“Have you got steel-toe boots?”
“Ummm….”
“Not to worry – we’ll have a pair in your size and a hard hat waiting for you.”
I can’t tell you how excited this made me. Media tours and stays are always fun (and a pretty nice job perk too) but a sneak-peek, behind-the-scenes tour of Picton’s The Royal Hotel, well... cue the cat-who-got-the-cream face.
I assigned Evan the role of professional tour photographer (bless) and we were greeted outside the hotel on a sunny October morning by Sol Korngold, The Royal’s Project Lead and General Manager and one of the most passionate, detail-oriented and sincere people we’ve ever met. Honestly, his enthusiasm is contagious.
Sol is a member of the Sorbara family who are lovingly and painstakingly restoring this 1897 landmark. Sol is also bananas about all the thoughtful design that’s underway here. When I pressed him to pick a standout feature, and boy are there many, he chose The Counter Bar.
“It’s located at the front of the hotel and overlooking Main Street,” he said. “I consider this to be the year-round hub of the hotel, a place to tuck in for breakfast, lunch or dinner or grab a freshly baked loaf of bread or pastry and coffee to go. In the evening the lights will dim, the music will go up, and The Counter Bar will assume its role as the place for locals and visitors alike to mingle over cocktails and bites. Our own little slice of the County.”
The tour revealed things like a zillion-square-foot, state-of-the-art kitchen, lyrical colour palettes, museum-worthy millwork and suites that are both airy and cocoon-like, but the biggest takeaway was intangible. This is a hotel and team that really cares for each other and their future guests.
Proof: after lavishing us with an unhurried tour, Sol invited us to lunch with him so we could experience Executive Chef Albert Ponzo’s deft cooking and Director of Operations Niall McCotter’s expert service. The onus is on fresh, seasonal food and much of the bounty comes from the hotel’s 650-acre organic farm that is minutes away.
Chef Albert will oversee a frequently changing menu of simple composed dishes, like lake-to-plate grilled fish and garden vegetables, as well as comfort staples such as a classic burger (although here they make the buns, they make ketchup and they make pickles for said burger of locally raised beef). Oh, and swaddles of fresh, made-in-house pasta and wood-fired pizzas will round out the carb-comforting fare. Below, our dessert of the lightest madeleines flecked with just the right amount of citrus. We gilded the lily with Chef’s own honey and berry conserve.
There is so much more to reveal (stay tuned), but sated with the contentment that only good food and company can conjure, I asked Sol what would be the greatest compliment a guest could give him. He didn’t skip a beat. “I’m hoping our guests have an experience that transports them, that reminds them how important it is to slow down, to truly experience this time and space,” he said. “I’m hoping these moments stay with them long after they’ve left us. I’m really hoping to hear a guest say that they will see us again. That would be the greatest compliment.”
The Royal is opening soon and if I were you, I’d book a room asap.
