Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street (Phil Street)

Another week goes by and another wonderful chat with someone who played their part in why this show exists. 5 years ago, the intricate weave of life put me in touch with the wonderful David Guile (http://www.davidguile.com/), Leadership Coach, Speaker and Author of the fabulous book "Potential".

We got through so many golden nuggets around leadership as well as:-

• Podcast origins
• The value of the coffee chat
• Falling into Hotels
• Wanting to become a prison guard
• Focus on the job you’re given
• Focus on what’s in front of you
• Control what you can control
• Finding your style
• Staying true to yourself
• Leading through kindness
• Identifying your strengths
• Resilience
• Imposter syndrome
• Writing a book
• Achieving balance

And so much more.

David forged an incredible career within hotels before making the leap into leadership coaching and he was very generous with his time today.

Get your copy of Potential here

Enjoy!

In honour of the fact that next week is International Women's Day we got some time with awe inspiring woman that is Natalia Ribbe, Founder of Ladies of Restaurants (https://www.ladiesofrestaurants.com) and Barletta in Margate (https://barletta.co.uk).

It's an all action chat and we get through lockdown baking habits, dinner parties, wine pairings, The performance that is service, Staring at Leonardo Di Caprio, early misadventures, dealing with bullying, How small the world is, going freelance, teaching tea to the British, the start of Ladies of Restaurants, winning best dish at Taste of London, Joan of Baltimore, Growth, going global, helping women, setting up in Margate, places that used to be "less gentrified", community, writing a book of stories and of course Natalia's awesome journey.

The work that Natalia is doing around Ladies of Restaurants is phenomenal and I am super delighted to support this amazing community in any way that I can.

Natalia is also responsible for our favourite guest photo so far.

Thanks for joining us Natalia!

Enjoy!

I'm not going to lie, I'm a huge fan of the venue that today's guest leads.

I got some time with Andrew Coggings, Managing Director of Entertaining and Hospitality at the Goodwood Estate (https://www.goodwood.com).

It's an epic chat and we get through loads including:-

• The Festival of Speed
• The values of Goodwood
• Bottling selfies
• Growing up in Durham
• Going against careers advice
• The Caterer & Hotelkeeper
• Being headhunted to Hilton
• Moving to Dubai
• Being a forerunner hotel
• Moving to South Africa
• Using Rugby to get a job
• Being in SA for 1995 Rugby world Cup
• Pressurised refurbishments
• Harry Murray as a mentor
• Langkawi
• The importance of contracts
• Moving back to UK
• Doormats
• Slaley Hall
• Buying a pub
• Running a burger restaurant
• The Goodwood magic dust
• Trust & Respect
• The Duke
• Salman Rushdi and Rats
• Nelson Mandela and Photo’s

And so much more. Andrew treats us to many a story throughout his chat and I'm grateful for the time he gave me.

Enjoy!

What an absolute treat we have for you this week (I know, they're all treats really).

We welcomed Marc Dardenne on the show, COO of Luxury Brands in Europe for Hotel heavy weights, Accor (https://all.accor.com).

This chat is packed full of stories and amazing insight from one the world's premier Hoteliers.

We cover off learning from adversity, The beauty of Switzerland, The adventure of hospitality, open air lobbies, travel, Bali, the value of processes, culture, respect, practical v theory, finding your passion, leadership, hiring nice people, personality profiling, Dubai construction, staff engagement, a fond farewell, welcoming experiences, 8 hours in stilettos, the brilliance of Giorgio Armani, Accor & Luxury and so much more.

I'm so grateful to Marc for giving us his time to share his incredible journey with us.

Enjoy

What a story and career journey we have for you this week as I got some time with Andrew Munt, CEO of Penta Hotels.

When we initially recorded this, Andrew was Chief of Operations & Commerce. A week before I was scheduled to air our original chat, Andrew let me know that he was going to be stepping up into the CEO role. As a result, we thought it was relevant to get him back for a quick round off of his story to include that wonderful news.

So this week, we have two distinct parts which will become obvious as you listen.

Beyond that, Andrews story is inspiring and educational all in one go. He lives with Cerebral Palsy and has rarely found this to be a barrier and there's some interesting stuff in here around the changing perceptions over his career around this.

In addition, we cover:-

• Washing up
• Finding Banqueting
• Inquisitive minds
• Cerebral Palsy
• Unnecessary rejection
• Further education
• Internship in the USA
• Relationships
• Jarvis
• Working through the divisions
• Industry Connections
• Becoming a General Manager at 28
• The varying support structures
• Initial Style
• The Devere Transition & The Devere Years
• The Penta Love affair
• The Penta Journey
• Two way career building
• Becoming CEO

There's something in here for you whether you are at the beginning of your career or you have risen the ranks.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Andrew was the COO/CCO for Pentahotels when we initially recorded this but rose to CEO early 2024. He joined Penta in 2010 when they just opened their first hotel in the UK and were looking to further develop the brand. Prior to this he did a BSc Hons degree in Hotel & Catering Management in Manchester, which included an amazing one year internship in New Mexico, a tennis resort in summer, switching to ski resort in winter. After graduating he joined Jarvis Hotels, which later became Ramada and worked his way through 4 hotels before getting his first GM position in Chichester. From there, he joined Initial Style Conferences, which were soon sold to MWB and then became De Vere Venues. He led 3 different venues over his time there, Staverton Park (which he describes as being a bit of a gamechanger for him) 60 meeting rooms, taking it open market, plus taking on a golf and leisure club.

With Penta, they acquired 5 Ramada Encore Hotels in 2013 and he was promoted to lead the UK and manage the transition over 1 year. In 2017 he got the chance to relocate to Frankfurt and take on VP Ops, later COO for Penta, overseeing Europe and Asia. Earlier in 2023, Penta restructured and the role of CCO was added into his role as well and introduced a new leadership team set up below me.

In early 2024, Andrew steps up into the CEO role for Penta.

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-munt-4a108821

Instagram - @munt.andrew

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Some people are born to be in Hospitality, todays guest is certainly one such person.

We got some time with the always upbeat Andrew D Scott, Managing Director of Victus Catering Consultancy (https://www.victusconsultancy.co.uk), business owner, author, public speaker and now voice over artist for Sky.

We talk about so much including Scottish Accent, starting business, stovies, becoming a GM at age 22, staying humble, lecturing, hedging your bets in business, having an epiphany, being committed, experiences involving Smeg fridges, learning from disasters, channelling your inner Mr Selfridge, shouting about all the good stuff, mental health, helping others, great wall of china and so much more. There's so many amazing nuggets in here as well as some superb stories.

We really do need more people like Andrew in Hospitality, he's most certainly a force for the good and positive.

Enjoy!

Follow Andrew here:-

Twitter @victusconsult

Instagram @victusconultancy

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VictusCateringConsultancy

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/victus-catering-consultancy/about/

Victus Book available on amazon

Show transcription

Coming soon

Goodness, have I got a beast of a chat for you this week.

After much "toing and froing" of diaries, I finally got some time with one of the Pre-Eminent Hoteliers of our time, all round legend David Taylor, CEO of Lore Group.

And I really don't know where to begin with this chat as there were so many wonderful takeaways both in story terms and some general career and business learning.

It's an epic chat and we get through loads including:-

• Boarding school
• A hotel glimpse
• Being bold
• Taking it all in
• Making bad career moves
• "Mr Smith"
• Nights
• Working through various disciplines
• New openings
• Authors and Editors
• Hoxton
• Ian Schrager
• The Edition
• The Transition Curve
• Lore Group
• Coaching

And so much more. In fact, David's career is so Epic that we left loads out there still to be discussed. Beyond that, there is no doubt that David is a classy operator and he was very generous with his time. Not only that, I will forever remember the personalised "Hospitality Meets" cookies that awaited me for our recording.

The devil is in the detail.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Instagram - @dt_hotelier

David Taylor is CEO of The Lore Group; the international hospitality company that designs, transforms, and manages hotels across Europe and the United States. Prior to this, he led the transformation of a number of UK hotels developing the Principal brand under the ownership of Starwood Capital and latterly Covivio with the management of the hotels assigned to Intercontinental Hotels Group.

Prior to taking on this role in April 2015, he was General Manager of The London EDITION where under his leadership the hotel won numerous awards including the prestigious Catey Hotel of the Year award.

He is associated with other high-profile openings and re-positioning projects such as the original Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch, along with the Great Eastern Hotel and Sofitel St James in London.

His dedication to promoting best practise within the hotel industry has been recognised and he was awarded a Master Innholders Scholarship in 2009 and invited to join the prestigious Master Innholders as a member in 2012.

David was awarded the Cateys “Manager of the Year” in 2015 and the highly coveted” UK Hotelier of the Year” award for 2018/2019.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

When I started the podcast there was a list of aspirational guests that I would have loved to get some time with.

Douglas McMaster was on that list. Founder of Silo (https://silolondon.com/), the UKs first zero waste restaurant now based in London having originally been in Brighton. Not only did he have to come up with a food concept but actually had to rethink pretty much every facet of running a restaurant. It's a fascinating chat with so many amazing nuggets from Douglas.

We get through loads including launching business in lockdown, zero waste in the home, Making the world zero waste, zero waste pillars, recycling, quality focus, food education, super farmers markets, pre-industrial food systems, Ecosia, proving the doubters wrong, the importance of stages, future food system, Joost Bakker, Ted talks, lessons, The best carrots in the world and Douglas' amazing journey.

It's a corker and to be heard even if you don't work in Hospitality.

Thanks Douglas

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

Coming Soon

As part of our Bonus series, we are delighted to showcase the amazing work that Dorothee Schiesser is doing as Founder and President of the waste soap upcyclers, SapoCycle (https://sapocycle.org/).

SapoCycle is a non-profit organisation that collects discarded soaps in hotels and turns them into life-saving products. The soaps are recycled by people with disabilities and then distributed to improve sanitary conditions of families in need. 

We chat through Dorothee's story as well as the weather, moving to French Polynesia, Starting as a Journalist, Moving to Africa, luxury v poverty, art, soap and hotels, the start of SapoCycle, the soap upcycling process, hard v liquid soap, The origins of soap, educating through cleanliness, having a social impact, corporate social responsibility, The Co2 impact, social franchising, plastic roads and so much more.

Enjoy!

In our 3rd Bonus of December (It is the giving season after all), we air our chat with Kieron Bailey and Marcus Weedon who, together with www.caterer.com, have put together a monumental resource for the industry. There's so much content, written, spoken and video, to help hone and better your job searching strategies at a time when it's very much needed.

In addition to talking about this, we also cover Kieron’s visits to the show, podcast experience, backgrounds, caterer.com careers hub, why it exists, doing good, job searching, now pause, Phil (Wrongly) pulling Kieron up on words, nowpause, mindfulness, job search fatigue, evolution of an idea, hospitality family, phrases on t-shirts and much more.

It's a cracking piece of work, vast does not even cover it.

Resources

Access the hub here - https://www.caterer.com/advice/career-advice

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

Coming soon

I cannot even describe what a total joy recording this podcast was with 2023 AICR Receptionist of the Year, Chelsea Lacey. Chelsea is also Front of House Receptionist at the quite fabulous Pennyhill Park.

Chelsea oozes natural fun and authenticity (Two traits that I'm sure serve her well in her role) all the way through our chat and she's got some cracking stories to boot.

We get through:-

• Midweek weekends
• Making Rota’d shifts work for you
• The (Genuine) Joy of working Christmas
• Having no plan
• Shoe shops in travel agents
• The Covid period
• Rejecting college
• Pubs
• Pennyhill Park
• Reception for learning life
• Pillow Cases & Vases
• Staring at Guests hands
• AICR Receptionist of the year
• World Receptionist of the year
• Horse Masks

Chelsea's energy for hospitality is incredibly infectious and I'd challenge anyone to sit through our chat and not have a big beaming smile on their face. Chelsea really brings the joy and fun to our conversation and it's easy to see why she was crowned this years UK champion.

We wish her the very best of luck in 2024 at the World Finals in Nice.

Enjoy!

The Guest

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-lacey-6bbb41113

Instagram - @chelly_bean07

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Hospitality Meets, the podcast where we delve into the inspiring journeys of the industry's most dedicated professionals. Today, I sit down with Guillaume Marly, Managing Director at Hotel Café Royal. Guillaume's remarkable career in hospitality, influenced by early aspirations in the military and an unwavering commitment to excellent service, has led to transformative successes in some of London's most prestigious hotels.

In this episode, Guillaume shares unforgettable experiences, from fulfilling unique guest requests to revamping hotel spaces, and emphasises the rewarding nature of hospitality as a career. With a focus on empathy, leadership, and excellence, Guillaume offers profound insights into creating memorable guest experiences and the relentless pursuit of perfection. He also reflects on his journey, including an unexpected career shift inspired by his mother and the valuable lessons learned from top industry leaders.

Tune in to hear about the thrill of managing luxury hotels, the importance of mental discipline, and the joy of celebrating milestones with a passionate team. Whether you're in the hospitality industry or simply love grand hotel stories, this episode is packed with wisdom and inspiration.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Guillaume is the Managing Director of Hotel Café Royal in London

Instagram - @guillaumemarly

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

We've got time for a cheeky bonus episode this week so today, we have a very special guest joining us - Tim Andrews. Tim is currently a talent manager at Jumeirah Hotels and also the founder of the podcast "Talking Hospitality." With his extensive experience in the industry, spanning from his early days working in a bar in Soho to his current roles, Tim brings a wealth of insights to share.

