The Luxury View
From spotting upcoming Clerkenwell 20 years ago, Michael Benyan’s Zetter Group has been staying ahead of the curve ever since. But what is the secret behind the group’s Midas touch, asks April Hutchinson
Fast-talking Australian Michael Benyan and his business partner Mark Sainsbury spotted Clerkenwell when it was on the up 20 years ago, opening first their Moro restaurant in the area and later in 2004 the 59-room Zetter, one of the most talked-about hotels at the time. They followed this with a 13-
bedroom quirky townhouse hotel across the St John’s Square cobbles behind the Zetter and championed the king of cocktails - Tony Conigliaro, who became drinks consultant for Zetter Group just as he was igniting the capital’s blazing cocktail scene. Next up - they went back to their restaurant roots by extending their partnership with chef Bruno Loubet to open Grain Store, which has gone on to become one of London’s most feted restaurants, set in the booming new hub of Kings Cross and focused on making vegetables the star of the show instead of just a side order. And now, there is an eccentric
cousin, with the arrival of the 24-room Zetter Townhouse Marylebone (pictured), over in Portman Village, another interesting quarter of London. They have also managed to branch out of London – just – with the opening in January of a Grain Store at Gatwick South Terminal. Along the way, Jason Catifeoglou joined them as a third partner, bringing experience at boutique hotels and larger players such as IHG. “He definitely made us sharpen the pencils!” says Benyan in characteristic humour. So how have these guys managed
to develop the Midas touch? Of course they have worked with the right people – along with Conigliaro and Loubet they worked with Russell Sage, an in-demand
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MBENYAN ICHAEL
interior design studio, on their townhouses and Grain Store – but they are also highly forward thinking in themselves. In line with the trend for offering chic serviced- office spaces, the Zetter hotel is turning over its restaurant space to Central Working, with Club Zetter now members-only during the day and public at night with an extensive wine list. As Benyan says: “None of our
projects are the same – we are very opportunistic in how we do things. To us, it’s not about insisting we must get to 10 hotels or whatever, or always doing the same thing.” They also seem able to gauge the
mood of the city. “We’re way more drawn to areas
before they get up and running – that’s where we love to be. One of our strengths is identifying a ruby in the dust,” says Benyan. “We would never really want to do something on an obvious high
“We’re drawn to areas before
they get up and running – that’s where we love to be. One of our strengths is identifying a ruby in the dust.”
street and London continues to excite us for that reason. Look at Victoria, that’s back on the up. It’s a huge opportunity.”
Personal touch Wherever his next hotel may be, one thing you can be certain of is that there will be a heavy emphasis on staff and their offer of warm service. “We hire personalities. It’s nice to
Michael Benyan, partner, zetter group
have a collection of weird and wonderful people; everyone makes a contribution here and service is the most commented-on piece of feedback we get,” Benyan says. “There’s no room for a pompous attitude – my motto is that it should be about hospitality, not hostility.” Staff are also motivated by a
profit-share programme introduced in 2014, akin to the John Lewis Partnership and said to be the first of its kind in hospitality; its first pay-out last year gave those eligible an extra 1.9 weeks’ worth of salary.
And along with all this, it’s their
storytelling that wins people over. The Zetter Townhouse
Marylebone opened last August with little more on its list of facilities than wonderfully designed rooms and a cocktail lounge – but it’s all about the back story on this little place on Seymour Street. The feel of each townhouse
evolves from constructing a character, with design and ethos following from there: The Zetter Townhouse Clerkenwell is known as the home of Zetter’s Great Aunt Wilhelmina, while the Marylebone property is the home of Wicked Uncle Seymour. Benyan’s tales of how Seymour
went off on the Grand Tour of Europe, collecting curios as he went, almost had me believing he was a real person – in fact, an actual person like this did pique Benyan’s interest, Sir John Soane. The adventurous 19th-century British architect insisted his entire house be left as it was when he died 180 years ago and his wish is still executed to this day. The Sir John Soane Museum is pretty much how he left it, thankfully for Benyan and his constant search for inspiration – wherever that might take him.
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