HOSPITALITY In an uncertain and rapidly changing world, how does an
organisation as seemingly traditional and rooted in history as the Reform Club face up to the challenges of the future?
coalition between Conservatives and Liberals. Plus ça change… The Reform was originally housed in
Ellice’s own house while its purpose- built new premises were being created on Pall Mall. From the start it had one straightforward objective – to make the members feel instantly at home and the Reform Club – to this day – has the mission statement of being ‘a home from home’ for its members.
It was all about the food We tend to think celebrity chefs were invented in the current tv era – but the Reform Club got there fi rst! From the very beginning the club had a strong focus on food. Long before Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal were feted as celebrity chefs or enfants terribles there was Alexis Benoist Soyer. This French chef fl ed the terror of revolutionary France
and settled in London to become the most celebrated cook in the land. He was a revolutionary thinker about food – and a technical innova- tor. Together with Charles Barry, he designed the Reform Club kitchens with so many new features (refrigera- tors, gas cooking, adjustable ovens) that public tours of the facilities had to be arranged. On the date of Queen Victoria’s Coronation in 1838, the club served breakfast for 2,000 guests. He used the theatrical stage of the Reform Club to perfect his tal- ents and to offer a style of dining as revolutionary in its day as Blumenthal’s cooking is today. One signature dish – Lamb Cutlets Reform – survives on the menu to this day and is one of the few recipes from club land that has achieved worldwide recognition. He had the same understanding of PR as many celebrities today, even
opening an art gallery with all proceeds being donated to feed the poor.
Still open to radical ideas In recent years, of course, clubs have changed from the weekday city refuge of country gentlemen into an environ- ment much more connected with the contemporary world. The Reform has always been at the forefront of change and was one of the earliest clubs to welcome women as full members 27 years ago. Today, of the total member- ship of 2,500, 461 are women. It has an eclectic membership and hosts a range of guests as diverse as modern society itself. Princess Diana lunched several times, The Iron Lady hosted Gorbachev here and Tina Turner chose it for her birthday party. Famous as a venue for fi lms (particu- larly Spy Films like Die Another Day) it was the real life haunt of Burgess and Blunt and their co-conspirators.
Home from home for the members The two upper stories of the palace are reserved for ‘chambers’; these delight- ful rooms are furnished in a traditional style but with all the conveniences expected of a modern establishment. What is distinctly un-modern, however, is the price, which is roughly a third to a quarter of that charged by comparable hotels in London’s West End. Deputy secretary, Ian Kenworthy, has been at the forefront of trying to move forward bedroom occupancy at the weekend when clubs are tradition- ally either closed or quiet. The latest initiative offers a discount of approxi- mately 50 per cent on the weekday rate for occupancy on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and this has led to a
(Left) A portrait of legendary Reform Club chef Alexis Soyer, who modernised the kitchens and introduced a new style of dining
78
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
ISSUE 3 2014 © cybertrek 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84