Episode 2 Inside Claridge's

'Claridge's, in the heart of London's Mayfair, is a five-star luxury hotel,

'favoured by royalty and celebrities.

'Known by some as the annexe to Buckingham Palace,

'it opened its doors in 1854 under the watchful eye of Mrs Claridge.

'Since then, there's always been a Claridge's way of doing things.'

Certain things are just done in a certain way. Like when you serve a table.

When you greet a lady, it has to be done in a certain way. When you receive royalty.

You'd have someone who was employed just to clean the silver, someone employed to wind up the clock.

'For the first time in its long history, the hotel has allowed cameras inside,

'and we've spent a year filming upstairs and downstairs with guests and staff,

'many of whom have been here for decades.'

I was shoved in very early. Like Moses being left in a basket on the step.

And I've been out here ever since!

'All institutions have to adapt to changing times

'and the hotel is undergoing its biggest facelift in 40 years.'

A guest was arriving at 3 and they'd just cut a hole in the ceiling at 2.

'The hotel has to balance an attachment to its past with the demands of the modern traveller.

'The staff race against the clock in their quest for perfection

'for which guests shell out between £300 and £7,000 a night.'

Sitting on the toilet, you see the ends of those valves.

The group arriving today. Who wants to talk us through this?

Yeah? Very good.

We have the Emperor and Empress of Japan arriving at approximately four o'clock today.

We have 38 rooms in total checking in and we're only waiting for eight of them to check out,

so we have access to the majority of them.

Now tell us who we've got coming to stay today.

Today is the Emperor from Japan.

He arrives here between 3.30 to 4 o'clock.

We have their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan, who will be arriving today.

They stayed with us back in 2007 as well.

'Preparations for the arrival of the imperial party involve 60 staff across three days.'

I'm thinking of the edges, the corners. The corners do not look good.

Just a few bits of etiquette and protocol for anyone who is in the arrival.

You bow from the waist once they enter your presence.

We need to do the cards.

The Emperor...

-comma. The Emperor...

-And Empress of Japan.

-OK.

They are one of only two people who were actually present at the original coronation,

so it's actually quite significant, the visit.

No.

Stop, stop.

Western food. Martyn's written a specific menu for them.

So the idea was that we obviously meet him outside of the main door. Them. It's obviously both of them.

And then I walk them in.

Right now, the plan is to use the lift. OK?

If they come out of the lift, I would suggest that we stand on top of the staircase,

but if they don't use the lift, we maybe line up here on the stairs.

How many people do we have?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

So if they take the lift, we are too many people. Can we do one per step or is it too close?

But then you can't bow.

Then we need to halve the group.

-Do we want to do it boy, girl, boy, girl or...?

-Height.

It should be height? OK.

So if Oliver, then a little gap, Martin, Sally, Carl...

The plan has to be very straightforward. Let's hope he uses the staircase.

If he doesn't, the first eight people...

'I always wanted to be a general manager.'

It was always my aim to head up a meaningful hotel in a great city.

At that time I didn't know this would be Claridge's in London.

OK.

You know you need to bow out of the...here, no?

Your hands are here and you keep a straight upper body and bow.

-Do you quite like moments like this?

-They're very special.

Like everything in life, you have to appreciate the little moments.

These are the exceptional situations and, ja, it will be the first time for me

to greet the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

Would you mind to hold it?

'Everything has been prepared with military precision,

'but with moments to go, there's an unexpected glitch.

'A flag comes loose.'

What time is he due?

So we just had another change of time. It's 3.55.

-And it was...?

-3.45.

-And before that it was...?

4.10. We may get back to 4.10.

Sorry.

Is that them?

'The Emperor and Empress finally step out of the car at 4.15pm.'

APPLAUSE

He's going inside.

I hope you had a pleasant journey. It's wonderful to have you back.

'The imperial entourage has booked 48 rooms across three days for their accompanying staff.

'The Emperor and Empress decided to take the lift.'

-Would you like to live here?

-I could live here, yes. Easily.

I could easily live here. Quite happily.

I feel very good when I come through the revolving doors.

Regular guests say, "You sit in the lobby of the grand hotel and people come and people go.

"People come and people go, people come and people go, people come and people go..."

If you think of the original grand hotels of London,

the Connaught, the Berkeley, the Ritz, the Dorchester, the Savoy,

Claridge's is the one that probably has the most royal connections.

'Princess Elizabeth, radiant in pink satin, is with the Princess Royal.'

On the Queen Mother's visits, the musicians would strike up The Teddy Bears' Picnic, every time.

