• Who Owns Grosvenor Casino Hotel
• Who Owns Grosvenor Casino Hotel

Established in 1970,^[1]Grosvenor Casinos (formerly County Clubs and Grosvenor Clubs) is a UK-based chain of 53 casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK, with two unbranded sister casinos located in Belgium. Grosvenor Casinos is owned by The Rank Group who operate exclusively in the casino, bingo and online gaming industries across Belgium, Spain and the UK.

Established in 1970, Grosvenor Casinos (formerly County Clubs) is a UK-based chain of over 50 casinos located in major towns and cities across the UK with two sister casinos located in Belgium. In 2010, the group had an active membership of 1 million customers across its 35 UK clubs under the Grosvenor brand. The Grosvenor family ancestry can be traced back almost 1,000 years, while its association with London property began over 340 years ago - in 1677 - when land to the west of the City of London came into the family following the marriage of Sir Thomas Grosvenor to Mary Davies.

About casino ownership, management and operations Up until the 1980's most casinos were owned and managed by the mob and gambling was the main focus. Then large corporations noticed the huge profit potential of this mostly cash business.

As of June 2014, revenue was reported at £391.2m, with an operating profit of £56.8m - coming from a total of over 1.7 million customers per year.^[2] Of these 1.7 million customers, over 8.5 million customer visits occur every year. The Grosvenor casino network currently employs over 6,300 employees across the UK. Their online casino hosts over 250 games with themes spanning from traditional roulette, blackjack and poker - to the more modern slot styles and live gaming. Grosvenor are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.^[3]

Originally ‘County Clubs’, the casinos came to be known as ‘Grosvenor Clubs’ and in 1969 on 2 January, Grosvenor Clubs officially changed name to ‘Grosvenor Casinos’.

Grosvenor Casinos is currently the shirt sponsor for Fulham F.C. Grosvenor signed a deal to become the London club's main team partner in July 2017.

History[edit]

Acquisition of the Ricoh Arena casino[edit]

In April 2009 Grosvenor purchased the casino inside the Ricoh Arena complex in Coventry for £650,000.^[4]

Leaving the British Casino Association[edit]

During 2009, Grosvenor Casinos announced they were leaving the now defunct British Casino Association (BCA). The BCA existed to promote casino best practice and influence UK government legislation surrounding gambling. Reportedly the BCA began to fail in promoting and improving the casino industry, and once annual membership fees were raised to £140,000, it saw the departure of Grosvenor, just as the large Gala Coral Group had withdrawn in October 2008.^[5]

Loyalty card scheme[edit]

In May 2012, the first roll out of a new plastic card service in Grosvenor Casinos was implemented with ‘Grosvenor Play Points’ entering 35 casinos across the UK. This came as a result of the Grosvenor Casinos and Play Points brands merging to create one loyalty card.^[6]

Gala takeover[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos completed their takeover of 19 casinos from the Gala Coral Group across the UK on 12 May 2013 ^[7] making them the largest casino network in the UK. A similar deal to acquire 23 casinos from Gala had previously stalled in 2012 due to a decision by the Competition Commission and OFT.^[8] The revised deal in 2013 saw 4 casinos removed from the agreement.

Redtooth partnership[edit]

On 28 April 2014, Grosvenor Casinos announced a two-year partnership with the world's largest live pub poker tournament group Redtooth Poker. Grosvenor Casinos hosted the regional and national UK finals and online events. The move integrated Redtooth Poker and Grosvenor's own poker tournament, the Grosvenor UK Poker Tournament (GUKPT).^[9]

Live events[edit]

Who Owns Grosvenor Casino Hotel

On 25 March 2011, Grosvenor Casinos announced they were to host new poker event called the Goliath. Designed to attract up to 1,500 players, the Goliath had an initial buy-in at £100 + £20 and offered a guaranteed prize pool of £100,000, with 25% of the registration fee going to the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.^[10] The most recent Goliath event in 2014 became the largest poker tournament ever held outside of the US with a total of 3,394 players entering.^[11] For the 2015 event Grosvenor estimate over 4,000 participants will enter.^[12]

