As the Managing Director of the 5-star hotel, Corinthia London, Thomas Kochs is all about offering luxurious and uplifting moments. Moments that are so special that they will stay with you and of course, make you want to stay again.
Found at the intersection of classic and contemporary elegance sits the Corinthia London - a perfect balance that pays homage to heritage whilst moving forward, meeting (and superseding) the needs of the modern day customer. Its actual location of Westminster oozes history just a stone's throw away from famous London landmarks, cue Trafalgar Square and the River Thames, skip through St James Park and you will find yourself at Buckingham Palace too.
As for style, it's a haut monde hotel, you'll notice that elegance is synonymous with the Corinthia. It is a constant throughout the property, seen in their 225 rooms, 51 suites, and 7 penthouses to be precise, and it's also apparent when it comes to their unique discerning spirit and attentive service.
The pros don't stop there, let's not forget the renowned dining courtesy of Michelin-star chef, Tom Kerridge at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, and André Garrett of their Northall restaurant, which focuses on sustainable British cuisine in a beautiful setting. They have an award-winning spa too, spacious and grand with marble and relaxation aplenty, it's one of the largest and most exclusive in central London, naturally. Thomas Kochs discusses the legacy, experience and style of Corinthia London.
Felicity Carter: Sum up Corinthia London for anyone who hasn't stayed before...
Thomas Kochs: Guests staying at Corinthia London for the first time can expect everything that a modern grand hotel has to offer. You can enjoy a variety of exceptional experiences, from our restaurants and bars to our award-winning spa, to choosing to stay from a range of elegantly designed rooms, suites, and penthouses. The variety in these options is seen as a luxury for our guests, as they can use our hotel as they desire.
FC: What are the cornerstones of the Corinthia brand?
TK: Every day we strive to create an environment that is uplifting for our guests and our staff. We deliver these uplifting moments through our spirit, service, and design - in offering exceptional culinary experiences, intuitive and memorable service and elegantly designed rooms and spaces.
My ambition is for guests to have the most memorable stay that goes beyond the traditional hotel services. I hope that we continue to improve at this every day through the experiences we provide and deliver.
FC: How do you balance maintaining the legacy of the Corinthia, while keeping the brand contemporary for the modern-day customer?
TK: This role lies in the hands of the guardians of the brand and as Managing Director of Corinthia London, I am honored to be one of these guardians. It is my duty to take my team on this journey to ensure that we keep this balance in maintaining our heritage, ensuring its longevity, whilst staying relevant to our modern-day guest, as we move into the future. One of my core beliefs for Corinthia London is that we need to build on the past, although, we should never live in the past. Our past both as a building and as a business impact how we operate today and what our expectations are for the future. Our motivation and reason have to be forward-thinking, intelligent and of relevance to our guests today.
FC: What is the USP?
TK: We have seven uniquely and beautifully designed duplex penthouses, last year we launched our new London and Garden suites. We opened the country's most desirable chef, Tom Kerridge's, first and only London restaurant, Kerridge's Bar & Grill. Our Garden Lounge offers guests an outside space to use, a rare jewel in London. Our spa is the largest and one of the best in the country with 17 treatment rooms spanning over four floors. Lastly, one of my favorite aspects is that we offer magnificent spaces for guests to use and roam around freely.
FC: How do you keep the customer experience consistent throughout the hotels?
TK: Interesting question. The foundation of the hotel needs to be robust and it needs to have a set of standards to ensure the customer experience is consistent, without these standards the exceptional offering and service we provide would not exist. It is important to add that these standards also act as a tool for clear communication for our staff, from these standards our staff can then express their own character and flair which further adds to our uplifting customer experience.
FC: What has been the highlight of your career to date?
TK: Personally, the highlights of my career are seeing my team and staff achieve their goals. For example, Ben Hofer, our Food & Beverage Director, we have worked together for the past five years, and seeing him develop and grow in his career to his position now, is something that makes me immensely proud.
Some other highlights include two successful BBC documentaries and opening a hugely anticipated first London restaurant for Tom Kerridge, Kerridge's Bar & Grill at Corinthia London.
I also must add when I worked at Claridge's, I met the Queen and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William, and Kate, this did feel quite momentous and my heart did beat a little faster!
I feel very grateful for all these moments that my career is hospitality has given me.
FC: What is your favorite element of the London outpost?
TK: My favorite element of Corinthia London would have to be the high ceilings and large spaces, the light floods into the entire hotel, offering a rather palatial and generous feel. Yet the personal service that we provide, complements the spaces and adds the human touch.
FC: What can we look forward to in 2019?
We have got lots to look forward to in 2019. At the beginning of this year, we appointed a new Executive Chef, André Garrett, who joined from Cliveden House. André’s remit includes the entire hotel overseeing all food and beverage outlets, apart from Kerridge's Bar & Grill. To complement Kerridge's Bar & Grill, this summer, our Northall restaurant will take a new culinary direction with a menu offering incorporating André’s signature cooking style, which is Modern European - light, sophisticated, contemporary dishes and routed in seasonality. The restaurant will also go through a light refurbishment.
We also have some exciting projects planned for the spa, one of which, is to introduce a second brand alongside ESPA. We have seen the demand for more results-driven treatments, I cannot share further details of the secondary brand just yet, however, it will satisfy the 'aesthetics-driven' demand for some of our guests and it will offer complementary alternative treatments to ESPA’s holistic approach. Additionally, in April, Dr. Song Qinggeng, a renowned doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and teacher of tai chi and qi gong, will join our existing spa team. Dr Song is passionate about both grounding and holistic treatments and we cannot wait for him to join our team of expert therapists at ESPA Life.
Learn more about the Corinthia outposts on corinthia.com.