And nobody had to say anything. As she arrived, everybody just stood.

And the hairs on my arm used to stand up every time. I'd always be hiding behind a pillar somewhere

so I could see her coming in. But amazing, absolutely amazing.

People would just watch her as she would walk through, then everybody would sit back down.

People would call the telephone operators here and say, "Can I speak to the King?"

The operator would say, "Which one?"

-Good afternoon. This is Timothy.

-Can I have the concierge, please?

Yes, let me connect you. Thank you, sir.

-What do you think of Claridge's now you know it well?

-It's...a grand old lady.

I don't know. Can I say that? Can I genderise Claridge's?

Yeah, I think Claridge's is a grand old lady who has got a nice funky side to her.

Miss Collins, good to see you again.

Joan Collins married her fifth husband, Percy, at the hotel ten years ago.

-Nice to see you again. You haven't changed a bit.

-Neither have you!

'I look for total luxury.'

If you're going to be in a place where you're waited on hand and foot

and if you're paying a lot of money, which one does,

'one should be catered to. I think one should have everything given to you

'the way you would really like to have it in your home.' A little bit more?

-That's fine, thank you.

-Bon appetit. I'll see you later.

It's very spoiling and a lot of people say, "How shocking!"

but that's the way it should be with a hotel, unless you're staying in a motel where you just muck in.

-To...good times and lots of work.

-Hear, hear.

Goodness. I'll have a moustache.

-How much should luxury cost? Is there a price where it becomes ludicrous?

-It's already ludicrous.

It's already totally ludicrous. I think everything is far too expensive, including luxury.

'Joan is lunching with her long-standing agent, Peter Charlesworth,

-'who first came to the hotel when he was a teenager.'

-How old were you?

-Fourteen.

-Wow.

-And this is... You were working here?

-Yes.

-As a bell boy?

-Yes.

-How long for?

-14 months.

-Wow!

-Cute.

-14 years old.

No comments, please! Most of it was, "Would you post these letters?

"Will you take this parcel and get it registered for me?" And so on.

-Did you have to knock on the doors?

-Yes.

-Did you ever walk in on anyone in compromising situations?

I think I caught Alfred Hitchcock in a compromising situation with a very large blonde!

Yes, he liked blondes. I thought he liked them petite.

TIMOTHY: Good afternoon. Claridge's. How may I help you?

JOAN: There's a feeling of history here.

I think there is a wonderful feeling of grandeur, which is very exciting.

There's a feeling you're not quite in the 21st century.

It's so pristine and wonderful

that it's not as though it's today.

-Do you think a hotel like this should change at all?

-No! Definitely not.

Good afternoon. How are you?

'It's a week of royal arrivals.'

It's a great place. How are you? Good afternoon. Thank you so much.

'His Royal Highness Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, returns once or twice a year.'

-So here we are. 212.

-212. Exactly.

-After you, please.

-Looks good.

'The prince's connection to the hotel began at birth.'

'A tragic dynasty meets a new disaster. King Peter of Yugoslavia, seen here at his wedding in 1944,

'has been deprived of his throne...'

My father was King Peter II of Yugoslavia.

And my mother was Queen Alexandra,

daughter of King Alexander of Greece.

They actually met in London during the war

and they got married in 1944 in a bit of a subdued royal wedding.

-There was a reception here, I think, too.

-At Claridge's?

-At Claridge's, yes.

'Another royal occasion, the christening in Westminster Abbey of the infant son of King Peter...'

This is the bedroom where I was born.

I'm not too sure which side of the bed, but it all happened in this very nice room.

I don't think this room has changed too much, I'm certain.

It looks really good. It's a nice room.

Sir Winston Churchill, of course, was the Prime Minister

and he very kindly allowed the Home Office then

to cede this suite as Yugoslav territory for the time of my birth.

And they brought some earth from Yugoslavia -

I think it must have been a little bit - and put it under the bed. Very symbolic, which was very nice.

'The royal family were exiled in the hotel for 18 months after Alexander's birth.'

I have a picture in Belgrade of my parents in front of this fireplace

and the fireplace hasn't changed. Same marble, very nice. It hasn't changed at all.

My parents, sadly, never went back. My father was very homesick.

He lived not only here in the United Kingdom, but he lived in France and Switzerland, Italy and America.

But I think this is really what killed him - the sadness that you could not go home.

Oh, thank you very much. Thank you.

'Claridge's is a home away from home. When we come here, my wife and I and the boys,'

they say, "Welcome home," which is really nice. It's a good feeling to come home.