Grosvenor employees also played the highest poker tournament on record at the top of Mount Snowdon in September 2011. The 3,500 ft. stunt was attempted to raise money for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, with a total of £11,000 being collected.^[13]

Controversy[edit]

In December 2006 staff walked out of four Grosvenor Casinos in London in a dispute over pay increases.^[14] A month later, around 300 workers went on strike over the same ongoing dispute.^[15]

In September 2014 Northern Ireland's Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland, dismissed the idea that a Grosvenor Casino could open due to the ongoing ban on casinos.^[16]

Technology[edit]

In November 2011, Grosvenor installed software that would spot cheating at roulette tables. Developed by Ipsotek, the software detects a cheat called 'top-hatting', as well as detecting cheating after 'last bets' has been called. The software is linked to CCTV cameras monitoring the table at all times.^[17]

In October 2012, Grosvenor introduced a new product to the casino industry, Pinball Roulette machines. The new machine offers single player roulette game and the ball is launched by a pinball-style trigger into the wheel. The main feature of the product is that it offered the player control over when they wished to spin the ball. Thirty of the machines, developed by Austrian Gaming Industries, were installed at 22 clubs across the UK.^[18]

During November 2013, Evolution Gaming joined Grosvenor Casinos to create a ‘Live Casino’ targeting players on their online casino.^[19] The games include blackjack, roulette and baccarat and are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. The live game system is designed to produce an environment more closely matching a real casino experience.

Who Owns Grosvenor Casino Hotel

In July 2013, Grosvenor Casinos in London, Reading and Coventry created the world's first multi-site cloud casino experience called the IGT Cloud. The new technology offers analytical reporting tools which offer insight into product performance on a game-by-game basis. Operators can remotely change the games on the floor to provide a more customized gambling experience.^[20]

Grosvenor Casinos partnered with Tensator in 2014 to create virtual casino hosts. The Tensator Virtual Assistant Ultra stands 50 cm x 50 cm and replicates a live game in real time. The assistant also offers a range of information for players and other frequently asked questions.^[21]

In February 2014, The Rank Group and Grosvenor Casinos joined with Jumio to use their Netverify solution. This was integrated into the casino's online database and is designed to provide customers with a more efficient identification procedure. Customers are required to scan their passport or driving license via their device camera, and Netverify then authenticates it using a range of security features.^[22]

In November 2016 Grosvenor Casinos has confirmed the launch of new sports betting offering for its online and land-based players.^[23]

Grosvenor awarded TCS John Huxley a new 3-year deal to service and maintain their gaming equipment across the UK, starting February 2015.^[24]

Awards[edit]

International Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor and Rank were awarded the 'Casino Operator of the Year' award at the 2013 International Gaming Awards.^[25] Rank Group were awarded the 'Socially Responsible Operator of the Year Land Based' award in 2014 and 2015.^[26][27]

Women in Gaming Awards[edit]

Grosvenor Casinos’ HR team were awarded Team of the Year at the Women in Gaming independent annual awards in June 2012. The team, led by Fiona Regan Head of HR, were awarded for their successful Hearts and Minds initiative, which focused on internal and employee recognition.^[28]

In 2014 they won the same award whilst also picking up the Inspiration of the Year award.^[29]

References[edit]

