Old school hotelier
Hotels have been in Stephen Korany's blood since the beginning because he was born in one.
That was in Budapest, Hungary, where, as part of a family of hoteliers, he grew up in the business. Today he continues to live in an apartment in London's gracious Basil Street Hotel, where he has been general manager for more than 40 years.
Next year, on his 70th birthday, he will retire and is unsure how he will manage without the comforts of a hotel.
"Although I know a lot about cooking and housekeeping, I've never had to run my own private house or flat," he says. "From the age of five I've picked up the phone and ordered supper from the chef."
While uncertain about the future, Korany talks fondly of his achievements as London's longest serving hotel manager.
His length of tenure - together with the 40 years served by his number two, Cyril Freeman, and the 25 years by Peter Adrados, the second deputy manager - have provided the hotel with a continuity of service that Korany believes is one of Basil Street's greatest assets.
"There are two principal reasons why people go back to a hotel: they like to be recognised and they like to recognise the management and staff," he says. "It is what makes a stay in a hotel more human and personalised."
It is perhaps surprising that Korany stayed so long, because within three months of joining the hotel in 1953, he was looking around for another job.
At just 27 years old, he felt that the Basil Street was a rather old-fashioned hotel and the clientele a little too elderly for his liking.
"Most general managers at that time had white hair and big bellies," he adds.
But, having attended several interviews with some of the large hotel companies, he realised that he already had a job with tremendous responsibility for his age.
The Basil Street Hotel was, and still is, family-owned and his then boss, Charles Winslow Taylor, gave Korany total control of running the business.
He rapidly discovered that the hotel's style and its type of customers were what made it unique.
After being bought by the Taylor family in 1919, the Basil Street had gradually become the London home of the gentry.
They stayed during the season's social events, such as the Chelsea Flower Show, Buckingham Palace garden parties and debutantes' presentations.
But as the season has declined in importance, the Basil Street has had to cast around for new business.
This has meant tapping the US market, which now provides 40% of the hotel's clientele; Korany also launched the Parrot Club in 1971, a club for women which now has 2,500 members; and he has faced the demands for faster and cheaper eating facilities by opening a carvery, a wine bar, and takeaway sandwich shop.
Together with the traditional dining room, the hotel now has five food and beverage outlets, together with banqueting facilities, which for a 94-bedroom hotel, is extraordinary. "It has been our way of expanding business," says Korany.
Although occupancy has not returned to its earlier peaks of 88% (it now stands at about 72%), the Basil Street remains a hive of activity in Knightsbridge.
Korany describes himself as a bit of a loner and it's true that he is not widely known outside his sphere of the industry. Yet he is clearly a keystone to the hotel's success. For him, the Basil Street, which gave him a partnership in 1977, has been totally absorbing and satisfying.
Although he will be retiring within the year, there are no signs that Korany is winding down. In fact, he intends to work harder than ever to ensure the hotel will be passed on to his successor at the height of success. But it will be hard to imagine the place without him.
