Pavilion (London members club)

Pavilion
Industry Serviced offices
Founded 2011
Headquarters London, UK
Key people
 Jon Hunt, Emma Hunt
Products Luxury Business Members' Clubs
Website "Pavilion"

Pavilion is a British business members' club co-founded by the UK property entrepreneur Jon Hunt and his daughter Emma. It opened under the name "Dryland" on London's Kensington High Street at the end of 2011, offering luxury work space.

History

Media interest in Pavilion has centred on the firm being one of the first public forays for its publicity-shy founder, Jon Hunt, since he sold Foxtons,[1] the estate agent he founded, in a May 2007 deal that made him one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the UK.[2]

Hunt has said that he originally entered the serviced office business only by accident, after buying a 70s office building in London's Battersea district that he intended to convert into residential homes, only for planning officials to refuse permission for residential use.[3]

Concept

Pavilion is notable for being the first "premium offering" in the serviced offices sector, providing members with luxury features such as private dining courtesy of in-house chefs and a concierge service.[4] The Financial Times has described Pavilion as providing "...the atmosphere of a private members club and the hospitality of a five-star hotel."[5] Pavilion is also unusual among serviced office providers for locating in a high-end residential area, which is not traditionally associated with office space.

In May 2014 Pavilion added a restaurant to its Kensington site. The restaurant is open to the public and overseen by chef Adam Simmonds, who features on BBC Television's Great British Menu and obtained Michelin star for his cooking at Danesfield House, Marlow.[6] The restaurant features works by British artist Simon Casson.

Locations

The first Pavilion club opened on Kensington High Street at the end of 2011. The Hunts plan to expand the concept.[7][8]

Reviews

Writing in the London Evening Standard, restaurant critic David Sexton noted that "...[Pavilion] delivers luxurious complexity for the price".[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Foxtons sale nets founder £370m". The Guardian. May 21, 2007. The founder of London's largest estate agency Foxtons today sold the business to a private equity firm in a deal believed to have netted him a windfall of around £370m. Jon Hunt, who is thought to own 97% of the business, agreed a deal with BC Partners, reported to be worth up to £400m. The two companies did not provide any financial details.
  2. ↑ Blackhurst, Chris (15 September 2010). "What Foxton's Founder Jon Hunt did next". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 July 2012. He has been lying low ever since, adding to his already considerable fortune
  3. ↑ Packard, Simon (31 May 2012). "Foxtons Sale Fuels Hunt's Move Into London Luxury Workspace". Bloomberg. “It was a total accident,” he said, when asked how his Dryland venture started.
  4. ↑ Monaghan, Angela. "Jon Hunt Targets Luxury Offices for Spolit Businessmen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 December 2012. Foxton founder Jon Hunt's latest venture has added a luxury sparkle to the traditional serviced offices model
  5. ↑ Freedman, Lisa (September 26, 2012). "Best addressed". Financial Times How To Spend It. Pearson. Retrieved 10 October 2012. [Hunt's] noticed that, however generous your living quarters, working at home is not everyone’s cup of tea.
  6. ↑ Gerrard, Neil. "Adam Simmonds to oversee launch of Foxtons founder's new restaurant". Caterer and Hotel Keeper. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Davidson, Andrew (29 January 2012). "Notting Hill estate agent returns to his old manor". The Sunday Times. News International. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Packard, Simon (31 May 2012). "Foxtons Sale Fuels Hunt's Move Into London Luxury Workspace". Bloomberg. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Dryland seeks to combine prime office and business-lounge facilities with a luxury hotel-style service...the first club has a cafe, library and terrace as well as a conference center and meeting rooms.
  9. ↑ Sexton, David. "Pavilion - restaurant review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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