Welcome


If you’re a talented and ambitious hospitality employee, now is the time to get noticed. With operators across the sector all fighting to secure the brightest talent with the skills to develop their business, there are some outstanding development programmes available to aspiring managers. Particularly for the larger operators,


the apprenticeship levy has encouraged employers to think about how they might use the funding to create programmes for their rising stars, as well as those beginning their hospitality journey. You’ll know by now that the sky is the limit when it comes to careers in hospitality; you just have to choose the employer that best suits your skill set


Contents


47 How to... adapt to workplace disruption


48 The only way is up – progression from a middle management role


53 Amadeus


and has the progression path in place for you to succeed. To highlight such operators, we’ve compiled Aspire, which features some of the best programmes for junior management-level hospitality professionals in the industry today. In the following pages you will find


our guide on reaching the top of your chosen profession. You’ll also hear from some of the best operators in the business, who showcase exactly what they can offer in terms of career progression. So take a look, you never know where it might take you.


James Stagg Editor, Aspire james.stagg@thecaterer.com


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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS


Showcase Hotel Café Royal B


rend Hotels is a family-run premier West Country hotel group. We take pride in our workforce and support, mentor and


train them over and above the national stan- dards, as well as essential soft skills. We are very involved in the development of


the government’s ‘trailblazer’ standards; this is a key performance indicator to which our teams aspire and work towards. We offer 100-plus work experience places to


our feeder schools and work closely with these schools on careers events. All of our managers have come up through


the ranks and have acquired the skills required of the business from the ground up. We have people in our business who first started work- ing for us as students. We are very lucky to have such a talented team of people and have an opportunity to select and promote from within. There is a great opportunity for anyone who


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018 was a year of considerable change for Hotel Café Royal. A grand lobby befitting of a grand luxury hotel was built, and this


54 BaxterStorey 55 Brend 56 Firmdale Hotels 57 Harbour Hotels 58 Hotel Café Royal 59 Mandarin Oriental Hyde


Aspire | The Caterer


was followed by the opening of two new signa- ture restaurants: Laurent at Hotel Café Royal by renowned chef Laurent Tourondel, and Cakes & Bubbles, a unique dining experience cen- tred around dessert and Champagne, led by the world’s best pastry chef, Albert Adrià. For 150 years, Café Royal has adapted as London has changed, remaining at the fore- front of luxury hospitality and is now one of London’s finest five-star hotels. But an amazing product is only a beginning without the people within it – our amazing employees who deliver outstanding service day in, day out. Our heads of department (HOD) community is the lifeblood of Hotel Café Royal – these are the people who run the business from day to day and have the most influence on decisions involving guests. It is vital that this group are a part of the hotel’s overall decision- making process and have input into the strate- gic direction of the business. With this in mind, in 2019 we launched our


first HOD development programme, gather- ing these managers together for a full-day workshop on delegation and leadership, led by an external leadership consultant. They were encouraged to think about their own role and how it fits into the overall hotel man- agement, but also how to improve their skills on a daily basis and how to balance account- ability with responsibility. As part of this process, the managers came


up with their own capabilities matrix and the next step will be for individual teams to evaluate their managers against these capability state- ments, with a view to giving 360-degree feed- back and providing a safe space for colleagues and managers to be honest with each other. Following on from the initial workshop, the


HODs meet monthly to discuss a range of sub- jects, from quality control to P&L and will soon


be taking part in further workshops, includ- ing finance and HR management, to further enhance their accountability and to enable HODs to be true business owners. Running alongside this HOD programme


is a similar programme for supervisors (usu- ally the number twos in the department) to develop their management skills to be future HODs, as well as a Management First pro- gramme for aspiring leaders comprising of five one-day workshops and a final presenta- tion. We have also established a mentoring scheme as a development tool for HODs to not only learn from senior leadership, but also to enable them to have input into the develop- ment of future leaders. To incentivise and reward our HODs, and in recognition of the responsibility they carry,


CASE STUDY


wants to work in the hospitality sector and prog- ress their aspirations and career progression. We have this year started on the delivery of our Management Academy programmes, which are designed to give our managers and future aspir- ing managers the skills required to take on the responsibilities and challenges of management. We believe all of our staff have the potential


60 PPHE Hotel Group 61 Red Carnation Hotels


to grow and progress within the business. The Brend family directors encourage this within our group, through a high level of commit- ment to training, ably supported by our Brend Apprenticeship Academy, which has gone from strength to strength. Our statistics prove that a well-trained and cared-for workforce not only promotes business through high levels of service, but aids staff retention and career pro- gression and is a great return on investment.


and memorable food experience. Unlike its competitors, Amadeus does this differently by drawing on 40 years’ experience operating in venues and creating events as part of the NEC Group. The customer portfolio includes deliv- ering solutions to around four million visitors a year at the NEC Group venues (the NEC, ICC, Genting Arena, Barclaycard Arena and the Vox), and at a range of additional external events and venues, including the Scottish Open, Cadbury World, Dudley Zoo and Stratford Racecourse. Ask anyone why they work for Amadeus


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later hotels, after leaving school. With 18 months experience in front office in Italy, she moved to London in 2015 to develop her career and quickly landed a job at Hotel Café Royal as a receptionist. After only a year she was promoted to


reception supervisor, and a year after that to duty manager at the forefront of our guest experience. After another 12 months, Chiara became assistant reception manager and in January 2019, she was promoted once more to reception manager – from an entry level role to head of