In this episode, we'll be diving into Tim's fascinating journey in hospitality. We'll explore how his diverse background, including a brief stint studying law and working in retail at GAP, ultimately led him to find his true passion in the hospitality industry. Tim will share stories of his experiences working his way up from a glass collector to a cocktail barman, manager, and eventually into the world of recruitment.

And some of his stories are off the charts!

Along the way, we'll discuss the importance of creating positive work environments and promoting the good aspects of the hospitality industry. We'll touch on the challenges faced by businesses, including staff shortages, low wages, and competition from other industries. Tim will also share his insights on the skills and life lessons he's gained throughout his career and the importance of passion and purpose..

So, whether you're a seasoned hospitality professional or just someone curious about the industry, this episode has something for everyone.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Hospitality isn't just my profession; it's a part of who I am. Growing up and carving a career in London, I've been immersed in one of the world's most bustling hospitality scenes. My story in this industry began with hands-on roles, where I quickly learned that success in hospitality is all about understanding people and their unique needs.

For 16 years, I was at the helm of my own 5-star Hospitality Recruitment business. This experience wasn't just about business growth; it was a journey in understanding the heartbeat of the industry – the people who make it thrive. I've always been fascinated by the stories, the challenges, and the triumphs that come with a career in hospitality.

In 2023, my podcast, previously known as "Timothy Put The Kettel On," evolved into "Talking Hospitality." This change was more than a rebrand; it was a natural progression of my desire to share the wealth of knowledge and experiences I've gathered. The podcast is my way of giving back to the industry that has given me so much. It's a platform where I can engage with fellow professionals, discuss trends, and explore the future of hospitality in a relaxed, conversational style.

Instagram - @timothyrandrews & @talkinghospitality

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

What happens when you put two recruiters together to talk about people?

The answer is this weeks chat. Abi Dunn, Founder of Sixty Eight People (https://www.sixtyeightpeople.com/). I was connected with Abi through Jo Harley of Purple Cubed (Thanks Jo!!!) as Abi had conducted some very interesting research around candidate experience. We thought the world should here it so here we go.

Abi also covers her story so far and so we also get through:-

• The state of things
• Starting in pubs
• Sylvia
• Glass collecting
• Revolution bars
• GM at 21
• The importance of that first career impression
• What makes a good leader?
• The joy of optics
• Going self employed
• Belief
• No more no shows
• Customer training
• Abi’s research

And of course so much more.

Abi really brings the passion around the subject of candidate experience and we have a good old natter about all things people. My hope is you'll get a lot of very useful takeaways that you can implement immediately.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

Ever since I saw today's guest on BBC 2's Great British Menu in 2020, I knew I wanted to get some time with him on the show.

Now Head Chef at Boiler & Co (https://boilerandco.com), Kerth Gumbs is everything you hope for in a chef working in Hospitality. No doubt he brings the flair and creativity but more importantly, he brings just a wonderful zest and passion for what he does that is incredibly infectious, and we definitely need more of that.

We get through loads including:-

• Spring
• Boiler & Co
• Growing up in the Caribbean
• Let me knows Pizza
• Starting in front of house
• Excelling at Track & Field
• Moving to the UK
• Walking and Running around London
• Le Cordon Bleu
• The first foray into Michelin Kitchens
• Learning resilience
• Shoulder pressing
• Learning French
• Diversifying the knowledge base
• Leadership
• Great British Menu Experience
• Dreams about chocolate

And so much more. There’s some excellent learning in here all the way through but expecially around resilience and the amazing things that await you if you keep pushing through.

Enjoy!

We love a bit of storytelling on this show and so why not get someone on the show who likes a bit of that himself.

We got some time with Branding expert Dan Nash. Founder of Six Eight Agency (https://www.sixeightagency.com/) and our chat does not disappoint.

We get through:-

• The weather
• Moving to Margate
• Being creative
• Self belief
• Being a digital Nomad
• Discovering the food & drink passion
• Finding your purpose
• Self employment
• Building the cult following
• Making the world a better place
• Storytelling
• Your authentic voice
• Asian food
• The Lo&No category
• Chicken Pedicures
• Humour and Marketing
• Building a tribe

And so much more. There's so much great content in here around brand and building your following but more than that, Dan's story is incredibly human and I think a lot of us could relate to his journey.

A huge thank you to Dan for being so open and a double thanks for ticking off another one of life's underdiscussed topics, chicken pedicures.

Enjoy!

Despite being a UK based podcast, we've now been downloaded in 137 countries, that's 70% of the worlds countries, which absolutely blows my mind (Still no Greenland though).

So I thought it was a good idea to go hunt out a superstar from a different part of the world and found that in the form of the totally awesome Eddy Tannous, COO at Rotana Hotel Management.

It was a chance meeting as Eddy was in London for World Travel Market and we met up in a public space in the stunning Kimpton Fitzroy London, as such it's a live environment so forgive the atmosphere at times.

This chat is packed and we get through:-

• The Future
• Cab Drivers
• Starting in Fitness
• Department Cross Training
• Finding the spark in Revenue Management
• Becoming a GM
• Managing Multiple Brands
• Economy v Luxury
• Goals and Attitude
• Moving into Regional Roles
• Rotana
• Saudi Arabia
• Innovation
• The Haircut Incident

Eddy is a class act and there are so many amazing lessons all the way through our chat from someone who clearly cares deeply about Hospitality and the people who work within it.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Eddy Tannous is the COO of Rotana Hotel Managment Corporation. He has been working in the hospitality industry for the last 23 years, during which, he has been fortunate to grow through various entry level, managerial and leadership roles across several disciplines. His journey has taken him through hotel based, cluster and regional roles, both in commercial and operational fields. He believes that the most important catalyst for success in our industry is "People" and likes to build connections with people around him and unlock the full potential of the collective capabilities combined for achieving the best possible outcome from any situation. An approach he applies to his professional and personal life.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddy-tannous-643b7710/

Instagram - @tannouseddy

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

I don't really know where to begin with this weeks guest. I was welcomed to the (rather beautiful) Mayfair Townhouse (https://www.themayfairtownhouse.com/), part of Iconic Luxury Hotels (https://iconicluxuryhotels.com/) by none other than the Executive Director of the company, and all round hotel giant and gent, Andrew Stembridge.

Andrew's journey is nothing short of epic and we get through so much, including:-

• The Mayfair Townhouse
• Expansion
• Starting out
• The joy of personality
• The careers system
• Finding what makes you tick
• Sliding Doors
• Gleneagles
• Learning from adversity
• Learning on the job
• Saying yes
• Malmaison
• Moving to the USA
• Attention to detail
• The step up to GM
• Broken Lifts
• Taking the Helm at Chewton Glen
• The Pandemic response
• Vulnerability

And so much more. Despite us spending well over an hour together, I felt like we were only scratching the surface of Andrew's career so far. There's something for everyone in this chat and what a joy it was to record in person and learn about one of the finest hoteliers in the UK.

Enjoy!

Ahhhhhh Culture. What is it? How do we achieve a good one? All this and more when we got some time with today's guest, Benjamin Drury AKA the Culture Guy!

As you might expect, there's a lot of chat around culture but a whole lot more too including:-

• Receiving Parcels
• The Culture Guy
• The Inner workings of a company
• What is Culture?
• Creating Cult like status
• Values
• Sanity check
• Trust
• Hiring for cultural contribution
• Simplifying business
• Bringing the emotion
• Job Adverts
• Creating a safe space for mistakes
• The Legacy impact challenge
• Changing the world

Benjamin talks with such passion and energy from start to finish, it's difficult not to feel uplifted so if you are thinking about getting the culture in your business nailed down, then have a listen and engage with Benjamin to fill in the rest.

Enjoy!

A real treat for you this week as I got some time with Alison Cullin-Woodcock who is a Food & equipment development consultant, an area of the industry we have not really explored.

And I'll bet that some of this will blow your mind but more than that, Alison really brings the energy and passion so it's very easy to get on board with her journey.

We cover:-

• The dogs in our life
• Equipment & Innovation
• Knowing what you want to do
• Developing the palette
• College
• Getting the basics right
• THE Mayonnaise disaster
• Working through the sections
• Hierarchy
• Moving into Equipment Sales
• Rebuilding the Titanic
• Headhunted to the US
• 8ft Rats
• Meeting Paul Bocuse
• Toilets of the world
• The Development process
• Problem solving

And so much more. Alison is at the top of her game and has fantastic knowledge within her field which comes across effortlessly all the way through out chat.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Alison has been in the industry for over 35 years, classically trained Chef, City and Guilds 706/707/717 at Cassio College (now West Herts College). For the past 20 years she has worked for one of the worlds' largest foodservice equipment designer and manufacturer.- called Welbilt. They supply to some of the worlds largest QSR's. The role resulted in a move to Tampa, Florida for 9 years as their Corporate Executive Chef . In 2014 Alison relocated back to the UK. In 2018, after a redundancy, she set up her own consulting business and for the past 6 years has been focussing on food and beverage menu development - equipment solutions - packaging challenges and solutions - and foodservice operational support, plus anything else that she gets asked to do!

Website - www.cliftonfoodserviceconsultants.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-cullin-woodcock-151789b/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Welcome back to Hospitality Meets where today we have a special treat as we sit down with none other than James Brown (no, not the legendary blues singer - Highly original and never been used before joke) the dynamic CEO of Brewdog's bar division as well as being the co-founder of Tipjar.

Join us as James takes us through his remarkable journey, from his humble beginnings at a chip shop in rural Scotland to leading Brewdog’s international bar operations. We'll dive into the fun and innovative culture at Brewdog that attracts young, ambitious talent, and explore how they navigate the challenges of opening new locations, including a whirlwind expansion into Ohio and beyond.

James shares valuable insights into the importance of in-person social experiences, especially post-COVID, and the unique challenges and rewards of the hospitality industry. We'll also chat about his entrepreneurial venture, Tipjar, a platform revolutionising the way tips are distributed in the hospitality sector.

Get ready for an episode filled with entrepreneurial spirit, risk-taking stories, and the captivating energy of the hospitality world. Tune in as we uncover the passion and dedication that drives James and his team to create memorable experiences for both staff and guests around the globe.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Instagram - @james_rides_bikes

X - @BrewDogJB

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Covid has impacted many of us, no question about that. Today's guest has taken the negatives surrounding 2020 and turned them into real positives.

I got some time with Maria Malaniia, Founder of the Savvy Hotelier (https://www.savvyhotelier.net/) and self employed guest experience consultant (https://www.malaniia.com).

As always it's an action packed chat and we cover:-

• Getting the start
• Theme parks
• Frying food
• Stockholm weather
• Getting paid to travel
• Learning Finnish
• Seeking experiences
• Working on cruise ships
• Moving to London
• The IHG Office
• Career paths
• Kickboxing
• Timing
• Loyalty programmes
• Redundancy
• The Savvy Hotelier
• Maria’s favourite work trip
• Monaco Refurbishments
• Co-Opetition
• Big Brand

And Maria's awesome story so far. Maria has a natural hospitality personality and she has used 2020 to significantly upskill. Look out for her content across LinkedIn and Instagram.

Enjoy!

I've gone all luxury this week as I head into Hampshire and specifically within the rather wonderful Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire where I got some time with their fantastic General Manager, Andrew Harrison.

As always, we get through a lot including:-

• Getting started
• Getting the right kind of experience
• Learning attention to detail
• Discovering wine cellars
• Getting the travel bug in Asia
• Graft
• The nomadic career journey
• Four Seasons
• Sleeping in a jungle
• Luxury Tents
• Sugar based produce
• The diversity of the world
• Returning home
• The Four Seasons Hampshire
• Being Pet friendly

And so much more. Andrew has had a fabulous career so far and has closed the travel loop by returning to the UK to oversee one of it's finest country house hotels. There are so many stories in here from his travels.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Andrew Harrison is General Manager at Four Seasons Hampshire. Originally from the UK, Andrew’s extensive 28-year-long career at Four Seasons has seen him work across the US and Asia, whilst moving between tropical islands and beautiful cities, including Kuala Lumpur, Mauritius, Mumbai and Langkawi before being appointed to Hampshire in the English countryside. 

“Four Seasons Hampshire offers an unrivalled escape – whether you’re looking to relax, reconnect or discover something new, this is the space to be.”

says Harrison. He adds: “Our incredible team have perfected a passionate and personalised service to create a comfortable and welcoming home from home for our guests which sees them stay with us again and again.” 

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

Another week passes and we have another one of the industry's gentlemen and all round exceptional human being, Douglas Waddell - Operations Director at Handpicked Hotels (https://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/).

It's another packed chat and we get through so much including:-

• Breaks
• Accents
• Handpicked Hotels
• Getting a taste for hotels
• Teaching Skiing
• Learning leadership skills
• School v College
• The first job
• Climbing the ranks
• Stephen Carter (Again)
• Becoming a GM
• Improving the basics
• Moving to leisure
• Gaining influence
• Stepping up onto the board
• Hostile takeovers
• Thistle
• Handpicked
• The changing world
• Making mistakes

And so much more. Douglas has got a great story to date and has done some incredible things. His journey is another great example of what you can achieve if you apply yourself and find that thing that gets the best from you.

Enjoy!

There are a lot of great human beings out there. Today's guest is one such human being.

We managed to have a chat with Greg Mangham, CEO and Founder of Only a Pavement Away (https://onlyapavementaway.co.uk), The charity for the employment of the homeless, ex-offenders and vulnerable veterans into careers within the hospitality industry.

In today's chat Greg talks us through his journey including pubs, food, catering college, training, The Tote, Crisis (The charity), reaching crossroads, Tom Aikens, getting homeless into work, are you honest?, Greg’s biggest regrets, taking advice from others and of course the incredible work that they are doing.

