A seaside hotel owner has revealed his inspiration for entering the industry came after a chance meeting with the founder of the international Hilton chain.

Michael Stainer, who has run the Grand Hotel in Folkestone for 40 years, said a potentially disastrous afternoon tea turned into a textbook example of how to serve people when Conrad Hilton unexpectedly waited on his family.

He recalls going for tea with his mother at the Park Lane Hilton in 1962, the first hotel opened by the chain outside the US.

Keen to see what Buckingham Palace looked like from the top-floor restaurant, they went up and received a rude reception from a waiter, who told them there were no tables.

As they turned to head off disappointed, a “chap” appeared from nowhere and begged them to enter. “‘Be my guest. Have whatever you want. It’s on the house,’ he said to us, and we received service personified,” said Mr Stainer, whose family moved to Folkestone in 1861.

“We had our tea and when we exited the lift on the ground floor we saw a painting of Conrad Hilton and realised it was the hotel owner himself who had served us upstairs.

"From then on, whenever I went there, I was waited on hand and foot.”

Mr Stainer was so impressed at the service he received he decided to build on the American hotelier’s ethos when he bought the Grand in 1975.

Back then it was a decrepid building which its previous owners had wanted to demolish and convert into modern flats.

Today, the Edwardian hotel is mainly occupied as “gentleman’s residential chambers” on long-term leases, with some holidaymakers still using it as a hotel or taking afternoon tea in the Palm Court, a favourite haunt of Edward VII.

The hotel suffered a fire last year but was reopened within 12 days.

Much of its furniture has been bought from the Park Lane Hilton where Mr Stainer was so inspired all those years ago.

He said: “If you watch our top people here dealing with a customer, it’s exactly how I was treated at the Hilton that day. You feel like you’re at home.

“If you have someone at the top of the tree like that, it is reflected throughout the organisation.”

What is your favourite room at the Grand?

“It has to be Palm Court, which was one of the favourite places of Edward VII. It came to be known as the Monkey House because the locals used to like peering to see him and his companions, who were heavily bearded, and to see who the latest courtiers were. They likened it to looking at monkeys in a cage. That was where the expression ‘monkey business’ came about. The public liked to come and see who the latest ‘friends of the King’ were.”

Are you a hotelier or a landlord?

“My main business here is really as a landlord. I bought the building because I thought it had good potential uses. I’ve been in a family of landlords since they came here in 1861. My father managed the Bedford Estates and was responsible for getting the M1 built through it.”

How has Folkestone changed in the time you’ve owned the Grand?

“Some people don’t realise the extent to which it is on the up. Did you know the electorate in Folkestone was 23,500 in 1945? By 1950 it was just under 50,000 and in 1974 it was 65,000. Today it is nearly 85,000. It is now one of the largest constituencies in the country in terms of population. That tells you something about the area. It doesn’t tell you it’s in decline.”

Should Folkestone still be focusing on the tourist industry?

“The Memorial Arch has changed the image of the place. When Prince Harry came here to open it last year that was fabulous. Pictures of that went all around the world. It put Folkestone on the map. The Triennial arts festival has been a wonderful thing as well. Sir Roger De Haan has been one of the luckiest episodes in Folkestone’s history. He made a pile of money and was determined to put Folkestone back on his feet. We used to throw stones at each other on the beach when we were kids. He was in a rival gang. I used to know his father, Sidney De Haan, very well as he used to have his lunch in here.”

Have you ever been tempted to buy and restore the Metropole next door to the Grand?

“Tempted, yes, but in practicality there are a number of obstacles in the way. Firstly I want to have a good go with the Grand because we have all these disused rooms. My prime concern is to get the whole place up and running and back into the condition it ought to be in. If I got that going I might turn my eye to the Metropole but it wouldn’t be easy because it is owned in about 80 shares, mostly by some of the lessees who are against any commercial use. They want to get residential use of the public rooms which I think would be a shame because it would spoil the character and use of these buildings.”

CV

Birth: 20/12/1947

Born: Hythe Nurshing Home

Live: At the Grand in Folkestone

Family: Married to his cousin Doris with two teenage daughters

First job: Selling ice cream from van he hired aged 17

Salary now: “I’ve not been employed for 40 years.”

Car: Volkswagen Passat

Favourite book: “I’ve always been keen on travelogues.”

Film: “I like the ancient ones, like Lawrence of Arabia.”

Last holiday: Rhodes.

Typical day

Michael Stainer gets up at about 6am and checks his computer from about 8.30am when his daughters have gone to school.

He sends emails until about 10am and then he meets with staff. He goes to Palm Court and takes a look at the newspaper before returning to his office and doing paperwork until about midday.

He usually has lunch with his wife and then visits banks, solicitors or insurance agents in the afternoon. He usually has meetings with clients in the afternoon.

His evenings are often taken up with meetings with various societies in Folkestone, or seeing people who want to organise a wedding at the Grand. He takes a last look at his emails before going to bed.

In his downtime he likes to read newspapers and the Spectator. He has always enjoyed travelling.