I always promised myself that I would write up as much as I could research and recollect about the Regent Palace Hotel, a truly amazing hotel which survived two World Wars and which accommodated millions of people in its ninety years of existence.
I write with first-hand knowledge of the hotel and the companies who ran it until its closure in 2006. My career in the hotel and catering industry started with J. Lyons and Company, and I worked at the hotel on five separate occasions over a period of 45 years. During this time, I came across many interesting facts and some parts of the hotel which had been mothballed long ago but I realised early on that the hotel had a long and illustrious history and a story to be told.
If you worked there you would always have a story or an anecdote to tell about a friend or someone you had met, and you were always proud to have been part of what was achieved during the time you worked there. Because of the hotel’s size, accommodating 1500 people a night, you were part of a huge undertaking, with systems and organisation second to none. Whether as a maid, engineer or receptionist, you worked very hard, and if you endured and survived the many long and arduous shifts, somehow your life was enhanced and touched for ever.
From 1936, if not earlier, the hotel provided “live-in” accommodation for 170 people in a specially-built block next to the hotel, and for those lucky enough to “live in”, finding a job in central London with accommodation was just like a dream. Camaraderie was abundant, and lifelong friendships were made. Even today two Facebook sites connect former members of staff, their relatives, friends and guests.
Visit Facebook
www.facebook.com/groups/249142965210157/
In its later years, it was often under the spotlight for the wrong reasons, but those associated with the hotel, from the executives and directors to those on the shop floor, would all stand up for it. Those who worked there during the time that I was associated with the hotel all spoke in glowing terms about their life-changing experiences. Many people who worked at the hotel went on to have different and varied careers, but they all say the same: “the job experience I had at the Regent Palace was second to none” and most look back on their time at the hotel not only with affection but also with grateful thanks for the invaluable time they spent there.
This site will be developed over time to include pages on the Trocadero Restaurant from 1896-1965 because it was a training ground for the directors and some senior managers. There will also be pages on the Lyons Club and Strand Hotels Limited.
There never was - and never will be - a hotel like the Regent Palace Hotel.
Leigh Smith