Opening of The Mitre, Hampton Court marks debut of The Signet Collection

730 565 Hamish Kilburn
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Opening of The Mitre, Hampton Court marks debut of The Signet Collection

Recently announced, a new boutique luxury hotel brand The Signet Collection has launched in conjunction with the unveiling of its first hotel The Mitre, Hampton Court…

The Signet Collection, which was founded by former COO of Longshot; owners of Beaverbrook and Bel & the Dragon Group. Hector Ross and his team are set to create meaningful stays in time honoured places and will be made up of several destination-defining properties throughout the UK.

The Signet Collection, a home-grown and hands-on brand, is passionate about all aspects of the craft of hospitality and champions the belief that a hotel is only as good as the people in it. With a focus on experiences, history and informality of design, food and service – each of The Signet Collection hotels will be highly individual and will centre around preserving and restoring authenticity.

Image credit: The Mitre, Hampton Court

“We start with a special place. Our hotels have history, stories to tell,” said Ross. Each one is imbued with generations of tales, legacies, myths and legends. We unearth this history, these stories. We restore them, reimagining them, passing them on for our guests to enjoy, layered with a British sense of humour, top-notch F&B and memorable experiences”

The first hotel in the collection, The Mitre, has debuted. Sheltered within a Grade II-listed property dating back to 1665, the now hotel was originally used as ancillary accommodation for guests of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace. Set on the banks of the River Thames, the 36-key hotel includes a 60-cover riverside all day dining and wine bar, a 70-cover brasserie and bar, an 60-cover Orangery, a large riverside terrace, meeting rooms and private dining areas.

Food & beverage has pride of place for the new hospitality brand headed up by culinary and operations director Ronnie Kimbugwe, whose background includes time with the Gordon Ramsay group at Claridges and a decade with the Bel and Dragon Country Inns.

“Through design we aim to connect our guests with the history and the location of each hotel.” – Designer Nicola Harding

Interior designer Nicola Harding is the creative lead behind The Signet Collection and transformation of The Mitre, which combines quirky British sensibility with elegant authentic luxury.

Known for her work on the Garden House at Beaverbrook and The Rose Hotel in Deal, Nicola draws inspiration from Hampton Court and the surrounding neighbourhood, accentuating the character of the building and creating spaces that feel effortlessly evolved. “The Signet Collection hotels will blend the old with the new, the refined with the comfortable, and the local with the worldly,” she said. “Through design we aim to connect our guests with the history and the location of each hotel, providing characterful bedrooms, and playful lively public spaces where people quickly feel at home.”

Main image credit: The Mitre, Hampton Court

Hamish Kilburn / 07.10.2020

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