Over Here, Over There

Learning from the Best: What Makes The Savoy, The Savoy

• Dan Harris and Claudia Koestler • Season 3 • Episode 3

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 Over Here, Over There - A Podcast Across Borders #podcast

Franck Arnold, Managing Director of The Savoy in London, reveals what really makes The Savoy the ultimate destination!

What do Gordon Ramsay, 130 years of history, and hospitality magic have in common? Learn from the best in this clip from the Podcast Interview from "Over Here, Over There".

In this conversation, Claudia Koestler asks Franck Arnold about the delicate balance of maintaining the Savoy's rich British heritage while innovating to meet modern expectations. He emphasizes the importance of being a custodian of the hotel's legacy, the need for a touch of eccentricity, and the successful partnerships that have revitalized the dining experience at the Savoy, including collaborations with renowned chef Gordon Ramsay. The conversation highlights the ongoing evolution of the Savoy as it adapts to contemporary tastes while preserving its iconic status.

Discover the never-before shared secrets of:

  • How a centuries-old hotel stays cutting-edge
  • The strategy that keeps The Savoy legendary
  • Why every celebrity and royal dreams of staying here 
  • The Savoy embodies a blend of British tradition and global allure
  • Being a custodian of the Savoy's legacy is a key responsibility
  • The evolution of the Savoy is akin to the gradual change of a Porsche 911
  • Eccentricity is an essential aspect of British character at the Savoy
  • Successful partnerships can bring novelty and excitement to traditional establishments
  • The renovation of dining spaces has led to increased recognition, including a Michelin star
  • Maintaining luxury codes is crucial while introducing modern twists
  • Afternoon tea remains a staple service offering at the Savoy
  • The reconceptualization of spaces aims to enhance energy and vibrancy
  • Innovation at the Savoy is about evolution without shocking the system

Perfect for:

  • Hospitality professionals
  • Travel enthusiasts
  • Behind-the-scenes lovers
  • Dream job seekers

#LuxuryHospitality #TheSavoy #FranckArnold #HotelSecrets #LondonLuxury #podcast  #overhereoverthere

You're just one click away from valuable insights from one of the hospitality industry's best. Enjoy!"

Watch the full-length interview with Franck Arnold on the " @OverHereOverThere " Podcast here:    • Insights from The Savoy London - Inte... 

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Thank you for listening!

Claudia Koestler
Here at the Savoy, I do feel like it is quintessential British or maybe even English, but also it has a global allure to it and a global standard, of course. How do you keep it, you know, bridged between those two things?

Franck Arnold (00:22.71)
And again, I don't think you have to be English or British to lead the Savoy.
but you have to be totally passionate about it and you need to feel totally accountable for it. And so for me, my responsibility is to be the caretaker. I need to be the custodian of this legacy. This is a British, English, London legacy that I'm in charge of. And so I need to respect that. So we can't do anything too wild and to drastically transform things. I compare what we're doing at the Savoy probably with a Porsche 911, which evolves gradually. The car is totally different from what it was in the 50s. Totally different, but you still know it's the Porsche 911. And the Savoy needs to convey the same message. 

Franck Arnold ( 2.22 )
We are quintessentially British. We need to keep and maintain the luxury codes and the, of the British codes. But another British character in my view is eccentricity. So within that conservatism, we need to bring a dash of eccentricity. You see, look at those wonderful little shoes. I will say this is the dash of eccentricity. And I would, I would say that in order for us to be quintessentially British, we need to always add a little bit of a twist. And that twist, you know, that twist can come with the tartan, can come with the programming, can come with, you know, who are partners. So we partnered here. When I was reopening the Savoy, we needed to renovate some spaces, but, you know, it was a difficult time. The ownership companies, you know, had been bleeding cash for a while, so I needed to find new ways of bringing excitement, and novelty, but in a different way. And we already had an association with Gordon Ramsay at the Savoy Grill for 20 years, a successful partnership. And I knew that he was interested in extending that relationship. So to make...

But you know, we, so we discussed the possibility for Gordon Ramsey and the team to take over a restaurant called Casper. And, but that came with a bit of risk for them because it was operating in other restaurants in the hotel and one that is historically the Savoy restaurant.

But we decided that within this agreement that we set, we would work very closely with Gordon Ramsay's team to respect what the Savoy is and therefore have a conversation in words and ability to discuss the quality output, the people that are hired, et cetera, to really form a kind of a joint venture, which has been very successful since we did that. And it brought novelty with a restaurant that was renovated, re-conceptualized, and is being run by one of the most well-known chefs in the world. And in addition to the grill, which was renovated last year, as well as Savoy Grill, which is a fantastic restaurant, still a successful, very successful place. In addition to that, the place that used to be a meeting space on top of the grill reopened and was reconceptualized as a fine-dining French restaurant called 1890 to pay homage to Auguste Escoffier when Auguste Escoffier started here. And Gordon Ramsay felt that he needed to pay homage to Escoffier's legacy and named this restaurant 1890. And we obtained, we achieved our first Michelin star earlier on this year for 1890.

Franck Arnold (04:51.456)
So, and we will continue doing that. whenever we have the ability to invest, we look at what is it that stays true to what the Savoy is. But with a little bit of a twist that brings us to really, really the 21st century. So we make it evolve without shocking too many people's systems, but we bring novelty. So we are going to be reconceptualizing the Thames Foyer and we are going to create a very unique space that will still cater for breakfast. We'll still cater for afternoon tea, because that's one of the staples of one of our service offerings is afternoon tea at the Savoy. And in addition to that, we will have the ability to bring the space to life in the evening. And this is the heart of the Savoy. And at the moment, you come at eight o'clock, it's night down, you still have access to the Beaufort bar, you have access to the River Restaurant, but the place is too quiet. It drains the energy out of the place. So we are reconceptualizing that to bring the same, the right level of energy throughout the day and night. So, this is how we look at things.

End