-Morning, John.

-Morning, Mr Parker.

-How you going? Winning?

-Yeah.

-That's good. Thank you.

'Not every regular visitor has such an illustrious past.'

You all right, my friend? Morning, sweetheart.

-Morning, Martin.

-Morning, Mr Parker.

-How're you going?

-Your papers.

Morning, darling.

'Now 85, Gerry Parker grew up in the East End, knowing the Krays, and later became a successful bookie.'

-Morning, my lovely. How are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

-Decaf for me, sweetheart.

-Yes.

-Thanks. Nice and hot.

How long have you been coming to Claridge's to have your breakfast?

My wife, Shirley, had a business in Hampstead. Fashion.

And in 1971 she opened a shop here in Brook Street, number 31, just down the road from here.

I started to come in to Claridge's, about 40 years ago.

You've been coming for breakfast every day for 40 years?

More or less.

Why?

Well... Excuse me.

First of all,

I love the hotel

because actually it's steeped in history, going back to Queen Victoria.

And the Queen Mother loved this hotel.

And I feel very comfortable in here.

I've been to other hotels. It doesn't compare with this. Something about this place is a bit special.

-Do you always order the same breakfast?

-No.

Yesterday I had the fruit plate, which was lovely - pineapple and papaya. Lovely.

The day before that, muesli.

And then sometimes toast and banana, which I enjoy.

It comes from the East End of London. That was your dinner. It was lovely!

'For Gerry, it hasn't always been breakfast at Claridge's.'

What were you down for?

Being in possession of a sawn-off shotgun and a Jaguar that didn't belong to me.

A stolen car.

They put me in Wormwood Scrubs, which was not delightful.

-It was an awful bloody place.

-I see why you like Claridge's!

-Exactly.

I go back to the 1930s in the East End where we had a dustman every day.

We had the postman three times a day - morning, lunchtime, teatime.

Where's it all gone now with all the technology we've got? I hate the 21st century. I hate it.

-Where do you post your letters now?

-Here. I give them to... Whoever is the concierge, they post them.

If I want to send a fax, they send it for me. When they get the return, they bring it in to me.

-Do you use Claridge's as an office?

-This is my office. Best in London.

This one?

'21st-century technology might not be for everyone, but the management has to be up-to-date with gadgets.'

-The cherry wood one on the left is quite nice.

-It's a nice colour.

'Something apparently as innocuous as a new alarm clock requires a committee of four to pore over it

'in minute detail.'

How often do you change the alarm clocks?

I cannot remember when we have last even looked at alarm clocks.

We had a walkabout the other day and we noticed we don't really love what we have

and we should have something a little bit better. A hotel is busy

and little details like an alarm clock can very easily be overlooked.

-I think simplicity will probably win in this case.

-Yep.

Em, you know, there are 100 alarm clocks on the market.

We're seeing 20 or something, which is great. Thank you. But...

This is trying to do something that it probably isn't, really.

It's pretty, but...

-The style's not quite right.

-Is this real silver?

-No, it's not.

If we had something like this, it should probably be real silver, antique or a renowned maker.

Does Equi or Christofle... Do they do things like that?

Can we hear them? Can we hear what alarm they make? It can be very frightening in the morning.

-Batteries.

-You don't have batteries? Let's get a battery.

-CLOCK BEEPS

-Stop.

-Stop! Ah. It's voice-controlled.

-I didn't realise it did that.

-We need to think of...

-Short-sighted people.

-Yes, we do.

-Wouldn't we need to have a look of the numbers are lighted at night?

-If they are lit at night, yes.

Let's turn off the light.

Well...the handles are lit.

Yeah, let's put the light on again.

'Having narrowed the choices down from 20 to 3, the final test is to see the new clocks in position.'

- One by one. - I think so.

It's interesting to see it in a different context.

Now you don't see it next to 20 others. It's just one.

-It's very natural.

-It almost disappears now.

There you have the old, green digital lightweight alarm clock

and then this looks much nicer, doesn't it?

Well done, good.

-Lovely. Thank you.

-'Thomas chooses the least complicated alarm clock, costing £20,

'for all 203 rooms.

-'This hotel can easily show its age.'

-Tony speaking. Hi.

'It's Tony the painter's job to roam the corridors, touching up everyday stains, scuffs, leaks

'and rips before the pampered guests have a chance to spot that anything is less than perfect.'

Are any still damaged or are they all done now?

-So, Tony, how many rooms are there in the hotel?

-202, I think. I'm not sure exactly.