Head over to their website to see all their latest campaigns. The work they are doing is vitality important.

Follow the charity here:-

Facebook - @onlyapavementaway

Twitter - @apavementaway

Instagram - @only_a_pavement_away

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8m8VpjS8ecbH6U4F5xAKg

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

Coming soon

What a cracker we have for you this week. What does it take to be an HR leader in an iconic hotel and restaurant?

Well, we chatted to Sarah Powell, HR Director at Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons (https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons) to find out. Look out for another mispronunciation from Phil.

We get through loads including:-

• Reopening
• Admin days
• Studying languages
• Teaching English in the Indian ocean
• The careers book
• The Hilton graduate programme
• Plan v no plan
• Housekeeping
• The move into HR
• Bad interviews
• Opening the Soho Farmhouse
• Working in a pub
• Le Manoir
• Raymond Blanc
• The garden
• HR’s Role
• Richard Osmond
• The IOH
• Hospitality Minister
• Hospitality - the career of choice
• Attitude is everything

And of course Sarah's superb journey so far. Sarah talks with great knowledge and passion around HR and hospitality throughout our chat and I love the fact that she has built a career around seeing where the opportunity is.

Enjoy!

I properly love the people this little show has introduced me to and today you are all the wonderful benefactors of listening to my chat with "wee Scottish livewire", Rachel Thomson.

Rachel really brought the triple threat (Passion, Energy and Fun in abundance) to our chat, leaving nothing but gold in her wake. She's got great lessons all the way through in addition to that A game on fun.

We get through:-

• Christmas
• Managing a pub within the first year of her career
• The pub life
• Drive & Resilience
• The early career lessons
• The Foodie inspiration
• Abu Dhabi & Dubai
• Making the Women in F&B Power list
• Recognition
• Being true to yourself
• Hospitality Careers
• Ops Director Skill Set

There really is so much to love about this chat and there's no wonder that she was recognised on that Middle East F&B Power List!

Enjoy!

The Guest

Rachel Thomson is an Operations Director. Having spent years in the UK and Middle East, she has had the pleasure of having quite a diverse career span. Brought up in a fishing village in East Fife, Scotland, who would not be delighted that your mum and you went every Saturday to the fish shed to collect fresh scallops! She has worked with some large corporate companies and some independents so has tasted both worlds of doing your own P&L's to having the most advanced systems in the world! She wouldn't change it for the world.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelthomson727/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Welcome to another episode of "Hospitality Meets," where this week we delve into the vibrant world of the hospitality and night time economy. Phil is joined by none other than Michael Kill, the dynamic Chief Executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).

Michael shares an array of fascinating stories—from being pranked early in his career at Fifth Avenue to orchestrating his own elaborate pranks as promotional stunts. Listen as Phil and Michael explore how such experiences build resilience and break down barriers.

Michael’s journey into the industry was a serendipitous shift from a potentially very different path leading him to discover a profound sense of camaraderie and community. They discuss the quintessential role of problem-solving in hospitality, drawing parallels between past and present dynamics, especially influenced by social media. Michael underscores the importance of unity within the industry to influence governmental policies and enhance representation, touching upon his work with NTIA and the Institute of Hospitality.

Together, Phil and Michael reflect on the multifaceted nature of the hospitality industry—from unglamorous tasks to major political manoeuvres—and its power to shape character and personal growth. Tune in to hear about Michael's hands on experience, his advocacy for collective industry success, and his strategic initiatives that aim to elevate the industry's stature on both national and international stages.

Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation brimming with practical wisdom, laughter, and a touch of nostalgia. Cheers!

The Guest

With several decades of experience working within independent, corporate and public sector environments at executive level, Michael specialises in Marketing, Operations, Licensing, Logistics and System Implementation. With significant senior management roles within Luminar Leisure Plc, The Drinks Group and the University of East Anglia and now as the Chief Executive of the Night Time Industries Association, Michael has been exposed to a considerable range of businesses within the night time economy business sector.

NTIA - https://ntia.co.uk/

Instagram - @ntiaofficial

X - @wearethentia

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Another belter for you this week as I got some time with Masterchef: The Professionals champion 2022, Nikita Pathakji. One of the the joys of that competition is that it gives chefs of all levels the opportunity to compete against each other, with Nikita winning the competition whilst at Junior Sous Chef level.

Her career has of course accelerated since then which we cover in our chat. We also get through:-

• Using brownies to get out of University
• Moving to London
• Finger sandwiches
• Moving to Micheln Star
• Bibendum
• Taking time out to Travel
• Back to London
• Moving past Michelin
• Phil Howard
• Kitchen W8
• Positive shoutouts
• Masterchef: The Professionals - The journey
• The future

And so much more. There's a whole lot more to Nikita than her Masterchef Journey and she's building herself a world class career, following what she is passionate about and taking some serious learning along the way. There's so much to love in her story.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Instagram - @chefnikita.p

Website - https://www.chefnikita.com/

Nikita Pathakji, the winner of MasterChef: The Professionals 2022, grew up in Derby before moving to London to pursue her dreams of becoming a chef. Nikita has worked in various Michelin starred restaurants across London, until she joined Kitchen W8 in 2020 where she worked up to Junior Sous Chef. Nikita is classically trained with a love for Asian flavours and loves to create her own style of fine dining in the dishes she creates. These days you can taste Nikita's food at events and pop ups across the country.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Well, what a lovely treat we have in store for you today. We got some time with the awesome humans at the sharp end of the Institute of Hospitality (https://www.instituteofhospitality.org), Kellie Rixon, Chair and Robert Richardson, the new CEO.

We chat about:

• The Tom cruise of the Hospitality Industry
• Richard Robertson
• World exclusives
• The impact of the weather
• How Robert’s appointment came about
• Serendipity
• Recording conversations with yourself
• The support
• Signatures
• Roberts email strategy
• Walking
• I’m In
• Collaboration
• Robert’s Instagram
• Phil Street Love in

and of course we talk through the story behind Roberts appointment and what the future holds.

It's an exciting time I'm super excited to see what this new appointment will bring.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business

Back to the world of Hotels this week as I got some time with the wonderful David Connell, General Manager at the stunning South Lodge Hotel (https://www.exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge/) and Group Operations Director for Exclusive Collection (https://www.exclusive.co.uk/).

David has a wonderful story covering:-

• The exclusive journey
• The start
• Working in France
• Working New Years Eve
• Happy Accidents
• The new role
• Lifelong friends
• Length of service
• South Lodge
• Making your own wine
• Waste and Sustainability
• Spraying yourself with Champagne
• Master Inn Holders
• Giving back
• Meeting superstar celebs

And so much more. David has some great career learning to share throughout our chat and we get a peak behind the curtain at the wonderful goings on at South Lodge Hotel.

Enjoy!

Episode 99 (We're nearly there) and boy do I have another hum dinger for you today.

I got some time with the Wonderful (that will stick now) Tom Ross, Group Operations Director at The Pig Hotels (https://www.thepighotel.com/).

Tom's story is epic and we cover off loads including:-

• The wonderful Tom Ross
• Awards
• Events
• Being born into the industry
• Getting the start
• Moving to the USA
• Using the industry to travel
• Moving to the Napa valley
• Making people feel welcome
• The Relais Chateaux Book
• The French Laundry
• Back to the UK
• Serendipity
• Retention
• Hotelier of the year award
• Let people fly
• Badly behaved guests
• Knitting
• The Monotony of Excellence

And so much more.

Tom chats with amazing energy and passion throughout and is yet another indication of where this industry can take you with a bit of graft and a bit of focus.

Enjoy!

Another wonderful CEO journey for you this week. I got some time with Kalindi Juneja, CEO of PoB hotels.

Kalindi is a first time CEO and its a fascinating journey to get to that point. We get through:-

• Growing up in Singapore
• Going against the expectation
• Singapore Airlines
• Attention to detail
• Relais & Chateaux
• Sales & Marketing
• Learning and Progressing
• Serendipity
• Food
• Becoming a CEO
• Authenticity
• POB Hotels
• Dogs

And so much more. Kalindi's story is brilliant and is a shining light to us all that no matter where you start, a career in hospitality can take you wherever you want to go.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Kalindi is CEO of PoB Hotels. She has worked in the industry for over 20 years and took over the running of PoB Hotels in 2021. Since then she has overseen the strategical repositioning of the brand with a new visual and verbal expression, including a new website, online magazine, and pretty much every touch point. Her ambition for this new direction builds on their growing appeal to a wider, affluent audience but also underpins their core values.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

One of the objectives of our humble little podcast was to give a voice to as wide a variety of people as possible from within hospitality so I was delighted to get some time with Rachael Stevens, Guest Services Manager at South Lodge Hotel (https://www.exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge).

Rachael is clearly on her way up to do great things.

We talk about serving celebrities, mentors, leadership, poise under pressure, guest services post lockdown, Raymond Blanc and so much more.

Enjoy!

This chat was recorded on May 4th 2020 under lock down.

Q. What does it take to become a Hotel CEO?

A. There are very different paths and today's guest demonstrates that point perfectly.

We got some time with always excellent David Hart, CEO of RBH Hospitality Management and most definitely one of Hospitality's good guys. David will take the reigns in his role more or less a week after this episode is released.

We chat about lots including accounting, Glasgow, listening to your own voice, CEO’s who talk to themselves, culture, turning around redundancy situations, job offers in economic crisis, making the wrong decisions, the benefit of not burning bridges, Student accommodation, the evolution of hotels, the changing face of investment, the importance of the team, out of your depth lessons, letting people go, becoming a CEO, maximising your opportunities, I could go on and of course we cover off David's brilliant journey.

It's another insight into the varied journeys this incredible industry offers, even in the face of adversity.

Enjoy!

Time Stamps

[2:19] - David is far too humble

[3:15] - Tragically an accountant

[3:56] - Phil knackers himself out 2 minutes in

[4:01] - Start talking about double entry and that’s everybody gone

[5:59] - Other cities other than Glasgow

[6:41] - You said the word Scottish about as Scottish as someone can say it

[19:23] - David demonstrates some incredible decision making

[22:53] - It also shows you that hospitality rules

[29:21] - Hospitality challenges come in all shapes and sizes

[35:36] - This is an upbeat podcast and I intend to keep it that way

[47:31] - I’ve still not re-joined the same company for the third time yet

[47:46] - In 18 months I got about 5 years of experience

[49:57] - If you are gonna leave then don’t ever show your face again

[53:38] - You might have finance Licked

[54:13] - We’ll never know if there would have been a better candidate

[61:07] - Glasgae Kisses

[62:32] - Survival is the new winning

To say I was a little excited to get today's guest on would be the understatement of 2023. I was so delighted to get some time with total industry legend, and all round top bloke, Robin Hutson OBE - Chairman of Home Grown Hotels. Home Grown hotels look after such well known brands The Pig & Limewood.

The conversation is full from start to finish and he does not disappoint as we get through:-

• The Pig
• Distractions
• Going to college with no real plan
• Acing college
• Savoy Management programme
• The first Management position
• Building knowledge
• Bermuda
• Being offered Chewton Glen
• Becoming an Entrepreneur (20 years in the making)
• The changing face of hospitality
• The Origins of Hotel Du Vin
• Cobbling cash together
• The power of a positive review
• Involvement in Soho House
• The Birth of the Pig
• Total immersion

And so much more. Robins career is just incredible (And not done yet) with so many lessons throughout. Not only that, he tells it with the lightest touch and some great stories all the way through. A massive thank you to Robin for being so free with his journey.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Twitter - @RobinHutson

Robin Hutson OBE is a British hotelier, listed in 2019 as the UK's second most powerful hotelier. The winner of numerous industry awards including Hotelier of the Year 2003, two industry Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2016 and 2020. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business from Solent University, is on the Board of Governors for The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and an active supporter of Action Against Hunger.

Robin was appointed OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to the hospitality industry and philanthropy and remains as Chairman of Home Grown Hotels.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

In an effort to pull a curtain across 2020, we put together a Christmas Special episode where we pull in people from all over the industry to tell us all a tale of Christmas past from Hospitality.

We've got Cyrus Todiwala, Kellie Rixon, Cat Pengelly, Simon Taylor, Hayley Connor, Kellie Rixon, Elsa De Jager, Liam Wood, Kate Nicholls and Andrew Scott who join Kieron Bailey, Chris Fletcher and me, Phil Street, as we cover off Public speaking, amazing customer service, poo, brushes with the law, sponging music, alcohol, unhelpful services, confused guests, drag acts and so much more.

We're delighted to have worked in collaboration with EXP101 (https://www.experience101.live) & Harri (https://harri.com) to bring you this episode as part of EXP's Christmas Puddings to raise money for Hospitality Action (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk).

Please DONATE Anything you can by following this link https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/actionah

We hope this brings you a little moment of joy in amongst all the madness of this year.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Time for a cheeky bonus and this week I welcomed the absolutely epic, and my good friend, Dr Lizzy Bernthal who is a resilience specialist to chat through work place Toxicity and how to eradicate it (Amongst other things).

Lizzy has an amazing story of how she ended up specialising in this under discussed, but relevant topic and we cover a lot including:-

• The Army
• Fighting back against Toxicity
• Resilience
• Forms of Toxicity
• The Drama triangle
• Empowerment
• Language
• Choices
• The signs of Toxicity
• Culture & Values
• Coaching

And so much more. If you're in place that's toxic or just want to learn more about improving your resilience, Lizzy is THE person to ignite this within you.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Dr Lizzy Bernthal is a resilience coach who is on a mission to help 1 million purpose driven business owners and leaders to find their confidence and resilience already within them whilst working with values driven businesses to flourish in line with their vision and purpose

Website - https://rypotential.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzybernthal-resilience-specialist/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

What to say about today's guest?

