Why the Shelbourne's new boss has learned to open champagne bottles with a golden sword

THE NEW GENERAL manager of Dublin’s Shelbourne hotel has big plans to do little things at the iconic five-star property.

JP Kavanagh took up the role six months ago following a two-year stint managing the Belmond Grand Hibernian luxury sleeper train, which carries wealthy visitors on tours of Ireland for a cool €4,000 a night.

Born in Dublin, Kavanagh was part of the teams that opened U2′s Clarence hotel in Temple Bar and the Westin on Westmoreland Street, but he started his hospitality career in London’s luxurious Connaught hotel and spent a good chunk of it working abroad in luxury properties.

Having lived away from the city centre for 15 years, Kavanagh is keen to bring what he has learned overseas to the hotel that he describes, without a hint of irony, as “Ireland’s front door”.

For example, one of his first goals is to make the Shelbourne the first ‘Caveau’ in Ireland, meaning the general manager is part of an elite group who are trained to open champagne bottles with the sweep of a golden sabre – a ritual Kavanagh says is “ridiculous but fun”.

“I’m a chevalier of the Sabre d’Or,” he says, referring to the title bestowed upon entrants to the club.

“Our sabre arrived last week. We have a champagne dinner with Laurent-Perrier in September. It’s a ceremony. It’s a memorable experience and we’re looking for more and more of them.”

JP Kavanagh Shelbourne Hotel Shelbourne Hotel

Kavanagh – whose father managed hotels and opened the Fitzwilliam – describes the hospitality trade as “addictive”.

“I’m not a 40-hour-week man. I’m much higher than that,” he tells Fora in the plush surrounds of the Shelbourne’s upstairs bar.

The business has instilled in Kavanagh a strong air of confidence, honed over years of hosting guests like Al Gore and the late Alec Guinness.

“You meet people (in five-star hotels) who you could be intimidated by. They’re used to getting things a certain way. But they feed from your confidence,” he says.

“That’s something I’ve done throughout my career; making sure my people on the front line feel confident and communicate that to the customer.”

Spontaneity

Kavanagh says the secret to running a high-end property is to “engineer spontaneity”.

For example, when he managed the Grand Hibernian train, he would make a fuss about introducing guests to the oyster delivery man – something that happened on every trip but appeared to be a unique event.

“There are a lot of things in five-star that don’t actually cost a lot to deliver. It’s attention to detail … Something as simple as using somebody’s name or sending a handwritten note,” he says.

“I don’t do generic and mass-produced. All my cards for my guests are handwritten. I specifically use a fountain pen, and they need to know it’s from me.”

Kavanagh plans to continue “curating experiences” at the Shelbourne. For example, he hopes to apply the retail knowledge he acquired from his years managing the Turnberry Golf Resort in Scotland, which was later branded a Trump property.

The Shelbourne Hotel Shutterstock / faithie Shutterstock / faithie / faithie

“Anything that had the Turnberry logo on it, guests wanted to buy it,” he says. “I used to give away cuff links with a handwritten note. The amount of letters I got back from guests saying, ‘Thank you so much.’

“A bottle of champagne, they’ve drunk it, processed it and flushed it by the time they leave the hotel. Cuff links are something to show off. There’s a legacy to that.”

A range of Shelbourne-branded product will be rolled out over the coming years and Kavanagh has ambitions to introduce a collection of horseshoe-shaped cuff links – a hat tip to the hotel’s famous bar – which will be given to guests as gifts.

‘Ireland’s front door’

Opened in 1824, the Shelbourne has 265 bedrooms including 19 suites. The company behind it reported sales of over €40 million last year and a pre-tax profit of €3.8 million.

Its rooms and facade underwent a multimillion-euro restoration that was completed in 2017, while the Lord Mayor’s Lounge re-opened earlier this year following a makeover.

The works have been overseen by Guy Oliver, whose interior design firm has worked on other famous buildings like the Connaught, Claridge’s and No 10 Downing Street in London.

Oliver’s latest project at the Shelbourne is to revamp the Constitution Room, a private dining space.

“He’s going back to the essence of the hotel. He’s restoring the wallpapers that were there,” Kavanagh says.

Although the Shelbourne is owned by US investment firm Kennedy Wilson – which acquired the property in 2014 for over $150 million – Kavanagh says that every Irish citizen is a “shareholder” in the property because it’s frequented by so many non-guests.

“If you had a long-lost cousin, you’d bring them here. This hotel has soul. It has a remarkable energy about it. The bricks and mortar are one thing. It’s the people in it that really make it. That’s where the magic comes from.”

Kavanagh says his main ambition is to preserve the hotel’s connection with the wider city.

“I’ve worked in some of the stiffest hotels in the world, but that doesn’t work in Ireland. We don’t do stiff,” he says.

“(In the Shelbourne) you get to meet the locals; you’re rubbing shoulders with the locals. The Irish come here – we feel welcome. For me, that’s what I’ve got to maintain.”

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Turnberry Golf Resort is located in Edinburgh.

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Written by Conor McMahon and posted on Fora.ie

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