[2] His paternal grandparents were Charles Brownlow, 1st Baron Lurgan, and, his second wife, the former Jane Macneill.

His maternal grandparents were John Browne, 3rd Baron Kilmaine and the former Elizabeth Lyon.

[1] In his younger years he was a keen jockey and golfer, and was reportedly one of the few peers to have ever had a hole in one on a golf course.

Brownlow succeeded Harry Higgins as chairman of the Ritz upon his death in 1928, and was especially keen on attracting American guests to the hotel.

He was a close friend of the Earl of Carnavon and his American wife, Catherine Wendell, and at times he gave the couple the entire second floor of the hotel to accommodate guests.