The Goring – the family hotel behind Buckingham Palace since 1910

The Goring on Beeston Place opened on 2 March 1910 and is still run by the family that built it. Four generations later, it is London's only historic luxury hotel still owned by the same family – with its own garden, a Royal Warrant, and a star in the MICHELIN Guide.

The Goring stands on Beeston Place in London, just east of Belgravia and south-west of Buckingham Palace. It is one of the few grand hotels where one can still speak of a host in the old sense of the word: the house has been owned and run by the same family since it opened, and this shows in everything from the tone in the foyer to the garden at the back.

01Otto Goring and "the last Edwardian grand hotel"

Otto Richard Goring built the hotel in 1910 on a plot at the end of Beeston Place facing Buckingham Palace, where a pub and a few cottages had previously stood. The hotel opened on 2 March 1910 and describes itself as the last grand hotel to be built in the Edwardian era. Every room had its own bathroom and central heating – a world first, the hotel claimed from the outset, according to Wikipedia.

02The war years: the American headquarters and Churchill's meetings

During the First World War, the hotel became a command centre, and in November 1917 The Goring became the headquarters of the American Army in London, as it was next door to the American naval and military authorities. The hotel was returned to the family on 8 September 1919. That same year, Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill's mother, moved in.

Insider tip

The nearest station is Victoria, a few minutes' walk away.

During the Second World War, Winston Churchill held meetings with the Allied leaders in the Silver Room, and the Polish army in exile had its base on the floors above, according to the hotel's own history. Since 1910, every reigning monarch and sitting prime minister has been received at the hotel.

03Four generations of Gorings

In the late 1960s, George Goring took over from his father and renovated the hotel from cellar to attic. He was voted Hotelier of the Year in 1990, received the OBE in 1991 for services to the hotel industry, and helped found Pride of Britain Hotels. Since George's death in 2020, the hotel has been run by Jeremy Goring, Otto's great-grandson. The Goring is the only historic luxury hotel in London still owned and run by the family that built it.

04Royal favour and a wedding in 2011

The Queen Mother was a regular guest, and in 2013 The Goring was granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II – the only hotel to receive this honour from her. In 2011, Catherine Middleton and her family stayed at the hotel in the days around her wedding to Prince William, and she spent the night before the ceremony in the Royal Suite. In March 2015, she returned to mark a renovation, including the newly decorated entrance hall.

05The Dining Room, the garden and afternoon tea

The hotel's restaurant, The Dining Room, is designed by the furniture house Linley and dedicated to British food. It has one star in the MICHELIN Guide and three AA Rosettes, and is listed in the 2026 guide for Great Britain and Ireland. The walls in several rooms are clad in hand-woven silk from Gainsborough Silks.

At the rear lies The Goring Gardens, which the hotel describes as one of the largest private gardens in London, and which provides the setting for the hotel's award-winning afternoon tea. With 69 rooms and suites, the hotel calls itself a "Baby Grand" – large enough to be a grand hotel, small enough for the staff to get to know their guests.

06Belgravia and Victoria around The Goring

From Beeston Place, it is a short walk to Belgrave Square, Eaton Square and Buckingham Palace. See the streets in VERA PI's street files for Beeston Place, Eaton Square and Belgrave Square, or start in VERA PI's London guide.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.