Thomann-Hanry Cleans the Decorative Stonework of Kate's Wedding Hotel in Just Two Days

Kate Middleton spent the eve of her wedding to Prince William with her mother Carole and sister Pippa at the 5-star Goring Hotel. The hotel, which is close to both Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey, has hosted many royal events since it first opened in 1910 and was a favourite of the late Queen Mother.

As you would expect, the interior of the hotel has recently been refurbished for the occasion. However, to avoid too much media interest, work to freshen up the exterior of the building could not be commissioned until Kate’s choice was announced just two weeks before the wedding.

Although the building’s brickwork still looks smart, time and traffic have taken their toll on the appearance of its architectural stone details, especially the cornices, gables and window surrounds. To receive the future Queen, the stonework badly needed a clean.

This presented The Goring’s management with two big problems. Firstly, cleaning by conventional methods would take weeks and there was just not enough time to do it. Secondly the building would have been blighted by scaffolding during the cleaning work, at the very time the hotel was attracting significant public and media interest.

The Hotel Management asked Thomann-Hanry whether they could solve the cleaning problem at short notice. Thomann-Hanry uses a unique, self-contained masonry cleaning system known as façade gommage. An operative works from an enclosed cabin on the boom of a specially adapted articulated vehicle.

The system, which is entirely dry and non-abrasive requires no scaffolding and cleaning work can commence within two hours of arrival on site. It also moves fast and so there is no disruption to normal business and in the hotel’s case, no need for room closures. The perfect solution for this particular royal challenge.

Thomann-Hanry’s façade gommage has recently been used to clean The Ritz, Four Seasons, and Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, so The Goring’s management knew they were in safe hands.

Having arrived on site on Friday, the Thomann-Hanry team worked tirelessly to complete the project within two days. Now with the appearance of the stonework transformed, the exterior matched the newly refurbished interior and the hotel was truly ready to receive Miss Middleton’s party and all the media attention that inevitably followed them.

Mark Styles, Managing Director, said: “We were delighted to be involved in ensuring that Kate her friends and family see The Goring Hotel at its very best. Although dirty stonework wouldn’t spoil the occasion, now The Goring’s management have one less thing to worry about before Friday”.

As the 2012 Summer Olympics approach, many of London’s hotels are undergoing extensive refurbishments to be at their best for the event. To avoid weeks of disruption, lost revenue and unsightly scaffolding, Thoamnn-Hanry’s system is becoming the popular choice for cleaning the stone and brick facades on many of these hotels and several other high profile buildings.