Shuttering Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons for a year and a half won’t have been a decision its owner Belmond or its founder Raymond Blanc (known affectionately as RB by his team) will have taken lightly. Alongside the heady costs associated with closing and comprehensively refurbishing the 32-bedroom property, the hiatus will see the loss of the two Michelin stars the iconic Oxfordshire country house hotel and restaurant has held since it launched in 1984, as well as much of its talent pool.
According to local newspaper reports, up to 150 jobs will be ‘impacted’, and it has already been announced that the property’s executive head chef Luke Selby is moving on to pastures new when Le Manoir closes at the end of this year.
But it probably is time for an overhaul. While thanks to Selby – who was appointed to lead the kitchen three years ago having trained there as a young cook – the food is as good as it has ever been, Le Manoir could do with a glow up. A dusty relic it is not, but parts of the Grade II-listed property are starting to feel a bit old school and, in a few places, even a bit shabby. That’s not a good look when rooms start at about £600 a night.
A Blanc canvas?
With Blanc now taking a step back into what is presumably a non-operational role having trained a generation of chefs, Belmond will now look to make its mark on what is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of its UK operation. Now part of French luxury goods giant LVMH, Belmond (then called Orient-Express Hotels) acquired a majority stake in Le Manoir in 2002. It has made some investments over the past few decades, including the launch of private dining and receptions space La Belle Époque Conservatory, but it has largely been business as usual save an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to rebrand the hotel as Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in 2014.
A few years ago, Belmond applied for planning permission for some major new additions including a spa, a bistro and more rooms, as well as extensions and alterations to the existing manor house and other buildings. Though none of these elements were mentioned in the recent communications related to the closure, it is likely these plans will form the basis of Belmond’s “strategic redevelopment” of the property.
What is almost certain is that the overhauled Le Manoir will have more than one restaurant when it relaunches in summer 2027. It won’t have gone unnoticed by Belmond that diners – especially younger demographics – want more flexibility from high-end hospitality. The past year or so has seen five-star London hotels The Berkeley and Claridge’s move away from tasting menu-focused restaurants in favour of more accessible à la carte concepts that suit multiple dining occasions.
Garden gastronomy
Given that the one thing Belmond has said about the overhaul is that it will “continue to celebrate Le Manoir’s philosophy of garden gastronomy” when it relaunches in the summer of 2027, it seems likely that a high-reaching restaurant that will seek to win back the property’s Michelin stars is part of the plan in addition to something more casual. This would be a middle ground that would hopefully keep existing guests happy while attracting a new generation of guests that would take a freeform dining experience over a tasting menu.
Finding someone to lead the culinary direction of the hotel won’t be easy either. The setup at Le Manoir, in its current form, at least, is unusual because the kitchen is run by a single chef that has responsibility for the main restaurant as well as the hotel’s significant events business. This is something that has perhaps held Le Manoir back from even greater culinary heights, so it won’t be a surprise to see this addressed as part of the overhaul. Perhaps at least one of the chefs charged with delivering Belmond’s new vision for its flagship UK hotel will end up being an alumni of RB’s kitchen. There is certainly no shortage of them.