1. ^'Rank - Grosvenor Casinos'. Rank.com.
2. ^'Rank - Grosvenor Casinos'. Rank.com.
3. ^'Gambling Commission'. Gambling Commission.
4. ^'Sold Ricoh casino in £1m revamp'. BBC News.
5. ^'Casino operator's withdrawal leaves trade body floundering'. Financial Times.
6. ^'Grosvenor Casinos places bet on Plastic Card Services'.
7. ^'Mecca Bingo owner Rank buys Gala casinos for £205m'. BBC News.
8. ^'Rank takeover of Gala sent to Competition Commission - BBC News'.
9. ^'Redtooth wins at Grosvenor Casino'. The Star.
10. ^'1,500 Runner Grosvenor Goliath Announced in Coventry'. UK Poker News.
11. ^'World poker: Goliath smashes record for biggest poker tournament held outside US'. The Mirror.
12. ^'Goliath Poker Tournament 2015'. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
13. ^'Stakes are high for Snowdon poker'. Wales Online.
14. ^'Casino staff to strike in row over pay deal'. The Guardian.
15. ^'Casino staff walk out over pay'. BBC News.
16. ^'Nelson McCausland says casino ban will not be removed'. BBC News.
17. ^'Casino cheats snared by smart camera system'. New Scientist.
18. ^'G Casinos get pinball roulette'. InterGame.
19. ^'UK – Evolution doubles Grosvenor's online live dealer offer'. G3.
20. ^'Grosvenor Casinos to manage gaming machines from the cloud'. TechWorld.com.
21. ^'Tensator's Virtual Assistant proves safe bet for Grosvenor Casinos'. Tensator.
22. ^'Rank identify Jumio as new partners'. SBC News.
23. ^'Grosvenor Casinos launches new sportsbook with Kambi'. SBC News. 16 November 2016.
24. ^'Grosvenor contract for TCS John Huxley'. SBCnews. Luke Massey InterGame.
25. ^'IGA Winners 2013'. Gaming-Awards.com.
26. ^'IGA Winners 2014'. Gaming-Awards.com.
27. ^'IGA Winners 2015'. Gaming-Awards.com.
28. ^'Grosvenor Casinos HR team wins prestigious award'. InterGame.
29. ^'WIG Winners 2014'. Gaming-Awards.com.

Coordinates: 51°30′35.2″N0°9′19.7″W / 51.509778°N 0.155472°W

JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, originally named the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. The hotel is managed by JW Marriott Hotels, which is a brand of Marriott International, and it is owned by Katara Hospitality.^[1]

History[edit]

The Grosvenor House Hotel was built in the 1920s and opened in 1929 on the site of Grosvenor House, the former London residence of the Dukes of Westminster, whose family name is Grosvenor. The hotel owed its existence to Arthur Octavius Edwards, who conceived and built it, then presided over it as chairman for 10 years.^[2]

A.H. Jones had worked for Edwards in Doncaster. In January 1929, six months after the completion of the first block of apartments, and six months before completion of the hotel, Edwards brought Jones to Grosvenor House as accountant. In 1936, at the age of 29, Jones became general manager of Grosvenor House. Apart from the war years, when he served with the Royal Artillery and later in the NAAFI, Jones held this position until he retired in 1965.^[3]

The hotel gained widespread publicity in 1934 when Edwards named his de Havilland DH.88 Comet racer after it and won the MacRobertson England-Australia Air Race. The restored plane still flies in its original livery with the Shuttleworth Collection.^[4]

Grosvenor House managed to have a 'good' World War II. Ten thousand sandbags and five miles of blackout material protected the building, and its entertaining space was used in the war effort. The Great Room initially became home to the Officers' Sunday Club and then, in 1943, to the US officers' mess. Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton were regular visitors.^[5]

The original scheme for the hotel was not finally realised until the 1950s because Bruno, Baron Schröder, who had acquired the lease of 35, Park Street in about 1910, had refused to give it up to Edwards. Schröder remained in the house until his death in 1940, and permission to demolish the house was finally given in 1956. The house was replaced with a 92-bedroom extension, which was officially opened in 1957 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Peter Thorneycroft.^[3]

The hotel underwent a four-year renovation and restoration costing £142 million, and it reopened in 2008.^[6] This included a full refurbishment of all restaurants, guest rooms, health facilities, and public areas. The Great Room, Ballroom, Court Suite, restaurants, bars, meeting spaces and 494 guest rooms can accommodate a total of over 6,000 people.^[7]

