Access All Areas April 2019 | Page 15

Ace service APRIL | PREVIEW The Championships, Wimbledon, assemble the world’s most discerning hospitality guests, and Keith Prowse head of events & development Nick Gratwick previews what it’s serving up for clients this year What’s new in Keith Prowse’s Wimbledon offering, and what inspired the changes? Wow, where to start? We have introduced a brand- new exclusive facility within the grounds, accessed via the southern apex of the AELTC, The Rosewater Pavilion. On arrival, guests will be checked in by e-ticket and come through a dedicated double gate into a spacious, private garden area where they will be met by our handpicked team and ushered through reception. The façade of this two story Losberger De Boer structure will be clad to represent a permanent building within the grounds. The front of the structure will be completely open, visually framing Centre Court which is just a short walk away. The bespoke sweeping staircase will allow guests to see through the back bar and into the lounge space where musicians will be setting the mood for the day. On court, guests will take comfort packs so that they are not wanting for anything. Across the way, we have restyled the much-loved and award-winning Gatsby Club. The newly renamed space, The Lawn will still retain some of our guests’ favourite features such as the Roux fruits de mer station, concierge service and the whisky and cigar bar to name a few. Changes have been made to the overall space of the facility with new styling, a glass fronted mezzanine level spanning the width of the structure, our inside outside cocktail bar, the evolution of the garden foot stream, and a centralised reception area. This was all designed with a focus on retaining the heartbeat of the space, immaculate service and quiet sophistication with a playful twist. Nick Gratwick Where did you draw inspiration from? As ever with design and product development, inspiration is drawn from many sources and design goes on an ever-evolving iterative process. Our starting point was to frame The Rosewater Pavilion on the AELTC mantra of ‘Tennis in an English Garden’. This automatically gives us a colour palate to work from, inspiring light, muted tones and scents. The food offering is crucial and our early decision to only use products from around the British Isles has excited the culinary team to create some outstanding, contemporary dishes. We are able to champion the incredible products we have on our doorstep. Next came the logistical conundrums – how do we build a structure that offers the best use of light, good sight lines and easy access? The customer is at the heart of every decision we make, with our in-house experience experts metaphorically walking through the entire journey identifying each and every customer touchpoint. By completely understanding this journey, any potential holes are identified and 15