It's fair to say it was a bit of a surprise to hear, less than a month after it had won its first Michelin star, that the St John Hotel in Chinatown had gone into administration. And pretty much straight away the naysayers were writing up stories about the hotel's imminent closure.
We're glad to be able to tell you that's not the case. The hotel has now been sold to Singapore hotelier Loh Lik Peng who's built up a stable of hotels with impeccable food credentials. St John Chinatown will now join Peng's six other boutique hotels and six restaurants located in Singapore, Shanghai and London; including the Town Hall Hotel with the Michelin starred restaurant Viajante by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes and Table No 1 by Jason Atherton in Shanghai.
In a press release, the group said it looked forward "to continuing the brilliant work by chef Ferguson Henderson and business partner Trevor Gulliver." And Peng himself said of his hotels, "[they are] set within sensitively restored heritage listed buildings that are re-adapted into radical, cutting edge lifestyle concepts that culminate into an unforgettable experience for our guests. Henderson’s vision mirrored ours; and the new addition to the collection is welcomed.”
As for Fergus and Trevor; "We are and have been quietly working through things post administration, we are still St. John Chinatown and open for business, great for staff, suppliers and customers alike," Trevor told Hot Dinners yesterday.
