Coming to London nearly two years ago from Le Bristol in Paris, to run the glamorous 73-room Beaumont hotel in Mayfair, general manager Jannes Soerensen has quickly taken to the city and all its delights. The Beaumont, the first hotel by renowned London restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, definitely keeps Soerensen busy. From our recent look around, the hotel is in pristine condition—he’s hired polishers and painters from France to keep everything sparkling—and humming with happy patrons (the hotel runs over 85 percent occupancy year round). He’s excited about the upcoming dining series with Galatoire’s Restaurant of New Orleans from September 27 through September 30 to toast the New Orleans Saints football team as they play the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium on October 1. Beyond that and the hotel’s doors, we grilled Soerensen on his favorite London haunts.
What are your favorite restaurants?
While Eric Fréchon at Le Bristol will always be my culinary hero, I enjoy the casual, democratic approach of London’s restaurants and always refer guests to Fischer’s in Marylebone—it is like being transported to Vienna in the early 1900s. Palomar, in contrast, is a loud, buzzy restaurant in Soho, superbly serving the food of modern day Jerusalem.
What are your favorite pubs?
I don’t tend to go to pubs very often and after many years in France, I actually often prefer to drink a glass of wine. Near my home in Marylebone, we like to go to Clarette, a new wine bar with a fantastic French wine list, in what was, in fact, a pub with beautiful stained glass windows.
What about museums?
Within a few minutes’ walk of The Beaumont you will find Manchester Square, one of the best-preserved Georgian squares in London, home to The Wallace Collection, one of London’s smaller and more charming museums, well known for its wide collection of art, paintings by artists such as Titian, Rembrandt, Hals (The Laughing Cavalier) and Velázquez, and for probably the one of the best collections of 18th Century French art and design outside France.
Where is the best shopping?
London is a mecca for men who take their clothing seriously, with so many extraordinary craftsmen still working in Mayfair on bespoke clothing, for instance, at Anderson & Sheppard. If budgets don’t run to that, just on The Beaumont’s doorstep is Private White V.C., selling an English designed and made collection using the finest regionally sourced fabrics. Hidden away in Shepherd’s Market is Gladstone London, a British accessory brand with a range of exquisite calfskin bags and accessories—some of our most loyal guests are given a bag to keep at the hotel between stays.
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