Court in the act

Fancy nipping out to a place where you can get locked up in a cell and write things on the walls with a marker pen? No, not the local slammer, but the Courthouse Kempinski, a new London hotel located in a former magistrates' courthouse. Three cells are among the original features, and they can be hired for private use or just

	Girish Sanger, son of Joginder, will be delighted to lock you up for the night

used as a snug in which to have a drink.

The 116-bedroom Courthouse Kempinski is the latest venture from the Sangers, a family whose profile increased dramatically after the opening of the Bentley hotel in London last year. But just who are they?

The key person behind the hotel is Joginder Sanger, who came to the UK from northern India in 1961. He started out in travel agencies, moved into the property business and then decided to blend the two interests. "If you mix travel and property, together they becomes a hotel," he argues.

After dabbling in small guesthouses, Sanger bought the Washington in Mayfair, London, in 1997 - despite some difficulties, as agents were reluctant to give him details of the property because of his family's lack of experience in the hotel market. He also set up Surejogi Hotels as the parent company for his properties. The name comes from the first two letters of his family members' names: his wife, Sunita; their daughter, Reema; himself; and their son, Girish. All are heavily involved in the business.

The Bentley deal came about through a Turkish friend of the family who had built the hotel but wanted to sell it because his health had deteriorated. It had been built to a high specification with grandiose interiors, a far cry from the minimalist openings that London has experienced in recent years. Under the vision of the Turkish developer, it was destined to become a Kempinski, but that agreement fell through at the eleventh hour after the developer insisted on an exclusivity clause that would have prevented Kempinski from opening any other hotels in London.

However, dialogue continued after the Sangers came on the scene and, less than a year after opening, the Bentley is now the Bentley Kempinski. The arrangement is for sales and marketing and use of the brand name, arguably a franchise, although Sanger is not keen on that label. "I feel that the word 'franchise' is for burger outlets," he says. "Now we have a brand that we can add to the property and that has an added value."

The Courthouse will also come under Kempinski auspices - a coup for Kempinski, which has been looking for a hotel in London for some time and now has two. Unusually, the Sangers will continue to run both hotels with their own management while adhering to Kempinski standards. And Sanger knows they will be under scrutiny. "It's like having AA inspectors come to your hotel," he says. "They will make sure that we are achieving what they want us to, and if we are not they will provide guidance on how to do so."

Girish Sanger, a director of the company, says that other operators approached the family to take on the Bentley, but they never felt the need to join them, nor was it financially attractive enough for them to do so. Kempinski fitted because the group is expanding rapidly, with a number of hotels under construction. "We like to see ourselves as an expanding company," Girish says, "so we joined forces with someone who thinks on the same wavelength as us."

So in what areas will that expansion come? It could be in other cities, it could be more properties in London, says Girish. Five properties in central London would be a good starting point, he explains, followed by the Continent, and maybe even the USA.

The original vision was to export the Bentley name, taking it to other cities worldwide, and this plan remains. "We are always looking but at the right price," says Joginder Sanger. "We get approached a lot more by the agents these days, but we are still small compared with other companies."



The Courthouse
The ground-floor lobby and lounge (right) is a spacious area furnished in an art deco style.

Leading off this area is the hotel bar (below, right), with marble walls and black Indian mica slate flooring, and low leather seating.

Set along one wall are three original prison cells (left), converted into private booths, with whitewashed walls and supplied with felt-tipped pens. The booths seat six to eight people and are available for private bookings. The bar serves a range of light dishes including canapés and paninis, as well as spirits and cocktails.

Directly through the lobby is the hotel lounge (below, left). This is flanked by five stone pillars on either side, with water features in terracotta pots set into the wall. This area can be converted into a catwalk or a viewing room for art and antiques.

Food is served in three different areas. The Carnaby Brasserie, with its own entrance on Great Marlborough Street, offers brasserie-style food as well as weekend brunches. The Waiting Room, with a high vaulted glass ceiling, is the location for breakfast or afternoon tea. The more formal restaurant is Silk, formerly the premises' Number One court. This space retains its English oak trappings of panelling, the judge's bench, prisoner's dock and witness stand. Silk will offer an evening menu of Oriental, Asian and Indian grazing dishes.

The third-floor penthouse suite comprises a glass conservatory, living space, kitchen area and bedroom. Other suites include traditional Robert Adams fireplaces, modern four-posters and plasma screen televisions - there are 10 suites in all. In the standard rooms, the bathrooms have marble surrounds and are connected to the bedroom by a picture window.

The rooftop terrace has a trellis and climbing plants on two sides, and a water feature. The space has marble flooring, decking and garden furniture, and will be used for private parties, summer barbecues and weddings.

The cinema (left) can seat 100 people. It has aubergine suede walls and apple green leather seating. It will be used for a range of events including screenings and product launches, as well being the location for a regular cinema club showing cult films.







The Courthouse Kempinski
Owner: Surejogi Hotels (the Sanger family), which also owns the Bentley and the Washington, both in London
19-21 Great Marlborough Street, London

Rooms: 116
Rack rates: classic room, £225; superior room, £275; executive room, £300; junior suite, £400; special suite, £475; penthouse suite, £500-£1,000 (all rates exclude breakfast and VAT)