And how many need to be painted

or touched up or repaired every day?

Well, I would say a guest could go into a room, knock his suitcase... Every room can have a black mark.

It's just how bad they get. Housekeepers keep on top of all of that.

How did that happen?!

We're not sure exactly how it happened, but what we were looking at this morning was...

that the ceiling, probably, is ready to come down at some point.

It's not going to fall down, but we would be better off to take it down and patch it.

What Jim will do today is just reinforce it and paint the bed so we can get it back this evening.

-Is someone staying here tonight?

-I think so, yeah. Then we'll put it in the book to be chopped out,

which is a big job, to take the ceiling down.

'Tony's younger brother, Jim, is also his deputy.'

Another one ticked up, cracked up for the painting department, getting everyone out of trouble.

Is that the bottom line? It's for the room to be sold.

Yeah, pretty much. If the room needs to be sold, then we do everything we can

to get the room ship-shape and Bristol fashion, ready.

-Do you think it's funny that the guests don't know what goes on?

-Yeah, sometimes the guests turn up

and we could have been in there 20 minutes before them, like this.

-Yeah.

-And then, before they know it, it's all spanking new again and they come in and think, "That's lovely!"

Hello?

-How's it going?

-You all right?

-Yeah. Are you winning? Winning?

Em... Yeah, I think so.

-Hello!

-Hello.

-What do people say when you say you work at Claridge's?

-I don't tell many people.

-Why not?

-It's work.

I don't suppose half the people I know would know what I was talking about. I say I work in a hotel.

I went to the hospital yesterday. Doctor asked me where I worked. I just said a hotel.

It's a bit flash if you throw Claridge's around. I keep it modest.

I've just noticed that we've got some water damage in a new room.

-Water, water everywhere.

-It is, yeah.

It is. It finds its way down, don't it?

Feeds my family, this water damage.

I don't know what it is about luxury hotels, but people tend to leave the baths running.

There was a leak here in the plaster so we had to do various inspections.

'There's been a hotel on this site for over 200 years.

'It's creaking under the weight of history and as a listed building requires expert care and attention.

'It's currently undergoing the biggest restoration in 40 years.

'£6 million is to be spent restoring the facade alone.

'Each brick is hand-crafted, exactly as it was in the 19th century.

'Thomas knows the hotel can't just be a museum piece

'and his five-star guests will demand the latest innovations.

'Twenty rooms have been shut off to be renovated over four months.

'And it's all work that needs to be carried out without disrupting the paying guests.'

When you have an iconic hotel like Claridge's

and a building that is from 1811, basically, in essence, when it was first a hotel,

there comes a lot of responsibility. We very much regard ourselves as custodians of this

and our responsibility is not only to sell these rooms and to make money and host guests,

but also to restore and to keep this property. That is what you see here.

So, you know, it is an old building, but it's the right thing to do for Claridge's

and the right thing to pass it on to the next generations and ensure everything is perfect.

So this is the bathroom.

I've seen the plan. It will be amazing.

And it will, of course, make reference to the original marble bathrooms that we are so proud of.

How much does a project like this cost? How much do you have to build this into your business plan?

You're looking at money. You're probably looking at just under £200,000 per room.

'Thomas is constantly treading a careful line between the past and the future.'

You know, today's luxury traveller is not only looking for tradition,

but also a new product, technology that works, speedy service.

That's just really, really important.

What is a tradition? It's an invention that, at the time, you know, was new.

And it was just so good that it was kept and it became a tradition.

'The renovation extends to the roof, where there are plans to add another two floors -

'more rooms bring more business.'

This is the way out.

Do come out.

Mind the steps, mind the gantry. You haven't got heels on, have you? No one's got heels on, OK?

'It's currently a world of water tanks, air conditioning vents and waste pipes.'

-How old are those chimneys?

-Original.

Some of the things haven't been removed. For instance, these ledges,

which were originally designed for the chimney sweep to sweep from.

This is basically as it was. All this lead work is original.

Nothing's been done to them in 100 or so years.

-Mark, do you ever think about the people who built this building?

-Oh, definitely.

Obviously, they're all dead now, but they've left their mark on London.

Mind the steps. There's all different levels.

London!

Sometimes in the morning you can come up here and there's always a seagull on there. Very strange.

Been coming for years. When it's rough at sea, he stays at Claridge's.

There's other lesser seagulls that go to the Dorchester. They've got to know where to come.

-Where are we going, Anne?

-We're going to the Linen Room.

'Above stairs and below, there's 404 staff working away to satisfy every whim of the demanding guests.'