Occasionally I'm lucky enough to stumble upon stories that just completely captivate you. Nassar Khalil, CEO of Rogue City Hotels (https://www.roguecityhotels.com/) has a story that will shock you and inspire you in equal measure. There is also a phenomenal amount of learning in here.

In amongst an incredible story of overcoming adversity we also chat about:-

• Battersea
• Being Educated in the UK
• Having discipline
• Graft, Being accepted into Imperial College
• The incident
• Starting again
• Digging deep
• Placement at Claridges
• The joy of teamwork
• Teams v Tribes
• The First Management role
• Becoming a General Manager
• Attention to detail
• Qatar
• Founding a Business
• Finding the story of your building
• Expansion

And so much more. I cannot thank Nassar enough for being vulnerable with his story, wherever you work at whatever level you are at, this is a story that really does have everything.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

You can't beat a good old chat about all things leadership and that's exactly what you get this week as I welcomed the host of the superb Hospitality Leadership Podcast and Leadership coach, Andy Jones to the show.

As you can imagine, there's more than a little chat around leadership but we also get through Andy's journey into hospitality and a whole lot more besides, including:-

• Leadership
• The Pre-Hospitality Career
• Experiencing bad leadership
• Taking on a cafe
• Covid, Day one
• Resourcefulness
• Checklists
• Dynamism
• Coaching
• The Podcast

There are so many wonderful takeaways from Andy and what he is doing around leadership is brilliant, and very needed.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Website - https://thecafehustle.com/

Instagram - @andy.leadership

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-jones-mihi-84692a59/

Andy Jones is a Leadership Coach and Podcast Host. He founded Cafe Hustle Hospitality - delivering leadership development and training to leaders and future leaders within the hospitality industry.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

A sneaky bonus for you this week as I welcome back absolute rockstar of a human, Jim Knight - Author, Speaker & Podcaster. Jim's super power is all about elevating through culture and having just written another book in his series, this time "Service that Rocks", I thought it was high time we had him back.

Jim is just box office in every minute and we get through:-

• Music
• Jim's Books
• Authenticity
• Creating wow experiences
• Price of admission stuff
• Service
• Attitude and personality
• Rita Gilligan
• Service that rocks

Jim's career may have taken him into other sectors teaching them all about the power of culture but his roots remain firmly in hospitality. Time spent in this mans company is time well spent indeed and there are so many wonderful takeaways from our chat.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Website - https://www.knightspeaker.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jimknightspeaker/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/knightspeaker

Having led Global Training for Hard Rock International for two decades, Jim Knight teaches organizations how to attain their own “rock star” status. His customized programs reveal how to amp up organizational culture, deliver world-class differentiated service, and build rock star teams and leaders.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

WE'RE BACK - Well, nearly anyway.

Welcome to the all new season of Hospitality Meets with me your host Phil Street.  After the all time high of season 3, we’re back with more awesome guests from within Hospitality and some shiny new things including a brand new Sponsor in the form of Rotacloud, a huge thank you to them and a whole lot more on them as we go through the season.

We’ve also got a brand new website now at www.hospitalitymeets.co.uk and we’ve made it much easier for you to find the chats you're looking for from within our 160+ episodes thanks to the new categories search function.  Not only that but we’ll continue to evolve and we'll be adding more new things over the coming months.  All this will mean we can keep moving the show forward and bring you even bigger and better guests from within the world of Hospitality. 

Finally, as of 31st May, there will be no more gaps in the seasons and we’ll bring you at least one chat each week going forward.

So until then, sit back, relax and don’t forget to tell all your friends to hit that subscribe button as we’ll be kicking things back off in style.

See you on the the 31st!

Happy New Year!

And what better way to start the year than by chatting to someone from the world of learning and development. Not only that but we went straight to the top and got some time with Beth Aarons, Global Director at the world class Dorchester Collection Academy (www.dorchestercollection.com/en/academy).

Beth has forged an incredible career so far working in and out of industry with some phenomenal brands. We chat about early Tiers, Dorchester Collection, How the Academy was born, the training spaces, being thrown in the deep end, knowing when to say no, the balance of ambition and humility, using leadership to navigate a crisis, remaining flexible, the amazement of humanity, City Inn, star ratings, the perception of value and so much more.

It's a cracker, Beth really is at the top of her game.

Enjoy

Show Transcription

Coming soon

What a wonderful way to cap off the first part of season 2 than with a chat with one of the industry's shining stars!

I got some (Very human focused) time with Natasha Nagra, Resourcing & Talent Director at Valour Hospitality Partners. We cover loads including:-

• Being busy
• Valour Hospitality Management
• Falling into recruitment
• Recruitment and marketing
• Managing multiple brands
• Awards
• Best practise
• HIRE
• The Metaverse
• Human v Tech
• Using animals in marketing
• No filter children
• Falling off stages

And so much more. It's very clear that Natasha is doing what she is meant to be doing as she talks passionately about the world of resourcing and talent attraction, a subject very close to my heart!

Enjoy!

You may recall that one of the objectives of the podcast was to tell the stories of a wide variety of roles throughout the industry. Well, today we have another guest who ticks that box but not only that brings a story forward of real depth and power.

I was delighted to get some time with Mitchell Collier, Reception Manager for the Newly Opened Mayfair Townhouse in London (www.themayfairtownhouse.com).

Mitch has a superbly rich story with so many elements. We chat about the Mayfair Townhouse, Staffordshire Oatcakes, cake dealing, the brilliance of Le Manoir, Raymond Blanc as Winnie the Pooh, new openings, overcoming health problems, mental health, kindness, making guest dreams come true, golf buggies, Hospitality Action and so much more.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did conducting it.

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

Coming Soon

What a cracker of a chat I have for you this week!

When Daniel McLoughlin (Owner of Rocksalt Cafe's & Restaurants in Ireland) reached out to me earlier this year to see if I'd have him on the show, a quick bit of research (And some discussion points from Daniel) highlighted what an interesting chat it could be.

And it does not disappoint as we get through:-

• Early Entrepreneurial spirit
• Shannon College
• Ironing
• Finding your feet
• Tenacity
• Vincent Madden & Arora Hotel Group
• David Connell & Exclusive Hotels
• The people you learn from
• James Horler & Ego restaurants
• Running a restaurant
• Moving back to Ireland
• The start of Rocksalt
• The thin line between success and failure
• Expansion
• Pivoting to Take away
• Boldness
• Wedding cakes

And so much more. Daniel demonstrates a boldness all the way through his career so far and it's clear that it has served him well to date. There are also so many great lessons from his journey.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Daniel is the owner/creator of RockSalt Cafes and Restaurants. Starting off with a team of 7 including himself in a small 20 seater café, they now have 5 outlets with a team of over 80 and growing.

Website - www.rocksaltcafe.ie

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-mcloughlin-83797528/

Instagram - @caferocksalt

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

We've got another epic journey for you this week as I got some time with CEO of Umbrella Training and Employment Solutions (and almighty Apprenticeships champion) Adele Oxberry.

And what a story she has, getting involved in hospitality from an early age right through to now, heading up one of the sectors most prominent training and apprenticeship providers.

Adele is super chatty and so we get through loads including:-

• Starting young
• The lessons of housekeeping
• Moving to reception
• Developing leadership skills early
• Getting passed boredom
• Chasing Dust with scissors
• Moving into assessing
• Juggling motherhood and career
• Umbrella
• What are Apprenticeships?
• finding the joy in your life
• Gamification (Who knew that was even a word?)

And a whole lot more besides.

Adele is awesome and her energy and enthusiasm for the industry is there for everyone to see. Once again, a huge shout out to Jo Harley for the introduction (My secret booking agent)

Enjoy!

Sponsors

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

HOSPITALITY IS AWESOME!!!

Spread the word.

Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street is a FUN centric podcast for the hospitality industry.  Join Phil each week as he hosts a new guest in a light-hearted chat centred around their story to date, covering off all the fun, stupid, quirky and terrifying things that happen along the way. We might even cover off some intellectual stuff as well... but probably not.

Phil will be chatting to every corner of the Industry including the operators, the HR guru's, the marketeers, the chefs, the engineers, the financiers, the creators the rising stars, the producers, you name it. All to showcase the diversity of opportunity that exists and the fun you will inevitably have along the way.

So whether you're in Hospitality already or are just Hospitality curious, then come on in for a laugh and some insight into the greatest industry on earth.

Don't forget to hit Subscribe across your favourite podcast app

This week, we got some time with Hotel Human Resources Legend, Jon Dawson, recently appointed Group Director of People Development at Lore Group (https://loregroup.com).

Jon has forged an enviable career so far working in some iconic hotels including the St Pancras Renaissance, The London Edition and the Mandarin Oriental.

As always, we get through lots including reciprocal back scratching, exercise, football, USA, Marriott, the beauty of the St Pancras Renaissance, picking your interview attire, haunted offices, new openings, practical joking, being inspired, perception of value, mentors and so much more. There's also more than a few references in here to Episode 26 guest and fellow HR legend, Eugenio Pirri demonstrating the togetherness in the industry greatly.

Enjoy!

Show Transcription

Coming soon

What's the saying? Be Kind because everyone you meet is facing a hard battle. Within the story of todays guest, there was one monumental battle.

I was over thrilled to get some time with one of my old mates, Natalie Tait - People Director at Artfarm.

Our chat played out a little bit like a catch up but there's a lot to take away here including:-

• Artfarm
• School
• Rejecting college for work
• Finding pubs
• Running a pub at 20
• Changing direction through injury
• Recruitment
• D&D
• Opening a hotel
• Being surrounded by great people
• Being yourself
• Home House
• Ambiguity
• Borough Market
• Seeking help

And so much more.

Natalie is both a force of nature and a force for good within the industry. Natalie is also kind enough to recount one of the toughest moments of her life with openness and humour with some important lessons to be heard.

It's a compelling chat and I hope you will enjoy!

The Guest

Natalie is the People Director at Artfarm. Artfarm are an independent hospitality and development company owned by Manuela and Iwan Wirth. Artfarm sets new boundaries for what cultural development can achieve. It adapts and reinvents unique sites that come with great stories by bringing together art, community, education, people and place. Artists are invited to celebrate these stories with site specific commissions. Public programmes are created to engage guests with art and locality. The local community is embraced and promoted through a celebration of the culture, customs, food and drink that make each site original.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business

Before I started recording this episode with Olajide Alabi, Equality, Inclusion & Wellbeing Partner at Turtle bay restaurants (https://turtlebay.co.uk/), I had no idea why it had taken me as long as it did to get him on the show. The answer to that becomes apparent as we chat.

There's so much joy in this chat from the off including:-

• The heat
• Shiny foreheads
• Starting at TGI Fridays
• Moving to hotels
• Call centres
• Finding home in restaurants
• Management
• Bad shift decision making
• Building resilience
• Challenging yourself
• Internal recruitment
• The Power of Diversity & Inclusion
• Slag Lines
• Wetherspoons poster boy
• Being your authentic self
• The Origins of SISU
• Turtle Bay restaurants
• Being anti-racist
• Wellbeing
• Food
• Self reflection

Olajide is one of life's fun loving characters and he is without question at home in hospitality. In amongst all the fun in our chat there are loads of great takeaways around Equality and wellbeing and I am grateful we got the time we did.

Enjoy!

This week we got some time with rising superstar and all round bundle of energy Catrina Pengelley, Founder of the Nerdy Hotelier (https://thenerdyhotelier.weebly.com).

Like a lot of people in the hospitality industry, 2020 saw Cat lose her job in sales but rather than getting all down beat about that, she dusted herself off and got on with it, founding the Nerdy Hotelier Blog and generally making a positive nuisance of herself.

In our chat, we get through loads, including The glory of a podcast, podcast networking, early academia, Vancouver, working the line, finding your passion, Canada’s Historic hotels, high level job interview techniques, re-enacting Deadpool scenes, moving to the Rockies, very cool winters, drinking vodka up a mountain, the wildlife of Canada, moving to Europe, being organised, the northern lights, moving the cat, London Not London, the beauty of Danesfield House, redundancy as opportunity, grabbing the bull by the horns, the Nerdy Hotelier, The redundancy support roadmap, the Christmas Special podcast and THAT Intro, sending bags to the wrong room and so much more.

Cat has a cracking story so far and she tells it with such passion and joy.

Enjoy!

What a corker we've got for you this week.

We got time (somehow) with the incredibly busy and rather awe inspiring Chef & Restaurant Magazine (https://chefpublishing.com/) Editor, Claire Bosi. Claire is also the driving force behind the wonderful and necessary #seatatthetable campaign to try and ensure we have a minister for hospitality going forward (https://www.seatatthetable.org.uk/).

This is action packed from the word go covering off nuggets such as Boris’s roadmap, creating the best publication there is, launching a magazine in March 2020, keeping morale up, uninspiring starts, The Merchant House, grabbing the bull by the horns, starting from scratch, husband and wife teams, the tale of the wonky chair, Ludlow food scene, Michelin Stars, worth a detour, 2 v 3 star, Michelin Secret agents, ghost writing, Chef & Restaurant Magazine, campaigning, Running like Forest Gump, #seatatthetable, petitions, the amazing Angela Hartnett, what is a substantial meal, forgetting the Michelin inspectors order and so much more.