In 2010, Indian conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar purchased the hotel from the Royal Bank of Scotland for £470 million.^[8] Sahara India Pariwar also owned a controlling stake in New York's famous Plaza Hotel from 2012 to 2018.^[9]

Grosvenor House is managed by the JW Marriott Hotels brand of Marriott International. The hotel drew protests in 2017 when it hosted the annual gathering of the Aerospace Defence Security group (ADS), a trade association which represents arms companies. Campaigners stood outside the hotel and held banners protesting the role of some ADS member companies in the arming of Saudi Arabia during its attack on Yemen.^[10]

In April 2017, Sahara India Pariwar turned down an offer of more than £600 million for the hotel from British billionaires David and Frederick Barclay, before finally selling the hotel to US-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation for an undisclosed sum.^[11] In November 2018, it was announced that Katara Hospitality (owned by the Qatar Investment Authority) was buying the hotel for an undisclosed sum.^[1]

Facilities[edit]

Grosvenor House was the first hotel in London at that time to have a separate bathroom and entrance lobby for each bedroom, and running iced water in every bathroom. When the hotel first opened, it was also the headquarters of the International Sportsmen's Club. Its facilities included Turkish baths, a swimming pool, squash courts and a gymnasium.

The hotel has a pedestrian entrance on Park Lane in Mayfair, but this is not the 'main/courtyard' entrance, which is actually on Park Street. The official address of the hotel is 86–90, Park Lane.^[12]

Great Room[edit]

The Great Room (which is a separate room from the Ballroom) at the Grosvenor House is the venue of many prominent awards evenings such as The Asian Awards, Pride of Britain Awards, and the O2 Silver Clef Awards, as well as charity balls and the like, and it is often seen on British television. Since the 1930s, the Great Room has hosted the world's oldest charitable ball, the Royal Caledonian Ball, and it is one of the largest ballrooms in Europe, with a maximum capacity of 2,000 seated (200 10-person tables) or 1,100 theatre style.

Although now not used as such, the Great Room was originally built as an ice-rink, and much of the machinery lies dormant under the current flooring. In 1933, Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, learnt to skate at the hotel at just seven years of age. Sonja Henie, Cecilia Colledge, and other famous skaters frequently displayed their skill. International ice hockey matches were played there, and the newly formed Grosvenor House Canadian hockey team, recruited from Canadians living in London, played the Queen's Ice Hockey Club on the rink, the first of a series of matches against teams from the United Kingdom and the Continent.

Anticipating competition from other ice rinks, the rink was converted in 1935 into a banquet hall measuring 1,902 square metres (20,454 square feet).^{[citation needed]}

Tenants[edit]

Richard Corrigan rents space within the hotel and runs the restaurant Corrigan's Mayfair.^[13]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abJolly, Jasper (6 November 2018). 'Qatari firm buys London's Grosvenor House hotel'. Retrieved 11 December 2018 – via www.theguardian.com.
2. ^'London's Grosvenor House hotel bought by Indian firm'. BBC. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
3. ^ ^ab'Origins of Grosvenor House'(PDF). JW Marriott. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
4. ^Ogilvy, David; DH88: de Havilland's Racing Comets, 2nd Edn, Airlife, 1988.
5. ^'Inge Moore and The Gallery create glamorous new interiors for JW Marriott's Grosvenor House'. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
6. ^London's Grosvenor House Gets Grand Renovations. HotelChatter (24 September 2008). Retrieved 12 August 2013.
7. ^'Grosvenor House Hotel'. Open Buildings. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
8. ^'Bloomberg'. Bloomberg L.P.
9. ^'Sahara checks into iconic New York hotel'. Hindustan Times. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
10. ^'Campaigners disrupt arms dinner'. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
11. ^'London's Grosvenor House Hotel Has a New Owner'. Bloomberg L.P. 7 July 2017.
12. ^'Nearest station to Grosvenor House Hotel'. London Town. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
13. ^'Corrigan's Mayfair'. The Handbook. 8 February 2013.

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