Good afternoon, gentlemen. Hi.

So this is where it all happens.

We've got, em...

four washing machines that are always in use,

in use from 7 o'clock in the morning until about 10 o'clock at night.

You've got all the pillow cases, bedside mats, chamber towels,

hand towels, bath towels, all happening in these machines.

-How many towels do you wash a day?

-About 1,500 a day.

-Seven days a week.

-Seven days a week.

In the end, anybody will tell you who has experienced any time in these sorts of places

that it's not actually the architecture or interior decoration or anything like that.

In the end, what you're really paying for is the payroll.

It's for the fact that there are so many, you know,

men in striped trousers and swallowtail coats and chambermaids,

all of whom are exquisitely well trained.

Altogether now it's about 36 years. A long, long time. I never, ever thought I'd be here that long.

I first joined Claridge's in October, 1980.

I never knew what a hotel was.

My life sentence at Claridge's began June 10th, 1977.

I think in November it's 25 years.

Sad, but true.

Apparently, it is 25 years this year.

28 years.

On October 15. I start 1983.

I've been here for...23 years.

-That means I love the job.

-'It's a home.'

It's a family. It's a family thing. It's always been that way.

'Long-standing members of staff become part of the character of the hotel, but they all start somewhere.

'Luca is 21 years old and it's his first job in London.

'He has just been appointed as a trainee waiter.' Are you nervous?

A bit. I think it's normal.

What does Claridge's mean to you?

For me, it means, like, perfection.

-'I can take many things, I can learn many things.

-Good morning, Luca.

-Good morning.

-My name's Dean. How are you?

-Very well. And you?

-Good. Would you like to follow me?

'Dean, the Deputy Restaurant Manager, will enforce the hotel's exacting way of doing things.'

I'll just give you a very brief tour of the back of house areas.

This is our main patisserie. OK? It goes right through to the back.

All the scones are baked in-house, some bread.

Just on your right-hand side, they're right in the middle of breakfast.

My first memory of the building was a smell. I didn't know what it was.

'It was the smell of asparagus. I'd never tasted asparagus before.'

Champagnes, wines, water in the bottom.

'I was a 14-year-old boy from a very small village,'

so I was overwhelmed with the amount of people, the business, the organised chaos that it was.

-OK, Luca, so we go through into the main restaurant.

-Yes.

'Luca's training will last for three weeks and only then will he be let loose on a guest.'

First of all, we need a tablecloth.

What I'll do for you is show you how we do it, then you can have a go.

So...

Is there a Claridge's way of laying a table or is there a way of laying a table?

Open the cloth.

And then we sort of fold it out...

There is a way of laying a table

and I think Claridge's needs to do it the way it is done.

The chairs then just touching the table cloth. OK?

And how is it done?

Well, fork is on the left, the knife is on the right.

OK, now we're looking for one inch, OK? From the edge of the table.

OK? And again, just off of the napkin.

The main course glass has to be in line with the main course knife.

If you have something opposite, the guest who sits opposite you, his knife is in line with your fork.

Again, one inch from the edge of the table. And just off of the napkin.

'That's a craft, that's a skill. You should be proud to know that.'

And proud to execute it like that. Just imagine if those things wouldn't matter any more.

Is there a right place for the salt and pepper to go on a table?

'No, but the salt and pepper is always removed after main course.'

So that is, for example, a rule around salt and pepper.

If you ever find salt and pepper on your table whilst you're enjoying your dessert, you know it's wrong.

And what about...

I've just brought Sarah in now. You'll be spending the rest of today and this week with her.

-I brought her in for a little bit of role-playing.

-Good morning, Miss Cameron. How are you today?

-Good morning.

-So you...choose already something?

Er, yes.

It's very important to engage in a very light conversation. "Good morning. How are you today?"

We know that she's a resident. "Are you enjoying your stay?"

-How was the opera yesterday?

-Excellent. Very good.

-Perfect.

-Maybe if I just start, OK? You just watch what I do.

-Yeah.

-Good morning, Miss Cameron. You slept well last night?

-Very well.

-Your husband will join us?

-Not this morning.

-I'll have that removed.

There's always little things that you can read from the guest. That is key.

Can I offer you some more juice or maybe some water?

-Could I get tea, actually?

-Yes, of course. Would you like a green tea or...?

-Perfect.

-Darjeeling is all right?

-Er...a little bit lighter.

Lighter. OK.

-Whatever you have.

-We'll come back to the tea making a little bit later, OK? That's very harsh.

Do you remember your induction?