Claire is a natural story teller and she tells her story with such passion and energy, it really is a cracker

Enjoy

Chef & Restaurant Magazine

Instagram @chefpublishing

Twitter @chefpublishing

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chefpublishing/

Seat at the Table

Linktree https://linktr.ee/Seat_at_the_table

You'll most likely know today's guest as Co-Founder of Honest Burgers but he's been working away on something transformative and has also Co-Founded another business in the form of Pineapple described as "future proofing hospitality through people data and research". I am of course talking about Philip Eeles.

Philip is high on energy from the outset and to the backdrop of his balcony in Brighton, and a Gin & Tonic, we set to getting through his rather wonderful story.

There's so much to love, including:-

• The 2023 Philip Eeles
• Journalism aspiration
• Starting in hospitality to pay the bills
• Meeting Tom
• Getting off and running
• Naivety
• Lewes Fireworks
• The Third Co-Founder
• Brixton Market
• Expansion
• Real Loyalty
• Mistakes
• Storytelling and culture
• The future
• Pineapple

And so much more. At times through his story you'd be forgiven for thinking that Philip lunged from one mistake to the next (Hence the title, burgering it up - You see what I did there), but the reality is that under this fun loving and high energy guy, is one driven human and as a result we have so many lessons to take from our chat.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Philip is the Co-Founder of National treasure burger chain, Honest Burgers now at 40+ restaurants and Pineapple among many other ventures.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-eeles-02229ba6/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Back in May 2020, we got some time with Gilles Perrin, Executive Chef at the world class Ritz Carlton Osaka, Japan.

In today's chat we talk about moving to takeaway in a Michelin starred restaurant, travel, the importance of early career mentors, Asian food, ordering volume at Atlantis, Japan, Seasonality, writing a book in 8 weeks, Kitchen leadership and so much more.

Born in Switzerland, Gilles Perrin studied French cuisine at

culinary school and started his career as a chef in 1994. He has worked in some of the world's most famous places including Atlantis the Palm in Dubai and under the 3 Michelin starred Alain Ducasse in Paris and London.

Gilles is an effortless story teller, It's an absolute stormer!

Enjoy.

Recorded on 22nd May 2020

What a treat I have for you this week as I managed to get some time with the incredible Robert Cook, CEO of Hostmore PLC (https://www.hostmoregroup.com/) and all round industry Titan.

Robert has such an epic career so far and is an inspiration to us all. He's a natural story teller throughout and my word he's done some very cool things.

We get through sooo much, including :-

• Peterhead
• Being born into the industry
• Learning 5 star
• Stephen Carter
• Climbing the ranks
• The first GM role
• Malmaison - The First Stint
• Monaco
• Ken McCulluch and David Coulthard
• CEO at 36
• If you’re good enough - you’re old enough
• Village
• Virgin active
• The Cookie Jar - Northumberland
• Moving to Fridays
• The opportunity to float
• Adapting to the market
• Being up for the challenge
• How to become a CEO
• People
• Creating Experience
• Taking breakfast to Margaret Thatcher
• Lord Rupert Whoopsie
• Characters

And so much more. It's so wonderful to hear that even someone who has developed such an incredible and serious career, the over riding message throughout is that he has had a lot of fun along the way. A wonderful message for us all to remember.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

I am absolutely thrilled to unleash this weeks episode as todays guest, and the sector in which he operates, do not get nearly enough exposure as an area of Hospitality.

I was delighted to get some time with Rob Byrom, Group Hospitality Services Manager at Hallmark Care Homes, a leading luxury care provider (https://www.hallmarkcarehomes.co.uk/)

As usual, we get through loads including:-

• Beards
• Busting some care home myths
• Starting out as a laborer
• Making the move to hotels
• Discovering care
• Moving through departments
• Enjoying what you do
• The power of Reception
• What is Care?
• Climbing the ranks
• Redundancy
• Hallmark
• The Job of a Group Hospitality Services Manager
• Team bonding

And so much more. Rob is naturally warm throughout our chat and he's on a mission to shine a light on the care sector as a prominent force within the world of hospitality.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

In the next of our Bonus Episode's we chat to the brilliant Ken McGarrie, Passionate hospitality advocate, Founder of Korgen Hospitality in Chicago, USA and author of the superb "The Surprise Restaurant Manager".

We get through loads including:-

• The career start
• Finding “A real Job”
• How people arrive at being a restaurant manager
• Where the book came from
• Asking for help
• I have the time
• The power of language
• Being alert to the first impression
• Being aware of your guests mood
• The complainers who don’t complain
• Covid US & UK
• Being thankful to your team
• Making your team "unpoachable"
• Psychology
• Whingeing
• The Surprise Restaurant Manager
• Ken’s pay it forward

And of course Ken's superb journey. The book rightly takes front and centre here and Ken has created an invaluable resource for the industry.

A massive thank you to Ken for coming on to chat, especially at 4.00am his time!

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business

When I started this podcast, I had no idea as to what wonderful stories it would lead me to. Today's episode is another wonderful story!

I got some time with Jen & Seb Heeley-Wiggins, Founders of the world class Spirit of Manchester Distillery (https://spiritofmanchester.co.uk/) and Three Little Words Bar (https://threelittlewordsmcr.co.uk/)

Their story is epic from start to finish and we cover so much, including:-

• Marriage
• The buildings
• Previous Careers
• Defining the business roles
• Light bulb moments
• Setting up in the dining room
• Business moto’s
• Research and Development
• Mouthfeel
• What is Pink Gin?
• The Juniper Police
• The Craft Gin Club
• Custom Bottles
• Always say yes
• Evolving to Rum & Vodka
• How pirates talk
• Whisky
• The future

There are so many takeaways from two entrepreneurs at the top of their game.

Stay tuned to the end to get your special Hospitality Meets discount on their incredible drinks.

Enjoy!

My life have I got a story for you this week.

Introducing Matt Burgess (Known as Matt Blak on Instagram) who has a story so epic, a Hollywood writer should pick it up. I made a decision half way through chatting to Matt that I'll just let this one roll for as long as it takes as frankly, there's learning from the outset and all the way through. It's a 2 hour chat so I'm breaking this up into two this week, the first part for you now and the second part on Friday.

So here is Part one.

And crikey it doesn't disappoint.

We get through:-

• Self care day
• Very humble beginnings
• Gangs
• Horticulture
• The connection to cooking
• Piles of dishes
• Learning through mimicking
• Running the show
• Winning some money
• The danger of comfort
• Australia
• Mafia
• Arrival UK
• Soho House
• Drug Use
• Seeking help

Despite an epic journey of adversity, Matt's approach to his story is one of deep reflection and humility and he tells it openly and honestly with a lot of humour thrown in. He does this in the hope that someone out there can learn from his mistakes.

Of course his story does not finish there and tune in later in the week for the superb part 2.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Matt Burgess

A proud New Zealand Maori, Matt started his career in Wellington, cutting his teeth in some of the city’s most iconic restaurants; Dockside, Cafe Laffare and the legendary Matterhorn.

Matt moved to London in 1998 starting at the newly opened Soho House in Greek Street. He went on to work as a Senior Chef at Bluebird in Chelsea, Gordon Ramsey’s Maze Grill and Jamie Oliver’s Threadneedle Street.

In 2015, he was snapped up as the Group Executive Chef at Caravan and Vardo Restaurants, where he was part of the team growing the brand from two to seven sites.

With over 30 years experience, Matt Burgess, often known at @matblak on Instagram, began his next move in 2022 with a step into his own food consultancy business, Kaiwhenua.

At Kaiwhenua, which means food from the land in his native Maori, Matt now creates innovative recipes for companies including Goodman Steak House Group, Caravan Restaurant Group and premium ceramic BBQ brand Big Green Egg, to name a few.

Live fire and BBQ aficionado, Matt is a content creator and Ambassador for some of the largest global BBQ brands including Weber, Big Green Egg and Smokey Oak BBQ.

Matt also offers professional food photography and videography and is a qualified coach and mentor.

Matt Burgess runs a seasonal sell out supper club and has created a range of condiments under the brand Kai by Matblak.

1. Instagram @matblak
2. LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/matthew-burgess-426a4535
3. Twitter @chefmattburgess

Sponsors

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Ahhhh, Drink. We all love it. But not all drinks are made equally and today's guest is part of a team who have produced a world class no alcohol beer.

As a fanboy, I was delighted I got some time with Felix von Hurter, Co-Founder of No Alcohol drinks guru's Freestar Drinks (https://freestar.co).

As always, we cram in loads including:-

• Facebook advertising
• The need for hospitality’s return
• Starting in flavours and fragrance
• Sipsmith
• The rise and rise of Gin
• Lame and Soda
• The de-alcoholising process
• Having a positive impact on the planet
• Liquid engineering
• What it takes to pioneer a product
• Winning a world beer award
• Occasions for generations
• The emergence of the Alcohol free category
• Lo & No perceptions
• Sunk cost fallacy
• Palate fatigue
• The future
• The now

It's a cracking chat and Felix and his Co-founders level of tenacity is to be applauded but it is most certainly worth it. They have produced a world class product.

Enjoy.

In this weeks Hospitality Meets, we have a very special guest - Sally Abé, renowned chef and author who has recently released her memoir - A woman's place is in the kitchen.

Throughout her career, Sally has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the UK, including the Savoy, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, and the Ledbury. She's here to share her journey, from working as a waitress in golf clubs and bars to becoming a junior sous chef and eventually the head chef at the Harwood Arms, which topped the list of the top 50 gastropubs in 2020.

But Sally's story isn't just about her achievements in the kitchen. She's also an advocate for change in the hospitality industry, particularly when it comes to creating a more inclusive and supportive work environment for everyone. She'll be discussing the challenges she's faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, as well as the importance of valuing and nurturing your team.

We'll also be diving into Sally's experience writing her memoir, which she describes as "a manifesto for change in the professional kitchen industry". She'll share some of the funny and heart-warming moments from her career, as well as the tough times that have shaped her both personally and professionally.

So grab a seat at the table and join us for an insightful and inspiring conversation with the one and only Sally Abé. Trust us, you won't want to miss this one!

The Guest

Instagram - @littlechefsally

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

And so here is part two of Matt's epic journey.

In the first part we learned about an incredible amount of adversity that Matt had to deal with. By his own admission, some of it self inflicted.

In the second part, there's definitely a transfer over to hope and moving forward.

In this part, we get through:-

• Bluebird Restaurant
• Re-focussing Energy into the positive
• Maze Restaurant
• People
• Jamie Oliver
• Learning leadership
• Giving back
• Caravan restaurants
• Covid
• Extra Curricular Collaborations
• Becoming an influencer
• An accidental business
• Losing a loved one in Lockdowns
• Finding his long lost Dad

I'll be forever grateful to Matt for sharing his story so openly shining a light on how good the glory can feel when you've had to swim through some shit to get there.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Matt Burgess

A proud New Zealand Maori, Matt started his career in Wellington, cutting his teeth in some of the city’s most iconic restaurants; Dockside, Cafe Laffare and the legendary Matterhorn.

Matt moved to London in 1998 starting at the newly opened Soho House in Greek Street. He went on to work as a Senior Chef at Bluebird in Chelsea, Gordon Ramsey’s Maze Grill and Jamie Oliver’s Threadneedle Street.

In 2015, he was snapped up as the Group Executive Chef at Caravan and Vardo Restaurants, where he was part of the team growing the brand from two to seven sites.

With over 30 years experience, Matt Burgess, often known at @matblak on Instagram, began his next move in 2022 with a step into his own food consultancy business, Kaiwhenua.

At Kaiwhenua, which means food from the land in his native Maori, Matt now creates innovative recipes for companies including Goodman Steak House Group, Caravan Restaurant Group and premium ceramic BBQ brand Big Green Egg, to name a few.

Live fire and BBQ aficionado, Matt is a content creator and Ambassador for some of the largest global BBQ brands including Weber, Big Green Egg and Smokey Oak BBQ.

Matt also offers professional food photography and videography and is a qualified coach and mentor.

Matt Burgess runs a seasonal sell out supper club and has created a range of condiments under the brand Kai by Matblak.

1. Instagram @matblak
2. LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/matthew-burgess-426a4535
3. Twitter @chefmattburgess

Sponsors

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week we move into the world of consulting and we got some time with brilliant Mike Stocks, Founder of Mike Stocks Consulting (https://mikestocks.co.uk) and known as "the wine guy" (He's got a lot more knowledge than merely wine).

We cover off a lot, including:-

• Boris' road map
• Travel plans
• Working in a meat processing factory
• Holding down 2 part time jobs
• Uni
• Giving up the law
• The start at Carluccios
• Following your own passion
• Barista/Barrister
• Training
• Moving into drink
• Buying wine
• Branching out internationally
• Openings
• Becoming a diplomat
• The Turkish/Italian/English breakfast
• Obvs
• The need to evolve and stay agile
• Moving into consulting
• Adding value
• Demystifying wine
• Cider
• Kitchen training without gas
• Know your bars in Turkey
• And of course Mike's brilliant story.

Mike demonstrates that it's good to be aware of opportunity as it presents itself and how that has added a wonderful richness to his career which allows him to offer exceptional consulting services around so many things.

Bravo Mike

Enjoy!

In may 2020, we were lucky enough to steal some time with Louise Gallant, Talent Director at Harri.com, rising tech superstars and all round great people.

Louise is a natural story teller with some amazing and hilarious stories throughout.

This week we cover travelling in America, being born in a pub, winging it in business class, taking geography lessons from Pete Sampras’ coach, life on ships, being held at gunpoint (Yes you read that correctly), Pizza, meditation, dealing with depression, educating the teachers, Lemon Curd and so much more.

It's an absolute cracker!

Recorded on 13th May 2020 under lock down

Today we bring you the superstar that is Jane Sunley, Founder and CEO of Purple Cubed (https://purplecubed.com/).

