What attracted you to hotels?
My first experience in hotels was The Selsdon Park Hotel. I was employed in housekeeping as a weekend General House porter. It was a fantastic experience and confirmed my thoughts that Hospitality was the career I wanted to pursue. From that point I applied to join the Savoy Group management training programme and my career began at the age of 18 as soon as I left school.
What do you enjoy most about your industry?
I do not know many industries that can offer so many varied roles and career opportunities. For me my initial passion was Food and Beverage, and the early part of my career was very focused on this side of the industry culminating in becoming Food and Beverage Manager of the Savoy Hotel when I was 25. However, as I moved in to General Management I found as much interest in the complexity of modern sales and marketing to achieve optimum room revenues.
However, the greatest pleasure for me has always been and continues to be the endless interaction with people. The pleasure that we derive from providing positive guest experiences is always satisfying. Of even greater pleasure is the opportunity to work alongside the ivaried and talented individuals who make up the teams of our industry. As a business leader in our industry thae satisfaction of supporting and developing the careers of many individuals will always be one of the greatest rewards of my career to date.
Biggest achievement to date?
It is very difficult to single out any individual event as being the single biggest achievement of my career. However, over the years I and we have been very fortunate to be recognised by the industry with some wonderful accolades, including the two Catey awards, first as Manager of the Year in 2001 and more recently Independent Hotel of the Year 2020.
It was a huge achievement to be able to support our Head Chef, Chris Cleghorn over the last 10 years and the eventual recognition of his ambition with a Michelin Star in 2018. This was equal to our recognition last year by the AA as a 4 Red Star hotel, all of these are huge achievements in my career so far.
However probably the greatest achievement has been to have built up our business over the last 19 years. We have survived many significant challenges including the economic crisis of 2008, through to the recent pandemic. We have done this as a small independent business and are very proud of the position that we sit within our industry.
What’s the best thing about The Queensberry?
Undoubtedly the best aspect of The Queensberry is our team. It may sound a little trite, but it is the absolute truth. We have always said that bricks and mortar are easy to do, but it is the people who create the experience. Over the last 19 years we have been very fortunate to work with many wonderful men and women, and we continue to have that good fortune today. Without them we would have a very nice hotel, but with them we are able to offer a wonderful experience.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
To my younger self, there are many things I would like to say! I have made many mistakes in my career and been fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn from them. It has helped me develop into the person I am today. However, with everything we have learnt over more recent years, the most important piece of advice I would tell my younger self is the message we constantly tell ourselves now, “Just Be Kind!” It is a simple concept, but one that is so easy to forget.
Where’s your favourite place to stay in the UK?
We are very lucky to be able to stay in many wonderful hotels. Mostly my wife and I look for small properties as we prefer the intimacy of these types of hotel rather than the grandeur of larger establishments. If we are visiting our son in London, we have found a fabulous bolt hole called the Half Moon in Herne Hill, if we are in the countryside we have enjoyed great experiences at the Pig hotels.
Who’s your biggest influence?
A very difficult question, I have been fortunate to work with several people who shaped my career including my mentor as a young man Tom O’Connell at the Savoy, to my friend Thomas Goodwin with whom I worked as Operations Director at Cliveden. These are people who helped me understand the industry and focused my attention on detail and business development.
Creatively I have always been inspired by Tim and Kit Kemp, the founders of Firmdale Hotels, and Robin Hutson and all that he has achieved in changing the perspective and direction of what can be achieved in British hotelkeeping.