Yes. Very well.

It was...

hard at first. It's a lot to remember.

And what were your first impressions of Claridge's when you joined?

That room is very impressive.

The size of it and the decor.

It's quite...intimidating at first, until you get used to it.

'Luca, like every other member of staff, will be measured for his own personal uniform,

-'so he's dressed in the Claridge's way.'

-Hello, Comfort.

-How are you?

-Hi.

Do you mind taking off your blazer? Thank you.

-What advice would you give to Luca, then?

-Well, just to, you know, keep his head down at first.

Duck the bullets. It's not a smooth ride. It's a hard ride.

He's obviously got accommodation, his parents aren't here.

He's a young man. Italians love their mamma.

'He's obviously got, you know, to just keep down and work very hard,

'but he seems that type anyway.'

Can I just ask how the uniform would be...?

For a waiter, you're wearing a three-button white blazer. White shirt, logo tie, black trousers.

This is the uniform.

-Like it?

-It's really nice, yes. I do.

-Very nice.

-Is the white a big change?

-It is quite a big change, absolutely.

-It's lovely on, though.

-Is that a brave colour for a waiter?

I think it's... It's Claridge's. You want to make a statement.

Roman, what does it feel like when you put your uniform on?

Oh...I like it, actually.

I love the uniform. I think it's good style.

'You probably see that yourself.'

'Roman is from Poland.

'He heads a team of six doormen and works outdoors in all weathers.

'The pavement is his stage.'

Why are you getting wet?

I've got heavy, thick-soled shoes on. They're keeping me totally dry. I don't feel that wet, actually.

Have a lovely evening.

Have a good evening.

Good evening, sir.

Cabbie!

Have a lovely evening. ..Cabbie!

Everybody has a different way of calling a taxi.

Some whistle. I don't like whistling.

Cab!

They can hear me.

Cabbie! ..It's a hectic night.

-I wouldn't change the job for anything, seriously.

-What do you like about it?

-Meeting people.

In general. Looking after people.

And the pleasure you get from taking care of people when they're happy.

I think the official name is link man. Link man between the outside and the hotel itself.

'In 1958, when he was 12 years old, Roman was sent to the UK by a refugee charity

'in order to improve his education.'

My mum was a refugee, basically,

from the Second World War.

And that makes me a bit sad when I remember all of that. Yeah.

It's a bit difficult to talk about that, yeah.

And I've seen a lot of... if you like, unhappiness. And, you know.

When we arrived, the first dinner we had there... Five of us came from the continent.

They brought us over and we went to eat, the tables were set

and they had knives and forks on the tables. This was quite incredible.

And I started laughing. I'll never forget this. I said, "These English are strange people.

"How can you eat soup with forks?"

Because you see, where we came from, it was always soup.

That's what we used to eat.

And do you have a family?

-I have one son, yeah.

-And what does he do?

-Talking about my mum is always a bit upsetting.

He's at university, Oxford.

He's got into Oxford, which is brilliant. I'm so happy about that. Over the moon.

Extremely proud of him.

I get emotional. It's terrible I'm so emotional.

But I love my son to bits and I'm working on because I'm having to pay for him.

I hope he appreciates it one day!

-How old is he now?

-He's 20.

-And you are...?

-I'm 66 in June.

How are you?

It's been many, many years.

How long have you been here?

I was just saying, 36 years. How long have you been coming here?

-Even more than that.

-Yeah, I think so.

-Yeah, yeah.

-'What kind of person works here?'

-For a long time.

-Hard-working!

'There's a lot of people, like Roman on the door, you know, they're part of it.

'Roman's like the face of Claridge's now.

'You go upstairs and it's Michael Lynch.'

And down on this floor it's me. I know the majority of people.

-And what room number are you?

-211.

-211? We've sent it up.

-Have you ever thought of leaving?

-Many times.

-Why haven't you?

Well, because you obviously... It's a fun place, it's exciting.

You're always meeting someone different and they're nice to you. You don't have a grumpy day.

'You know, it's been raining for the last month, but you just have to carry on.'

'The builders have now been in for 14 weeks, renovating the suites.

'Thomas does his weekly inspection to keep an eye on the works.'

This was a public corridor before, which we have now incorporated into this suite.

So it became a two-bedroom suite.

As I said before, this may all look days and days away from finishing,

but in actual fact I think the team is more advanced than it looks like.

I was here yesterday or a day ago.

The way it progresses and the speed and pace is just really fascinating.

There comes a point in every project when it takes ages and ages and then suddenly it all happens.