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Humble beginnings
• Being the naughty one
• Being spurred on by negativity
• Becoming a manager
• Moving to Reading
• London
• Starting in contract catering
• Setting up a temp agency
• Purpled Cubed
• Culture
• Book writing
• Shenanigans in the dry store

And so much more.

Jane is one of the most recognisable humans in hospitality and has an epic story from start to finish, told with humour and humility. I guarantee you'll take massive value from our conversation.

Enjoy!

It's Valentines day and so I got to talk to someone about a subject I LOVE! That being, People!

I welcomed the quite superb Jo Harley, Co-founder of Korero and Hendrick & Hyde, to the show. Jo was nervous about coming on the show as she's never had the confidence to do this sort of thing before but she needn't have worried as she brought her natural, chatty self and we laid into a lot, including:-

• Brewdog Waterloo
• Marketing
• Measures of success
• Coming to work
• What good looks like
• Leisure Management Degrees
• Cheerleading
• Greece
• Working in bars
• Hospitality as National service
• Fun
• Inevitable evolution
• Korero
• Resting bitch face

And so much more. Jo is the very epitome of a people person and she brings the fun from the outset in what is another wonderful career within hospitality.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Jo is the Co-Founder of Korero, a new standard in career conversations and Hendrick & Hyde, who help businesses become great places to work.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-harley/

Email - jo@hellokorero.co

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Ever wondered what goes on in the world of an Environmental Health Officer? Well, wonder no more (And even if you didn't wonder, pay attention as there's some awesome content afoot) as I got some time with Natalie Stanton, Founder of the Safety Expert.

I know what you are thinking, how is that hospitality? Well, quite frankly, the industry of hospitality would not exist without a massive focus on keeping our guests safe, environmental health does just that.

Not only that but Natalie talks so passionately and easily about her topic and we get through:-

• Home office video space
• Environmental Health
• Launching a business
• Food Safety & Marketing
• Becoming an EHO
• People skills
• Cross Contamination
• Closing places down
• Hong Kong food inspections
• Confessions of a Food inspection
• Are we too safe?
• Bacteria
• Food Hygiene training

and a whole lot more. There's some awesome stories in here from a life as an EHO but more than that, Natalie is building a fantastic business and resource. For anyone who is interested in nudging your knowledge along a little in this area, I encourage you to reach out to her.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Natalie is a Chartered Environmental Health Officer with over a decade of expertise in food safety and health and safety. With an impressive track record in the private sector as a food safety advisor to big names like ExCeL London and as a regulator for various local authorities.

As founder of The Safety Expert, Natalie has created an innovative online training platform that offers top-quality video-based Level 2 Food Hygiene training for food businesses that want to be the best. Natalie's ultimate mission? To help food businesses thrive safely, without compromise.

Website - https://www.thesafetyexpert.co.uk/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_safety_expert/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Humans are such a massive part of the Hospitality Industry and looking after all those humans is no mean feat. Today we talk to a real heavy hitter in that space, Jose Ruiz, Director of Human Resources for The London Edition & W Leicester Square.

Jose is an effortless story teller with some awesome comedy moments from an illustrious career so far, he also doesn't take himself too seriously which you'll learn within 2 minutes of this chat.

We talk accents, HR in luxury, Opening a hotel in a skyscraper, tables with a view, networking, brand difference, luxury, coaching, leadership v management, generational evolution, do not disturb, fights between guests, luggage and of course Jose's exceptional journey.

A huge thank you to Jose for sharing such superb insight.

Enjoy!

Conversation Transcription

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

people, hospitality, hotel, luggage, brands, guest, marques de, hotels, industry, london, stories, opened, apple, jose, moment, coaching, thought, restaurant, life, marriott

SPEAKERS

Jose Ruiz, Phil Street

Phil Street 00:01

Welcome to hospitality meets with me Phil street where we take a light hearted look into the stories and individuals that make up the wonderful world of hospitality. Today's guest is Jose he was director of HR for the London edition and the W Leicester Square. Coming up on today's show, Jose and Phil deal in some mild peril Oh, danger danger...

Jose Ruiz 00:23

Indeed, danger danger...

Phil Street 00:25

Phil recalls a shocking event from early in his career. I opened the door to one of them kicking the other one up the backside. And Jose argues with himself over an inanimate object

Jose Ruiz 00:37

Well, I left my house... with the luggage? Yeah, of course with the luggage. What do you think I'm stupid,

Phil Street 00:42

All that and so much more as Jose talks us through His story and journey to date, as well as some amazing content on coaching and leadership. In addition, Jose was a natural storyteller and shares some fantastic comedy moments from his career so far, a massive thank you to him for that. Don't forget, we launch a brand new episode each week telling the amazing and always amusing stories from hospitality. So make sure you hit that subscribe button and give us a like and share it across your networks. Let's share these stories as far as we can. Enjoy. Hello, and welcome to the next edition of hospitality meats with me Phil Street. Today we move into the world of humans, specifically HR and I'm joined by someone who's worked in some of London's most iconic hotels, as well as a brief foray out of the industry in another marquee brand which has now culminated in him taking on a multi property role as director of HR at the London edition and the W in Leicester Square. So welcome to the show Jose Ruiz

Jose Ruiz 01:41

hi Phil How you doing?

Phil Street 01:43

I'm very well how are you doing? I am very well too, very well. Just wondering whether anyone is going to understand us today. You with your Scottish accent? Me with my Spanish one. (Laughs) That's a good point. Yeah, well, let's see what happens. Yeah, absolutely. Great. Well, let's just kick it straight off. Could you take us all the way back to the beginning of your career and how did you get into this industry?

Jose Ruiz 02:09

Yep, well this This goes back a fair while so I would wake up in the morning jump on my horse and you know just just ride to the nearest No just kidding. I I just knew that I wanted to work in hospitality pretty much all my career, I studied back home in Spain Hotel...

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

We're back for the 2nd half of season 2 and we get things moving fast with the Industry champion that is Matt Townley, Regional Operations Director for Dakota Hotels (https://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/).

Matt brings the energy from the get go and we get through a lot including:-

• Titans V Legends
• Energy
• Starting young
• Education v Experience
• The initial Spark
• The impact of others
• Mentors
• Weddings
• Community
• Attention to detail
• Diversifying the knowledge
• “Ken”isms
• Dakota
• Recognition
• Stories involving James Bond

And so much more.

Matt is a shining light for hospitality, is definitely a Titan in the making and there's so much great content in here around building a career.

Thanks so much Matt.

We're also thrilled to have made our way onto the Top 50 Hospitality podcasts list here https://blog.feedspot.com/hospitality_podcasts/

Enjoy!

Another year passes us by and just as we thought we were leaving all the drama that Covid brought us, 2022 decided that it wanted some of the action too with a brand new set of challenges.

It therefore felt appropriate to bring you a brief moment of joy at the most wonderful time of the year with some more tales of Christmas past with some more previous guests from our 120+ conversations so far, alongside those two legends Chris Fletcher & Kieron Bailey, who always bring the fun.

We've got Mark Kirby, Mitchell Collier, Chris Wayne-Wills, Jane Sunley, Ioannis Pantelidis, Paul Spencer and Bex McKeown, all reminding us of the madness that happens at this time of year through their stories involving gambling with people's bills, unwanted house guests, multiple personality Santa's, mutinous guests, offering food to rival hotels, Christmas lust, overbookings, life sized gingerbread houses, misdelivered gifts, reservation diary nightmares and even chefs on fire.

A huge thank you to all our guests for bringing their A game on the fun!

I hope it brings you brief moment of joy in what has been another challenging year.

Merry Christmas one and all.

Welcome to our Season 3 Finale week where I've got 3 wonderful chats from one of the finest businesses going, Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons (https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons/).

On a cold Decembers day, I headed over to Oxfordshire to get some time with three of their incredible leaders.

And first up is Niall Kingston, The General Manager. Niall took the reins of Le Manoir at the age of 31, an achievement not to be sniffed at. Not only that, he's got an awesome career so far and some great stories up his sleeve.

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Growing up on the farm (And hating it)
• Trying Hotels
• Studying
• Placement in luxury
• Putting in the graft
• Vancouver
• Working with unions
• Luck & Timing
• People are special
• The right time to leave
• The pursuit of excellence
• Unexpected waterfalls in buildings
• Excellence

Niall mentions luck throughout our chat but I'm an avid believer in that luck comes from hard work and talent, he's clearly got both in spades.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

We wouldn't have had todays conversation had our guest not reached out and asked if she could come on the show. And I'm so glad that she did.

I chat to Clare Coghill, Chef & Owner of Café Cùil on the Isle of Skye.

And what a chat it is, it's got everything, a great story, so many lessons and some cracking anecdotes. We get through:-

• Island life and weather
• Positive Social Media
• Being born into the industry
• Formative years
• Going into TV
• London and the Spark for food
• Moving into the kitchen
• The first business
• The deep end
• Opening your first business in a pandemic
• Forced return to Skye
• Reconnecting with local produce
• Cafe Cuil
• Gaelic
• Controlled fires
• TV competitions
• Staffing & Culture

And so much more.

Clare's story is so positive, along with her general outlook and there's something for everyone in this chat.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Clare Coghill is the owner and head chef of Café Cùil on the Isle of Skye. Café Cùil began its story in the heart of Hackney, East London in 2019. Hailing from the Isle of Skye, Clare's passion for Hebridean produce combined with her Gaelic influences created a unique café space in London that fast became a hotspot for brunch lovers around the city.

Now based back on the Isle of Skye, the café has been reborn in the idyllic setting of Carbost.

Drawing inspiration from the wild, natural larder that Skye has to offer, Café Cùil uses locally-sourced, sustainable produce combined with traditional ingredients to give its own refreshing take on brunch & lunch

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Merry Twixmas to you all!

Something a little different for you this week, a monumental story of strength and hope!

When Charlie Hodson (Owner, until the end of 2023 at least, of Hodson & Co) reached out to me to see if his story merited an airing on the show, a quick call got me questioning whether this show is big enough for his story.

There's a lot to get through in this chat including:-

• The Cheese Room
• Being a Chef
• Opening the smallest restaurant in the UK
• Community Spirit
• False economies of convenience shopping
• Buying Local
• Relying on Alcohol
• Planning suicide
• The Life saving words of strangers
• The return to darkness
• Hospitality Action intervention
• We’ve Got you
• The joy of life
• Social connection

Charlie has been to hell and back and he talks about about his demons openly and in detail so fair warning, please don't listen if you don't feel ready to listen. But do try if you can as the learning through here is quite remarkable.

You might also wonder how this chat fits into the category of up beat and positive but as you will learn, there's so much positivity available, even in our darkest moments.

Enjoy!

The Guest

A chef by trade and a lover of all things pork and cheese, Charlie is a Norfolk boy with the heart and soul of the beautiful county running through his veins. 

After being awarded 2 rosettes in 2013, awarded Champion of Norfolk Food & Drink in 2014, going on to win the Sausage Roll Off title at the Red Lion at Barnes in 2017 and being a finalist in Visit Britain in 2018, Charlie has been co-hosting the Big Norfolk Sausage bash in Aylsham since 2019.

Instagram - @hodsonandcofinedining

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

If you name some of London's most famous stadiums and venues, chances are today's guest is involved in the catering operation.

I got some time with Mark Reynolds, Regional Executive Chef - London for Levy UK and National Vice Chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs. It's an epic career which has taken him all over the world, having worked on a number of film sets on his way as well.

We chat about:-

• Starting in the family pub
• The army
• Youngest Sous Chef in Hilton
• Being a Chef on Film sets
• Moving to premier league sport
• Stadium catering
• Craft Guild of Chefs
• Life Coaching
• Harry
• Building a career
• Setting standards,
• The crazy stuff that happens

And so much more. Mark talks about luck a lot through our chat but there's no doubt he is where he is through graft and a thirst for learning. It's a superb career and the work he's doing with the Craft Guild of Chefs is making a difference to the industry.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Instagram @regionallondonchef

X - @tottenhamchef

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-reynolds-6911242b/

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Another wonderful story from hotels awaits you this week.

We got some time with the superb Chris Wayne-Wills, CEO of Crerar Hotels (https://www.crerarhotels.com) in Scotland.

This is a packed chat and we cover off:-

• Gaining qualifications
• Moving to Scotland
• Ayr
• Winning or learning
• DJing
• Club de Mar
• Troon
• Edinburgh
• Moving around with Jarvis
• Becoming a GM
• Moving into quality
• Cornell University
• Coopetition
• Being the ambassador for your brand
• Getting the first regional role
• Breaking the glass ceiling
• Stretching yourself
• Stretching others
• Effort
• Looking after yourself
• The pager
• 3 spoon puddings
• Aviemore
• Finding Crerar Hotels
• Beans, red socks and dogs
• Being proper dog friendly
• The Crerar trust
• A Deer called Bob
• Buying snow in a ski resort

And so much more. Chris has got some cracking stories from his career so far as well as more than his fair share of golden nuggets. It's a chat not to be missed.

Enjoy!

I've wanted to get today's guest on for a while (I should have just asked him as it transpires) as I'd seen a few of his posts around on LinkedIn and there was this wonderfully positive and inspirational theme running through his message.

So I was delighted to welcome Simon Maguire to the show. Simon has spent his career in hotels but towards the end of 2022 he opted to pursue a passion, leadership and performance coaching with West Peak (https://www.thewestpeak.com/).

