Hilton Park Lane GM to retire as hotel completes first phase of refurbishment

Michael Shepherd, general manager of the London Hilton on Park Lane hotel for nearly 19 years, will be retiring next month as the property completes the first phase of a major refurbishment.

 

The 453-bedroom Hilton London Park Lane, also home to Galvin at Windows restaurant on the 28th floor, finally began its long-awaited refurbishment this year. The first phase, a £4.1m refurbishment of its first floor, will see the Grand Ballroom, Wellington Ballroom and Harvest Suite reopen on 1 April. The Executive Lounge is expected to reopen at the beginning of May. It is the first refurbishment of the hotel's Grand Ballroom since the property was opened by Conrad Hilton in 1963, the first Hilton-branded property to open in the UK.

 

 

“My personal mantra is standing tall but never still – so we are completely relooking at what we have to do,” Shepherd told The Caterer.

 

Delaying his original plan to retire in 2020, Shepherd has remained with the property for an additional two years and his role was expanded to area general manager to steer the property and luxury division through the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Shepherd said: “I was absolutely privileged to take on that responsibility of looking after the luxury products and making sure that during this very chaotic time that we were pivoting in every possible way commercially, making sure that those properties were differentiating themselves, and creating a business strategy for the future.”

 

He will officially retire on 14 April and will be replaced by Matthew Mullan, who joined the hotel this week from Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island where he was cluster general manager.

 

Mullan said: “I look forward to working with this excellent team, and to continue to build on the rich history and the hotel’s world-class hospitality.”

 

 

The refurbishment of the London Hilton Park Lane’s first floor is the first phase of a major two-and-a-half-year repositioning and refurbishment plan for the entire property. Work on the ground floor is planned to start at the beginning of 2023 and will see the lobby redesigned, additional restaurants and coffee areas created, an expansion of Podium restaurant which will also be renamed, and a relocation of the lobby, reception and concierge area. Works on the bedrooms are then anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024.

 

“[Conrad Hilton] wanted to create a magnet, a venue for people to come and meet,” said Shepherd. “We are re-looking and repositioning ourselves as the venue to be.”

 

Shepherd became general manager of the property as general manager in 2003. Shortly after, he was asked to assist then British Hospitality Association chief executive Bob Cotton in forming a committee of hoteliers to support the bid for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Hundreds of thousands of bedrooms across London were secured to support the bid. The Hilton Park Lane itself became the headquarter hotel for the International Olympic Committee.

 

Shepherd said: “The hotel was completely isolated in terms of its security – we had high fences around the whole building, every time anybody entered or exited the hotel it was a bit like going through passport control in airports – every team member, contractor and supplier had to be vetted.

 

“This was a programme over a 10-year period that I feel so proud that I was part of. It really was a wonderful experience.”

 

During his career, Shepherd has also been managing director of the Savoy and general manager of the Langham, which at the time was a Hilton hotel under the ownership of Ladbroke Group. He has spent approximately 40 years of his career with Hilton and has worked at Hilton properties including in Lesotho, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus.

 

The Hilton on Park Lane was also his first place of employment on leaving university – he first joined the property as a receptionist in 1976.

 

Shepherd said he plans to remain involved in the industry while enjoying a semi-retirement and will be relocating to the Isle of Wight with his wife.

 

“I have been blessed every day in this business of hospitality. Every day the team in hotels like the London Hilton Park Lane host amazing events. We are privileged and should pinch ourselves and be grateful for the people that we meet,” he said.

 

“Hospitality for me has offered a global experience of enrichment, both from being able to educate and train people in this incredible industry, but also to be able to welcome people.”