I like that point.

-And do you know how much this will be charged out at now?

-The two will be £4,500 per night.

'Above the renovated rooms sits the hotel's most expensive suite.'

And please come in.

Immediately, you have a feeling of entering a special place. You don't just walk into a bedroom

and there's a bedside table and a mini bar. You look at beautiful original fireplaces, antiques,

look at this clock, the desk, the chairs...

And then you enter the bedroom

and, you know, I just think that four-poster beds are...

They're just so wonderfully romantic.

When you lie in bed, you look at heaven.

'The Davis Penthouse used to have permanent guests living here

'and you can still savour its old school glamour for the night

'by paying the price of a small family car.'

Yeah, it's £6,900 per night.

You know, £6,900, I totally appreciate that it is an awful lot of money to stay for a night,

but then again in the five-star luxury market, there are prices that we know, we know exactly...

And that's the same for all other hotels. A certain size of suite costs a certain amount per night.

And that's, so to speak, the going rate.

I think it's very special to be in a pinnacle suite of a grand hotel.

It's...it's a special place.

Well, it's just a drawer of menus. It's lovely, actually,

because people come along - it's a bit of a stiff drawer maybe because there's so much in it.

Turbot, £2.20.

Sole meuniere, £2.60.

-Couldn't even buy one for that now.

-No, I don't think...

Dare I say, you don't get anything here for £2.60 any more!

'Not all guests can afford to stay at the hotel,

'but you can experience something of the atmosphere by paying £50 for afternoon tea with champagne.'

Well, where else would you have it?

It's almost the way you say it. "Let's go for afternoon tea at Claridge's."

'Dress code - elegant, smart, casual, no sportswear or baseball caps.'

-Do you like afternoon tea? Are you proud of it in the hotel?

-Yes, I am.

It's very skilful.

You need to take everything very seriously. You know, it's the skill of sandwich-making.

It's not just a sandwich.

It's about the bread and how it's sliced and how thick or thin it is.

We're not serving the same sandwiches all the time. Bread needs the right texture, temperature.

It can't be too soft, but needs to be soft. And so on.

People book a long time in advance. Traditionally, you'd try to get a table 2 or 3 months in advance.

We're going to Claridge's, which is really for my 70th birthday.

'And I'm really excited because my dad worked there.'

-Very nice to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

'Sidney Mitchell worked as a doorman at the hotel between 1944

-'and 1976.'

-Is that him there?

-Yeah, that's Granddad.

-I remember the guys talking about Sid Mitchell.

'Very proud man. He would always be very upright, very formal, always in a tie.'

Even if he was popping to the shops, he would always have a tie on

and always in a double Windsor.

The characters that have been here, many have been here a long time.

-How long ago would this have been?

-I don't know.

-He was very young there.

-Yes.

-Late '40s or early '50s.

'Afternoon tea is regarded by many as sacred, having been served at Claridge's since the late 1890s.'

It really is a one-off experience for us. It really is.

She's been saving up for years!

What do you think about luxury hotels, the idea of them still existing?

I think it's a good thing. Tradition.

A bit like the regimental system in the military, isn't it? These traditions pass down.

With youngsters nowadays, unless you bring these traditions up, they have nothing to look back on.

And what are you expecting to eat and drink?

Cucumber sandwiches!

Tea.

And scones. I've read up on the website about their scones.

And the jam. It's very special, apparently.

So what's the most popular jam that's served at Claridge's?

Strawberry.

Strawberry, followed by marmalade, and then raspberry.

'Thomas takes afternoon tea very seriously.

'He's on a day trip to Yorkshire with head chef Martyn Nail just to sample new pots of jam.'

Thank you very much.

'They've arranged to meet Elspeth Biltoft, who makes over 50 types of jam from her farmhouse.'

'My father was always a little bit...'

I don't know if disappointed is the right word, but he wondered why I never helped in the garden.

We had a very big garden at home.

You know, he enjoyed doing the garden, but I much more enjoyed being in the kitchen with my mother

watching her cooking or preparing.

I would much rather peel potatoes than mow the lawn, to be honest.

'After a six-hour round trip,

'almond and apricot jam is to be added to the hotel menu for the very first time.'

Morning, Jade.

-Morning, Glen.

-Are you OK?

-Thank you. Good.

-Thank you very much.

-Nice and hot.

Can you look at your breakfast table and tell me what you like about what you see here?

Table cloths. Napkin.

If I go to a place and they serve those paper things, I throw them on the floor.

In my car, I've got a Claridge's bag with a napkin in it.