As usual, we get through loads in our chat including:-

• The first ever shift
• Becoming part of a team
• Breaking through the hate
• Climbing the ranks quickly
• Fast growth support networks
• Hotel Du Vin
• Harbour Hotels
• Battling with your health
• Turning the tide
• The importance of Momentum
• Seeing hospitality at it’s very best
• The positive side of Covid
• Sharing when you need help
• Taking energy from helping people
• Fit for hospitality 10K
• Luxury Family Hotels
• West Peak
• Handling celebs

And so much more. Simon has had his fair share of battles which makes for an even more interesting career story and I'm incredibly grateful to him for his time and being so open.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

What does it take to become one of a regions most prominent General Managers? We chatted to Mark Kirby, Regional General Manager of The Address Downtown, Dubai (www.addresshotels.com/en/hotels/address-downtown/) to find that out.

We got through so much including Dubai (Of course), Chesterfield, School, AICR, London, Harvey Nicholls, reciting your career backwards at interview, Meeting Mr Armani, The Armani Hotel, Translating your CV into Italian, creating the right noises, Sustainability, PR, Exercise and a whole lot more.

Mark talks with such energy and passion about what he does that it's hard not to get captivated by it. Mark also has some hilarious stories which he's shared with us.

Thanks so much Mark.

Enjoy.

Show Transcription

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

hotel, people, Dubai, hospitality, business, stories, London, Chesterfield, GM, The Lanesborough, The Goring, running, terms, part, Grosvenor House, Armani, manager, year, career,

SPEAKERS

Mark Kirby, Phil Street

Phil Street 00:01

Welcome to hospitality meets with me Phil street where we take a light hearted look into the stories and individuals that make up the wonderful world of hospitality. Today's guest is Mark Kirby, any general manager for the address downtown in Dubai. Coming up on today's show... Mark identifies a problem with a hotel's location.

Mark Kirby 00:22

Very dangerous being next to Harvey Nichols Not for good for the credit card I have to say.

Phil Street 00:26

Phil explains what it's like being the opposite of a morning person. I had days where I woke up and just thought..... uuuurggghh And Mark tells us a story about averting disaster.

Mark Kirby 00:37

I turned, around to literally leg it back to the front of the hotel to pick the right guest up

Phil Street 00:43

All that and so much more as Mark talks us through His story and journey to date, as well as some exceptional content on PR and creating the right noises. In addition, Mark really does talk with incredible energy about his craft a massive thank you to him for that. Don't forget, we launch a brand new episode each week telling the amazing and always amusing stories from hospitality. So make sure you hit that subscribe button and give us a like and share across your networks. Let's share these stories as far as we can. Enjoy. Hello, and welcome to the next edition of hospitality meets with me, Phil St. Today, we once again cross the seas. This time we're off to the Middle East. And I'm delighted to welcome to the show one of Dubai's most prominent general managers who may or may not thank me for saying that, but having worked in a few of the region's most prestigious hotels, including Le Royal Meridian Beach Resort and Spa, the Armani Hotel in Dubai and now Area GM of the address hotels downtown part of the Emaar Hospitality Group. I'm delighted to welcome to the show, Mark Kirby.

Mark Kirby 01:46

Thank you very much really, really, really nice to hear from you.

Phil Street 01:50

Brilliant. How are you doing?

Mark Kirby 01:51

Yeah, we're not not too bad. Actually, as you know, we everyone's been having an interesting time through this COVID. And getting used to the new norms, we're starting to see a lot more positivity in the market, which is really great. The buyer opened up, opened its international borders on the seventh. So we're just getting used to welcoming international travellers back into the city. And, you know, last weekend, we had 60% occupancy...

Happy 50th to us!

We couldn't let our 50th episode pass without doing something a little different so to celebrate we've got an extra special guest.... Me! Otherwise known as the Co-Founder and Director of Momentum Hospitality Recruitment Ltd and the Founder and host (Normally) of this podcast.

But don't worry, you don't have to listen to me interviewing myself. I enlisted 2 wonderful ex guests, from episode 4, Robert Richardson and from episode 7, Katherine Price.

We get through loads including The isle of Tiree, learning ethics, management, common sense, travel, P&O Cruises, lessons, being honest with yourself, being curious, recruitment, Motorbike crashes, the stretch zone, hospitality - the career of choice and the industry of dreams!, legacy, Hmmmm and of course my general story.

A massive thank you to everyone who has been on the show far and to those that have agreed to be in the future. There is no show without you all so lets keep raising the bar on the sending positive messages about our incredible industry.

Enjoy!

Time spent with today's guest is time well spent indeed!

I once again got Jim Knight back on the show to chat about his recently released "Leadership That Rocks" (Available here - https://www.knightspeaker.com/product-page/rock-n-roll-with-it). Jim is a previously published author and Public Speaker extraordinaire around Leadership and Culture and is a special friend of the show.

We get through:-

• Florida
• Covid in the USA
• Changing culture
• Music
• Ideas inspiration
• Book writing
• Gaining more leaders
• Learning
• Hiring Rock stars
• Life happening for you
• Shrek
• Jim & Brantisms
• Ted v Ted
• Not muscling results
• Mentoring
• Respect
• Jim’s future books

And so much more! Jim is incredibly comfortable chatting about this topic and I do my level best to keep up with him. He chats with passion and knowledge all the way through and you are sure to take away some absolute golden nuggets.

I'm eternally grateful to Jim for his time.

Enjoy!

I've known today's guest loosely for a number of years and was delighted to read earlier in the year that she had been promoted to the Managing Director role for the UK & Ireland at IHG (www.ihg.com).

I am of course talking about the wonderful Joanna Kurowska.

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Meetings from Home
• The first 100 days
• Remaining upbeat
• Lego
• Taking your fathers advice
• Heading to Senegal
• Starting as a Director of Finance
• Becoming in tune with the industry
• Croatia to Mozambique
• Moving to IHG
• Being headhunted
• Being made to feel welcome
• Moving to the corporate office
• The Last 100 Days
• Leading Leaders
• Moving to operations
• Travel
• Plan A B & C
• Think time
• Inspiring yourself
• Tackling ghosts

And so much more. Joanna is a born leader and it's also clear that she is devoted to continued self improvement. Her story is an inspiration and demonstrates what you can achieve when you remain flexible and have the right mentality.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business

There was no way I could let you all tackle the cold winter months on your own so I'm back with more amazing stories from hospitality.

This week, I speak to Andy Aston, Head of Wellness & Nutrition at BaxterStorey (https://baxterstorey.com/). Andy and I are old mates but like the majority of us, we let life get in the way of staying connected.

Andy's journey is extraordinary and there are so many takeaways from our chat including:-

• Wellness at work
• The pro’s of looking after your team
• Being inspired by mum
• Finding your own identity
• Find the fun
• Putting on accents
• Layers
• Opening the Millennium Dome
• Doing the washing up with Stephen Fry
• Peeing with legends
• Your Comfort zone
• Contract catering
• Looking after yourself
• Success and the big reset

And so much more. Having been in a bad place at one stage (something he discusses openly throughout) it's so awesome to see Andy come through it with such vigour and wanting to make a difference. We can all take a lot of power from his journey and he has done some super cool stuff in his career so far.

Enjoy!

If you are experiencing mental health issues of any kind, please make sure you reach out to someone for help. You can talk to someone confidentially at the awesome charity Hospitality Action (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/)

Nestled upon a hilltop in a dramatic location is the setting for today's guest. I chat to Veryan Palmer, Director of the iconic Headland Hotel & Spa in Cornwall.

There's so much joy in todays chat including:-

• The Headland
• Starting as a chalet Chef
• The Demands of Dogs
• Cliveden House
• Moving to contract catering
• The role of a director
• Attention to detail
• Super Grammar Lady
• Bridezillas
• The Art of Hospitality
• The Thursday Club
• Community
• Minimum wage for teenagers

And so much more. Veryan has a superb journey to take her place on the board at one of Cornwall's most shot destinations. She crams in the stories and is also doing some incredible work in her local area which, I believe, we can all take a lead from.

It was an absolute joy to record this from start to finish.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

Another exciting career journey this week as I got some time with the wonderful Simon Drake, General Manager of The Other House (https://otherhouse.com/), one of London's most exciting openings for 2022.

Simon has had one busy career so far, reflected in what we get through:-

• The Other House
• Starting as a lifeguard
• Life at Marriott
• Learning about F&B
• Getting some mentors
• Traveling
• Bermuda & Island Life
• Building your experience
• Labour Party Conference
• Volume
• Moving to London
• Taj
• VIPs
• Calling out the bad
• Going country House
• Conrad
• The Mandrake
• The Covid wobble
• Cross department training

And so much more. Hospitality very nearly lost Simon and he talks openly about that with the caveat that his opinions about his career and experiences are his own. Having spent some time with him at The Other House, it's clear he's found his home again and I can't wait to see what they bring to the marketplace.

Enjoy!

There won't be many people the UK hospitality scene who haven't heard of today's guest, and if you haven't, then have I got a treat for you.

I chat to none other than award winning HR legend Sean Wheeler, now running his own consultancy.

Sean has had one hell of a career so far having worked with many recognisable brands. We chat through his epic journey and get through:-

• Marlow
• Avoiding Academia
• Getting on a management training programme
• Moving to Coffee shops
• Miss Selfridge
• TGI Friday’s
• Operations to Training To Operations
• Errors of judgment
• Pubs
• Innovation in recruiting
• Malmaison & Hotel Du Vin
• Dorchester Collection
• Being brilliant at the basics
• Blank canvasses
• Starting with Values
• Giving back
• Hospitality Action

And so much more. Sean's energy for hospitality is still there for all to see and there are more than a few lessons throughout our chat, another wonderful insight into career building in hospitality.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

What do you get when you cross intellect with humour? The answer is ..... Todays guest Dr. Ioannis Pantelidis, Director of Doctoral Studies at Brighton University and all round Hospitality Warrior.

Ioannis talks us through his wonderful, story driven journey with such humour at every turn, it was an absolute pleasure to chat with him and once again demonstrates all the many different avenues available in hospitality as a career.

We cover Hospitality Warriors, Hospitalers, the family business, Missing trains, Arriving at Gleneagles, whisky, bagpipes, Re-introduction programs for haggis, early tech disasters, working nights, training, career negotiation, serendipity, wearing tight chef whites, PHD, the fountain of knowledge, how we learn, education, critical and creative thinking, Ioannis the storyteller, 12 days of Christmas and so much more.

Ioannis is a natural and we hope you love your time listening as much as we did chatting.

Enjoy.

I love how some things work out, you read an article and then you are immediately captivated by someone's story. I stumbled on today's guest through a late night LinkedIn feed trawl. And boy, am I glad that I did.

Inspiring from start to finish, I got some time with the inspirational and absolute force of nature that is Amber Staynings, CEO of Bums On Seats (https://bumsonseats.org/).

It's all action from the get go as we cover off:-

• Frogs in throat
• Moving to Guildford
• Being a glass half full person
• School
• Being rebellious
• Driving without sat nav
• What is Sales?
• Going (Not going) to South America
• Working harder than hard
• Having a health scare at 21
• Knowing when to slow down
• People over profit
• The 2nd health scare
• A Phil Street Rant
• Bums on Seats
• Mentors

And so much more!

Amber really has one hell of a story with more than her fair share of adversity to conquer and as a result, it's inspiring throughout.

A massive thank you to Amber for sharing her story so openly.

Enjoy!

I've wanted to get todays guest on the show for ages and her story does not disappoint. A huge hospitality meets welcome went to Chantelle Nicholson, Chef owner of the Michelin Green Starred Apricity in London and all round force for good in hospitality.

We cover:-

• Apricity
• Studying law
• Fate
• The joy of naivety
• London
• Moving to operations
• The deep end
• Self Reflection
• Starting a business
• Adapting to changing business
• Looking after yourself
• Sustaining v Regenerating
• Following what you stand for

And so much more. Chantelle is a leading light in the quest to do business better but more than that, there's a great story in hear around the lessons that come out of being in the deep end.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Multi-award-winning chef Chantelle is the former chef-owner of Tredwells (the recipient of a green Michelin star in 2021) and All’s Well, a ‘pandemic pop-up’. Her new venture, Apricity, opened in Mayfair in April 2022. As one of the leading female voices in the UK’s hospitality industry, Chantelle is an advocate for seasonality and sustainability, championing veg-forward cooking and committed to creating a more sustainable future across her operation and activities. She's also an independent board member for ReLondon, a Food Council member for City Harvest and author of Planted

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

What a vibrant and energetic chat I have for you this week as we delve into a little corner of hospitality that you may not have even considered as part of the industry.

I chat to Rosa Brough, Founder & Creative Director behind 7 Fifty - an un-conventional video production agency that specialises in content for the hospitality industry.

I had the joy of working with Rosa earlier this year at HRC, she was a livewire then and she is livewire throughout our chat.

We cover off:-

• Media and Content creation
• Taking your job seriously
• Equipment v Content
• Work experience & interns
• Getting stars to the toilet
• Variety & Surprise
• Getting into Food TV
• Great British Menu
• Moving to Bristol
• The benefits of taking your time
• Starting up her own business
• Full time meals
• Choose Hospitality
• HRC
• People
• The funny stuff that happens
• The Hairy Bikers
• Social Media

And so much more. Rosa is ridiculously passionate about her craft and that comes through effortlessly throughout our chat and what's more, if you've got even a trickle of interest in film and media, there are so many amazing takeaways for you here. Not only that but I hope this serves as another reminder of the vast variety of opportunity that exists in Hospitality!.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Website - https://www.7fifty.co.uk/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/7fiftyfilms/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/7-fifty/about/

Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/7fifty

Bio

Rosa spent over a decade working in broadcast television, producing a whole heap of prime-time series for the BBC and Channel 4. She spent years working with the most recognisable faces in the industry, like Tom Kerridge, Gordon Ramsey, The Hairy Bikers and Nadiya Hussain.

