheless. Alfred Pisani said: “We approached the redevelopment of our hotel in London with love, creativity and humility. We had the best in class in terms of advisors and designers but above all, our own team has done a great job in making sure we executed a financially rewarding acquisition and project, and likewise, put all our energies and instincts for hospitality into a structured format for the delivery of consistent, quality service.”
www.corinthia.com