When I go into one of the places that haven't got napkins, I use this.

I can't use those paper things. I hate them.

Have you ever stayed here?

-No.

-You've never stayed?

-No. When people come from LA or something, I always put them in here.

-But I have actually never stayed here.

-Would you like to?

I said to Shirley one night, but she said they don't do twin beds. I said they'd probably do for me.

Our home is twin beds, two bathrooms, two television rooms.

It's an ideal marriage.

Ideal.

-Where are we going now, Anne?

-To look at the fourth floor rooms

that we're...going to put on today.

And what do you expect to find on the fourth floor?

Em...a building site!

At the moment.

But by the end of the evening it will be transformed.

'The last two of the renovated suites are reaching the final stages of completion.'

-Is she there?

-'There's real pressure to sign them off as guests are arriving in a couple of days.'

We're finishing the last two suites of this refurbishment phase.

So these are the last two suites to come back.

Hello.

Great. It's lovely.

Organised chaos.

Well, that looks good. This table's beautiful. This table's beautiful.

The sofa got in in the end.

-It did.

-How did it get in?

-They took the doorframe off.

-The door off.

-Door and doorframe.

-Oh, right.

-And it's all back. In place.

-Are you all used to a bit of madness?

-I think every day has a little bit of madness.

That's what makes it exciting.

I think we all have a bit of madness in our lives every day.

'Before any guests can book a room, it must be stayed in overnight by one of the senior team

'who check every detail from door handles to room service. They call it snagging.'

So we're going to head up to the first floor.

One of the Art Deco suites.

So this room has already been snagged twice this week.

So I'm going to do some final snagging,

see what's still left to do.

OK.

So this is a little stiff. There's a little bit of resistance.

Well, that's not normally like that.

So... Ah. There's a shelf missing in the mini bar, so...

Just checking all these call buttons work as well,

so they all light up.

'Also on snagging duty tonight, much to his delight,

'is assistant chief engineer Mark Gilham.'

First I would check all the windows.

I would say that...is a bad fit.

That soft close that they use nowadays everywhere... you can't slam a drawer.

They've all got soft close.

-Do you enjoy snagging, Mark?

-Em, I'd rather I find the fault than the guests.

You've got to sit on the chairs. It sounds ridiculous,

but I can see cables under that cupboard that would look unsightly,

which you couldn't see standing.

Now this has got the wrong plug on it.

-Do you enjoy staying the night?

-Oh, yeah!

Obviously this evening I'll probably have a bath, in the morning a shower, test all of that,

-make sure the pressure's good, the temperature.

-Now that's an unusual loo you've got there.

Yes, it is.

Yes. Um...

So this is a Toto toilet.

It's kind of a hi-tech toilet.

Lovely Japanese toilets we've got now.

There we go.

I'm sitting on the... Oh, it's warm. It's warm.

And it's buzzing!

It's felt the pressure of someone sitting on it, so it's warming up and preparing for whatever it does.

Don't ask me what it does.

I've looked at this. It's interesting because...

-It's a crack!

-There's a light crack, yeah.

This is another part of the snagging, really. Can you read in bed comfortably?

Personally, that's a bit hard.

So, yes, the end of a hard day checking the rooms.

Most people are on trains at this time. What am I doing? Waiting for room service.

Hello. Hi, Fabio.

Please.

OK.

So it's really important in these new suites that we can get over the threshold of the door

and there's no issue there. There didn't seem to be, so that's good.

I'm going to close this at the moment just to see if it fits.

Lights.

That's good. That works that light. And then the master light should turn everything off.

'The hotel continues to evolve.

'Luca has passed his induction.

'And the scaffolding has come down.

'But some things will always stay the same.'

-Has this always been the manager's office?

-I believe so, yes. It has always been the manager's office.

This is an old desk which we'd never change.

'We are only here for a certain amount of time.

'And how long is that time? I don't know.

'So in a way we are a custodian of this hotel.'

That's what we are. The people who run this hotel need to understand what Claridge's is about.

'I can't imagine a time when people will not want to be pampered, to be made a fuss of'

and to feel special and to feel connected to a golden thread of glamour.

Just to feel they're a little part of it.

I sometimes think I will end my days, if I can afford it, in a place like this

because it's better than an old people's home.

Do you ever think about the manager who will be here in 100 years' time?

Yeah, well, now actually just as we spoke,

I was thinking, "Who will sit here?"

But what will it be like in 100 years? But you know what - it will probably be a very similar person.

Don't you think?

MUSIC: "La Vie En Rose"

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd