In this week’s Checking In, we speak to Grant Peires, Communications Director at IDILIQ Group, who has most recently dedicated his work to Kind Holidays, an initiative where hotel space is gifted to families and individuals going through hardship to provide them with a respite and create priceless memories. Grant tells us more about how the initiative works, the impact it has had on some incredible individuals, and how other hoteliers can get involved in this worthwhile movement. An introduction...
Oct 04, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 37
In this episode we're joined by David Hayden, the General Manager at Mercure and ibis London Earls Court Hotel. In this episode, we talked about the hotel’s soft launch earlier this summer, David’s work in helping to refurb and reposition the hotel as a co-branded property, and how this project has helped boost personal and professional growth for him and the team.
Sep 27, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this episode we speak with Tony Barker, owner of hospitality tech platform, Chicostay. Tony tells us about his early career building software to help airlines modernise their ancillary businesses, how Chicostay can help smooth the confirmation and check-in process and free up front of house staff, and how thinking like a retailer can help hoteliers drive ancillary revenues higher than they expect.
Sep 20, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In this episode we’re joined by Guy Ivesha, CEO of workspace and lifestyle concept Maslow's. Guy discusses how his love of hospitality runs in the family, his role in redeveloping one of New York's most iconic hotels, how New York hospitality inspired him to set up his own pioneering venture in the UK and the interesting theory behind the name and concept of Maslow’s.
Sep 13, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In this week’s Checking In we're joined by Andrew Kendrick, Managing Director of Hotels at Splendid Hospitality Group. Andrew talks about how his love of hospitality began at his family’s own hotel in Wales, the diversity of Splendid’s portfolio and how this enables it to be an agile and ever-developing business, and how those in hospitality can make positive impacts with the people around them to leave behind a lasting legacy.
Sep 06, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 32
This week we’re joined by Sean Wheeler, Hospitality Action Ambassador and a People and Culture Consultant at Sean Wheeler Consulting. Sean talks to us about the ways in which hospitality leaders can best support the mental wellbeing of their colleagues, how the Walk for Wellbeing initiative has grown to become a UK-wide movement, and how you can get involved in this year’s event.
Aug 30, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 30
This week we spoke with Louise Tawadrous, client services director at the insights and consultancy firm BVA BDRC. We discussed how Louise began her career with an 8-year stint at IHG climbing up the career ladder, how she pivoted into consultancy and now runs the VenueVerdict programme that she had encountered during her time at IHG, and how she she feels there are some straightforward practices hotels can adopt to really wow their guests.
Aug 23, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this week’s episode we’re joined by Marie-Paule Nowlis, the Area General Manager for Sofitel UK and General Manager of Sofitel London St James. Marie-Paule discusses her experience of hospitality in New York and London, and the differences between working in both cities, the importance of authenticity in luxury hotel brands and her own approach to leadership and building trust with her team.
Aug 16, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 30
In this episode of Checking In, we're joined by Mark Winter, the Pre-Opening General Manager of Holiday Inn Blackpool, which recently opened in May of this year. In this episode, we talked about Mark’s experience with opening branded hotels, his ingenious hiring initiative that resulted in 3,600 people registering interest in joining, and the perks of being a young manager.
Aug 09, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 29
In this episode we're joined by Tim Hentschel, the co-founder and CEO of HotelPlanner. We discuss the process of developing HotelPlanner, how Tim scaled and developed the company, how the platform works in practice and the development of AI and technology in the hotel space.
Aug 02, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 28
This week we are joined by Robert Holland, the managing director of HotelPartner Revenue Management. We discussed Robert’s journey in hospitality managing hotels and restaurants and what he learned along the way, what advice he would give to hoteliers looking to improve their revenue management strategies and how the rise of Airbnb offers hoteliers as many opportunities as it does challenges.
Jul 26, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 27
This week we are joined by Kerian Barnes Operations and Commercial Director for Starboard Hotels. We discussed Kerian’s journey to her role today, from young chef in male dominated kitchens to overseeing a wide portfolio of chain and independent hotels, The importance of installing an effective training programme and the three things all hotels should be working on today.
Jul 19, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 26
On this episode of Checking In we are joined by James Lynch, the Owner of The Albion, an award-winning 12-bedroom hotel located in Cardigan, Wales. We discussed his non-traditional route into hospitality, how that helped shape the Albion and his own approach to running the property and some of the common mistakes people make when designing a hotel.
Jul 12, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This week we spoke with Wayne Topley - managing director at Cedar Court Hotels in Yorkshire. Wayne told us about how he steered the business through Covid only months after being appointed as MD, what he would like to see from a new government in terms of helping with the recruitment challenge, and what hoteliers can do to be more sustainable in ways that will really make an impact.
Jul 05, 2024•55 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In this episode we’re joined by Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Hotel Services. In this episode, we discuss how the AA’s assessment scheme has evolved since inspections began in 1908, the recent modernisation and streamlining of the accreditation, and what this means for hoteliers and consumers alike, and Simon’s passion for mentoring young people in the industry. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
Jun 28, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this episode, we speak to Louisa Green, Managing Director of RBH Hospitality Management. We spoke about her recent appointment to the top job, how RBH serves both independent hotels as well as full-service branded properties and the differences between them, and her thoughts on the state of the hotel industry, the economics and the recruitment environment. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
Jun 21, 2024•41 min•Season 2Ep. 22
In this episode we’re joined by Charlie MacGregor, CEO and founder of hybrid hospitality group, The Social Hub. Charlie discusses how the student accommodation, leisure stay and coworking mix builds vibrant communities across their sites, how the model has allowed the business to remain agile through Covid and beyond, and his hands-on work in supporting refugees, having founded NGO Movement on the Ground. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
Jun 14, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 21
This week we spoke with Tim Davis MBE, Founder and Managing Director of PACE Dimensions, a management consultancy firm that advises hotel groups, amongst other sectors. We spoke about his career with Hilton before PACE Dimensions, the importance of securing stakeholder buy-in when implementing change, as well as trends in sustainability and its take up among different generations. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
Jun 07, 2024•58 min•Season 2Ep. 20
This week we are joined by Simon Drake , the general manager of The Store, in Oxford. We discussed the process of turning the historic Oxford department store Boswell’s into a 101 room luxury hotel, the unique opportunities afforded by being an opening general manager including using psychometric tests to help curate his ideal management team and his advice for being an effective leader. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
May 31, 2024•51 min0
In this episode we’re joined by Bev King, Founder and CEO of Z Hotels. Bev tells us about how he created and scaled Z Hotels, the brand’s ‘compact luxury’ concept, its strong company culture and his three wishes for how the government can improve the fortunes of hospitality. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/
May 24, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 18
This week we speak to Joanne Taylor-Stagg, General Manager of the Athenaeum Hotel & Residences in Mayfair. Joanne told us about meeting Nelson Mandela in one of her earliest roles, being GM of the Crowne Plaza London Docklands during the London 2012 Olympics, revamping and repositioning The Trafalgar St James, and steering The Athenaeum through Covid and beyond. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.com/ This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hops...
May 17, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this episode we’re joined by Robin Chiang, Senior Vice President of Growth at OpenTable. Robin discusses the ways in which the platform helps hotels drive revenue growth, how hoteliers can leverage guest data to fully optimise their restaurant dining experience and the importance of attracting local guests to your hotel’s F&B sites. This episode was sponsored by Hop Software. Visit hopsoftware.com to book your free demo. This episode is sponsored by Hop Software: https://www.hopsoftware.c...
May 10, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 16
In this episode we speak to Tommie Eaton, Director of Clean the World UK. He spoke about how he first became an advocate for sustainability, the ways in which Clean the World helps hotels revolutionise their plastic recycling, the importance of a circular economy, and why it could be the future of hotels.
May 03, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This week we're joined by James McGinn, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels in Northern Ireland. We spoke about how and why he pivoted away from accounting to hospitality, his multi-decade career with Hastings Hotels, how being Managing Director differs from his time as General Manager of the Europa Hotel, and his thoughts on how to attract and nurture the next generation of hospitality professionals.
Apr 26, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 14
This week we are joined by Julie White - CCO Europe & North Africa at Accor. Julie discusses how her previous experience in the airline industry helped her prepare for her future roles, the complexities of managing and implementing strategies across such a large portfolio, and her advice to women who want to pursue leadership roles.
Apr 19, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 13
This week we speak to Andrea Signanini, Food & Beverage Director at Pan Pacific London. Andrea spoke to us about his journey from footballer to F&B Director, how to remain competitive in the luxury hotel space, and the key ingredients for creating a memorable luxury dining experience in hotels.
Apr 12, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 12
This week we are joined by Mark Lewis, CEO of hotel distribution consortia HotelREZ. We discussed how fostering good relationships with hoteliers is key to HotelREZ's success, how AI will help shape the hospitality space in the future and why people are truly what makes this industry so unique.
Apr 05, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In this episode we’re joined by Scott Brown, the UK Director of Sales for Meliá Hotels International. Scott tells us about the importance of believing in your own offering when it comes to selling, what makes for a successful and strong sales team, and the ways in which Meliá ensures its hotels stand out from the crowd.
Mar 28, 2024•44 min•Season 2Ep. 10
This week we’re joined by Lionel Benjamin, the co-founder of AGO Hotels. We discuss the launch of AGO Hotels, the company’s hybrid profit lease business model and the challenges of launching a new venture in the midst of a pandemic.
Mar 22, 2024•54 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This week we spoke to Will Davies, Director at HBD Partners and co-founder of Checking-IN, the inter hotel LGBTQ+ network. He spoke about his transition from hands-on hospitality to recruitment, how the industry has evolved in its approach to talent acquisition and the work Checking-IN does to support the LGBTQ+ community within hospitality.
Mar 15, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 8