She made popular shows like GREAT BRITISH MENU, BEST HOME COOK, and KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, as well as online digital campaigns like FULLTIME MEALS with Marcus Rashford & Tom Kerridge.

So it’s fair to say she knows a thing or two about food and how to film it.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

When I started this podcast, one of my objectives was to keep things light and humorous, especially in the face of the seriousness of the lives we are all being asked to lead at the moment.

But every now and again, Someone’s story comes along where light and humorous just doesn’t feel appropriate.

In today’s episode we have one such story.  

It’s powerful, gripping, hopeful, moving and incredibly important. It’s a story that transcends Hospitality and I think needs to be heard by as many people as possible.

So today, I’m stripping things right back, no music intro, no comedy moments just me, chatting to someone with a phenomenal story of transcendence. I’m delighted to introduce to you, Mohamed Ali who currently works at those legends over at Wahaca. Mohamed has quite literally been saved by the industry of hospitality and shows what kindness really can achieve.  

Mohamed’s strength is in how he is looking forward

I’d urge you to listen to every single word of our chat and when you’re done, share it to as many places as you can, even beyond our incredible industry. It’s a story that needs to be heard and could save an awful lot of people.

A huge thank you to Mohamed for being so open.

Until then sit back, take a deep breath, and I hope you enjoy Mohamed’s story as much as I did

Please Follow Mohamed's inspiring message of positivity in the following places:-

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGFWTvZLPb-vImhUnmvLGwg

Instagram - @MI_Horizon

Twitter - @Mo_Humaneskill

Follow The Clink at:-

Website - https://theclinkcharity.org

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOE41Y7hY6XcPHHxU7C9fEw

Twitter - @theclinkcharity

Instagram - @theclinkrestaurant

Show Transcription

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

people, life, Clink, hospitality, feel, Mohamed, thinking, prison, easy, situation, realise, gun, support, guess, hear, father, Somalia, choice, story, London

SPEAKERS

Phil Street, Mohamed Ali

Phil Street 00:00

Hey, everyone. So here's the thing. When I started this podcast, one of my objectives was to keep things light and humorous, especially in the face of the seriousness of the lives we're all being asked to lead at the moment. But every now and again, someone's story comes along where light and humorous just doesn't feel appropriate. In today's episode, we've got one such story. It's powerful, gripping, hopeful, moving, and incredibly important. It's a story that transcends hospitality, and I think needs to be heard by as many people as possible. So today, I'm stripping things right back, no music intro, no comedy moments, just me chatting to someone with a phenomenal story of transcendence. I'm delighted to introduce Mohamed Ali, who currently works at those legends over at Wahaca. Mohamed has quite literally been saved by the industry of hospitality, and shows what kindness really can achieve. But his real strength is in how he's looking forward, I'd urge you to listen to every single word of our chat. And when you're done, share it to as many places as you can. Even beyond our incredible industry. It's a story that needs to be heard, and could save an awful lot of people. A huge thank you to Mohamed for being so open. Stay...

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business

When industry legend Harry Murray MBE sends you a message one day and asks "Can I interview you for your podcast", what do you suppose the answer was?

Well, you need not wonder as to round off season 2, here's my very special chat with Harry where he turns the tables in a no holds barred, nothing off the table kind of a chat.

We cover off:-

• Having no plan
• The proactive job search
• Cruise ships
• Safe eating
• Mistakes and growth
• The move to recruitment
• Soul searching
• Starting a business
• Attitude
• References
• Finance & HOSPA
• The origins of Hospitality Meets
• Hospitality is AWESOME
• Why and What?
• The Full Monty
• Phil’s dinner table

I'd definitely put this down as a bucket list item achieved and as you can imagine, Harry is the perfect host, gracious and challenging in equal measure.

That concludes season 2, it's been a blast but don't worry, you won't have to wait long for season 3, we'll be back in October for more fun and shenanigans from the world of hospitality.

See you then.

Hospitality Meets will return for it's 2nd season in March 2022.

We've got an epic line up of guests and we'll once again be bringing the fun to showcase why Hospitality is the greatest industry on earth.

Can you afford to miss it?

Of course not!

Almost 2 years ago to the day, I was lucky enough to get the industry legend that is Danny Pecorelli on the show to tell his story. Within that story we got talking about a very special event that was about to happen called Back to the Floor and he kindly invited me to join his table.

What unfolded at that event was what undoubtedly makes Back to the Floor one of the most celebrated events on the hospitality calendar. Fun and Carnage in equal measure, all whilst raising some much needed funds for those legends over at Hospitality Action.

2 years on, and it's nearly time for 2024's version to take centre stage, this time hosted at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. With all that in mind, I thought it'd be great to shine a light on the event again through the GM of that very hotel, James Clarke.

In this special we talk about

• James' Story
• Park Plaza Westminster Bridge
• The history of Back to the Floor
• What to expect on the night
• The auction prizes
• What it’s like as a waiter or sommelier at the event
• Stories of the Carnage
• How to support the event

No doubt James has his work cut out for him keeping scores of our industry's finest under control for the evening but 2024's Back to the floor promises to be quite magnificent.

Enjoy!

To get behind this quite magnificent event, head to https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/events/2024/april/back-to-the-floor/

A little sneaky bonus for you all this week as I wanted to showcase one of the wonderful highlights of the Hospitality Calendar, that being The Walk for Wellbeing.

So what better way to showcase that than get its founder on the show, Craig Prentice.

We also chat through Craigs journey to figure out where this idea came from and cover off:-

• Starting at a Money brokers
• Moving to a theatre &  Music venues
• Finding Hospitality
• Neglecting self care
• Recruitment
• Ennismore
• Mental struggles
• Starting business
• All things Walk for Wellbeing
• Togetherness

And so much more. I was lucky enough to take part in last years Walk for Wellbeing and I cannot recommend getting involved in whatever organised walk is closest to you. But even if you can't get to one of those, there are other ways to take part.

All of this to support one of the best charities in our sector, Hospitality Action.

We wish everyone involved and taking part this year all the very best.

Enjoy!

Hospitality Action

Hospitality Action has a whole range of support services to help hospitality people back on their feet again after a setback. Each year they help thousands of people through challenging times. They want you to know that They are there for you when life takes an unexpected turn

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hospitalityaction/

Follow Craig on craigjprentice

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

I love a bit of networking, and that's what led me to today's guest. I got some time with Greg Früchtenicht, Director of Partnerships at Saira Hospitality (https://www.sairahospitality.com/).

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Accents and pronunciation
• The other Phil Street
• Saira
• Starting in the pot wash
• Holiday parks
• Developing life skills
• Team connections
• Nights on us
• Community and people
• The Anne Golden Fan Club
• 2.00am facetiming
• Values
• Scams and big mistakes
• Seeing it all come together

And so much more. Greg has such a natural storytelling way about him and he's got some crackers all the way through our chat. Our coverage of values is also well worth a listen and should you be looking for some help in this area, we both recommend this tool from those wonderful peeps at Purple Cubed https://tt-evalues.azurewebsites.net/values/start

Enjoy!

Give yourself the gift of happiness Today!

With all this sunshine around, what better way to celebrate summers eventual arrival than with a podcast special all about Happiness!

What is Happiness? How can we achieve Happiness? These questions and more were covered on my happy chat with the queen of happiness Klaudia Mitura, host of the rather awesome & Happiness podcast (https://www.andhappiness.co.uk/ - also available on all podcast apps).

It might surprise you to hear that we talk a little about happiness in our chat. We cover:-

• The realm of happiness
• Training & Development
• Springboard
• The Pandemic
• & Happiness
• Learning how to be happy
• The Formula for Happiness
• Goal setting
• Happiness and Negative Emotions
• Happiness Ratios
• Anxiety & Innovation
• Happiness and the wider world
• Random acts of kindness
• Genetics and Happiness
• Happiness Habits
• Your first reaction
• The Brain and Happiness
• Friendships

Klaudia drops so much Happiness gold, This honestly feels like a university course all packaged up into 49 minutes. It might be the best 49 minutes of your year so far, it was certainly up there with mine.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

One of the things we love about Hospitality more than anything else is the international element to it and there's no better career if you want to see the world.

Niels Sherry is a shining example of that with a career that has taken him to the USA, Middle East and Asia as well as establishing himself in Europe.

Now the COO for the expanding private members club 67 Pall Mall (www.67pallmall.com).

We chat about lots including gaining variety in your career, the Savoy, leaps of faith, opening a press hungry hotel, recruiting for character over qualifications, making time for people, utilising your neighbours internet, online wine tastings, being denied entry in Saudi Arabia and so much more.

Niels has forged himself and incredible career and it's an excellent story told with eloquence and energy.

Enjoy!

Recorded on 7th July 2020.

Show Transcription

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

hotel, people, business, wine, hospitality, called, savoy, London, Singapore, club, world, run, started, bit, learning, stories, asked, open

SPEAKERS

Niels Sherry, Phil Street

Phil Street 00:01

Welcome to hospitality meets with me Phil street where we take a light hearted look into the stories and individuals that make up the wonderful world of hospitality. Today's guest is Neils Sherry, CEO of 67 Pall Mall a stunning private member's club for wine lovers in London. Coming up on today's show... Niels tells us the extremes he'll go to when learning.

Niels Sherry 00:22

I spent probably two months, maybe a bit more literally glued to Ian.

Phil Street 00:27

Phil gets confused and thinks he's on the telly... So just for I suppose for the record for the viewers And Niels calmly understates the severity of his predicament,

Niels Sherry 00:37

They took my passport, and they threw it on the floor. I thought um, this is not going well.

Phil Street 00:42

All that and so much more. As Niels talks us through His story and journey to date, as well as some fantastic snippets of advice from an excellent career. Don't forget to give us a like and a share across your favourite social channels. Enjoy. Hello, and welcome to the next edition of hospitality meats with me Phil Street. Today, I'm delighted to welcome to the show someone who I've known on and off for, I'd say about 10 years now. And I've got a story actually about how we met, which you may or may not remember, but we'll come on to that in a second. delighted to welcome the CEO of 67 Pall Mall, Niels Sherry.

Niels Sherry 01:15

Thanks very much, delighted to be on the call. And hopefully, we've got some interesting stories to share.

Phil Street 01:22

I'll bet you have I mean, you cover off one of my favourite topics, which is wine, so I'm sure what we'll talk about that at some point. So just for I suppose for the record for the the viewers, where in the world are you right now and kind of what have you got your head into.

Niels Sherry 01:38

So having spent about six years with sixty seven Pall Mall setting up the club in London, with Grant, the founder, we, about two and a half years ago, we did a strategy meeting with our board of directors and one of the things that came out of that was that we need to take 67 Pall Mall around the world. So we conducted an exercise of places that we could possibly open. And the country state that came to the top of the list was Singapore. So that's where I'm residing. So I'm sitting in my office overlooking, actually not...

Another week and another rising star of the industry.  This week I got some time with the wonderful Katariina Reissaar, Front Office Manager at Jurys Inn Birmingham (https://www.jurysinns.com/hotels/birmingham).

Despite being quite new to the hotel world, Katariina is already making her mark and co Chairs the Institute of Hospitalitys Youth Council, giving a much needed voice to the next generation of hospitality stars.

In our chat we covered:-

• Birmingham
• The weather (Obvs)
• Being busy
• Starting with the family business
• Tents
• Becoming a nanny
• Working the student bar
• Moving off the path
• Joining a graduate program
• Unexpected flight upgrades
• Moving through departments
• Moving into leadership
• Mentoring
• IOH youth council

And so much more. Katariina is brilliant company and it's very clear that she is going to leave her mark on Hospitality.

Enjoy!

This week’s episode is brought to you in partnership with Zero Procure who are here to make procurement simple, offering great value and quality for products and services, all for zero cost. Just click on this link or visit their site at www.zeroprocure.com/podcast to help support both this podcast and your business.

What a week UK Hospitality has had since our last episode. 3 huge fundraisers - Lunch4Ukraine, The Springboard Awards for Excellence and Back to the floor for Hospitality Action. The Latter, gave me the opportunity to meet today's guest.

I got some time with Jason Adams, Managing Director of the beautiful Rockliffe Hall in the North East (https://www.rockliffehall.com/).

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Taking on a new role at the beginning of Covid
• The Staycation
• The North East
• Grabbing the bull by the horns on your career
• Starting in the kitchen
• Moving to the front operation
• Le Manoir Standards
• Moving to Jersey
• Developing people
• Letting good people get their wings
• Improving business
• Looking after people
• The adapting leader
• The expansion of Rockliffe
• Community
• How to complain

And so much more. Jason has built a cracking career so far and with a history of improving businesses wherever he goes. There's so much learning in here from start to finish including being proactive in your career.

Thanks so much Jason.

Enjoy!

A side of hospitality we haven't yet delved into is Procurement. In today's episode we put that to bed.

We chat to John Stevenson, Co-Founder of Zero Procure (https://zeroprocure.com). John has a long and illustrious career as a serial entrepreneur with his roots firmly within Hospitality.

As always, we get through loads including the weather, being teased about accents, adapting young, early jobs, nightlife in Edinburgh, craft ale, the pro’s of Travel, taking over from movie directors, adding value in business, walking around London, Management buyouts, procurement, Utopian business, working hard, Hospitality - Life’s best educator, naming people after drink, Foundation zero and of course Johns amazing journey.

John talks with humility and humour throughout, another wonderful chat.

Enjoy