63 WSET www.thecaterer.com


John joined Mandarin Oriental back in 2009. He was handpicked by the then executive chef David Nichols, who has since progressed to the role of corporate director of F&B for the group, to participate in a chef development programme. For a period of two and a half


58 CASE STUDY


62 Splendid Hospitality Group


and the resounding answer is “the people”. Amadeus have some of the best people in the industry and attract strong talent through a process where potential employees don’t inter- view, they audition in a live environment! Once staff are recruited, they are extensively trained and encouraged to become immersed in the Amadeus way of life, living and breath- ing the values of the business. We offer an extensive suite of courses available via our in-house learning and


Park London


ating an environment in which individual colleagues and teams can flourish. We offer our colleagues exceptional benefits and opportunities for promotion and transfers across the group.


Chiara Cargnoni, reception manager Chiara is one of Hotel Café Royal’s many success stories. She did not study hospitality but instead, like many people, she started initially in tourism and


John Barber, executive chef, Bar Boulud


puts a lot of effort into training and developing staff” Alvaro Bastos


“The company


YOUR CAREER With a number of hotels on the horizon in key exclusive locations across the world, joining Mandarin Oriental at this time provides an opportunity to build a career for life with the potential to travel the world within our unique organisation. Our col- leagues aim high and we support them all the way by providing career advancement and learning and development programmes designed to enable our colleagues to develop and take on new challenges. We reward excellent performance, cre-


madeus delivers catering solutions to venues and event organisers who want to provide visitors with a unique


Showcase Mandarin


itting between glorious Royal Parkland and the buzz of central Knightsbridge, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Lon-


don, following the completion of its multi- million-pound renovation, is reimagined and reinvented, offering the essence of timeless heritage coupled with contemporary flair and impeccable service. Rated as a Forbes five-star property in


2019 internationally renowned designer Joyce Wang, oversaw the new design of all the rooms, suites and public areas, inspired by the natural beauty of neighbouring Hyde Park and the glamour of the 20th-century Golden Age of travel.


there is also a range of additional benefits – not only financial bonuses linked directly to KPIs and business performance, but also those geared towards personal security and well- being, such as private medical insurance, life assurance, enhanced pension provision and access to a financial advisor and a mortgage consultant. The aim is to invest time in devel- oping managers further along the leadership pathway, but also to invest the money to keep them in the business in the long term. We are committed to the development of all


Contact www.hotelcaferoyal.com/careers careers@hotelcaferoyal.com


our colleagues at Hotel Café Royal and aspiring leaders will always be recognised and rewarded.


development team that can be picked of everyone’s personal developmen We nurture talent across the busines a selection of rising stars benefiting the Amadeus Masterclass each year, teaches the art and skill of foodservice. Our ‘Service that Sells’ staff trainin gramme has helped to transform th tomer experience across our venue inspire our staff to achieve their full po ‘Service that Sells’ trains staff to learn customer wants and to make recomm tions to aid the decision-making proces are incentivised to embed the values


CASE STUDY


department in a little more than three years. Chiara has been proactive in ensuring her


We are always looking for


own development and has attended a number of internal courses, including completing the Management First programme with an inspiring project about making the hotel more family-friendly. She has also taken part in our mentoring programme, working alongside a senior manager to develop her leadership skills. Above all though, Chiara attributes her


success to three things: an inspirational manager, a massively positive and supportive team and a product of which to be truly proud. The team spirit has been instrumental in allowing her to be as good as she can be at her job. She thrives on the positive environment and manages her own team in the same positive way. Above all, it is the pride in the hotel itself and the people who work around her that have been the foundation of Chiara’s meteoric rise through the ranks.


viduals to join our teams an of opportunities: ● Front office ● Housekeeping ● Guest experience ● Concierge ● Reservations ● Food & beverage ● Chefs


CASE STUDY 60


years, John rotated between all the different kitchens in the hotel, and consequently secured promotion to demi chef in Bar Boulud in 2012. From here, John’s career progressed rapidly with yearly promotions; he became an executive sous chef in 2015 and in 2018 he was promoted to executive chef. John is a great example of


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somebody who is passionate about the industry, eager to learn and a person who is not afraid to put in extra effort in order to develop himself. John said: “It has been a real


pleasure working at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. We look


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learn and doing the courses on offer while working is great for me” Liam Bailey


“There is plenty more for me to


Alvaro Bastos, 34, fully qualified chef Alvaro joined the business as a Kitchen at the ICC. From day one, Alvaro’s talent through and he was put forward to take in Amadeus’ apprenticeship scheme. Ov


www.thecaterer.com 53


Liam Bailey being congratu hotel manager of the Impe Barnstaple, Devon, on his p junior assistant manager. “When I left school at the ag approached Brend Hotels fo in front of house. I didn’t hav school, so I knew further edu environment was not going “With the guidance of my


enough to join the Brend Ap Academy. I enrolled as an ap HIT Training, which trains ind their chosen area of hospita


after our colleagues so they in turn can look after the guests. The company provides great opportunities for development and growth and I feel you never stop learning. Every day is different and I love being part of it all.”


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