Monday was a day of contrasts. It started at 7:30am at the Rosewood London. As a trustee of the Gold Service Scholarship, Sergio was running the semi-finals of the 2023 competition, at one of the capital’s most Instagrammable five-star hotels. From almost one hundred initial candidates, 41 were now left. Of these fabulous, eager, committed, conscientious young people, from up and down the country, only eight will get to compete in the final in January. At 10am, I jumped on the tube and made my way to Parliament to support HospoDemo. We stood outside the Treasury, banging on pots and pans and ringing pub last-order bells, in advance of Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement. Though we probably had little influence on his decisions, we did have some effect that morning. Firstly, we made so much noise that they closed the huge wooden Treasury doors and secondly, the BBC London news devoted a large part of their evening broadcast to the demonstration and the plight of restaurants and pubs.
Back home significant things are also happening in Rye. We are famous for our jazz festival, the arts festival, bonfire night and very soon our Christmas festival. Jane Brook is determined to make Rye the destination of choice and a centre of excellence, not just for music, the arts, shopping and hospitality, but also employment.
Our mayor, Andi Rivett, has written about his idea to twin Rye with Montreuil-sur-Mer. Of the many benefits that this could bring to us, the chance for hotels and restaurants to exchange, train, and develop staff is one surely not to be missed. No man is an island, nor is a successful business, and staff are key to successful businesses.
So, what makes the difference between an establishment with a revolving back door where staff are concerned, and one regarded as the gold standard for staff retention? Back to Martin Blincow. As well as providing meals, The Mermaid Inn has a staff house, to help with one of the biggest obstacles for young people, affordable housing. Visits to suppliers, vineyards and breweries, as well as staff parties help to nurture the workforce and form a strong team. Wine qualifications, food safety and first aid certification all add to their personal and professional development. The office has an open-door policy to support all staff members, whatever their needs. Because of all these personal touches and the length of service of some members, there is a sense of family and security within the hotel, which in turn is felt by the guests.
This is very much the approach that Ollie Kinsley takes at The Grapevine, where wine and spirit training, education and qualification is all offered free to staff members. He also sees staff outings as not only a chance to bond, but essential in showing them how valued they are. This is a recurring theme that I keep hearing. Staff want financial reward, that goes without saying, but they also want to feel valued, not just a means to an end for uncaring owners. Ollie by the way, started as an employee and ended up owning the business.
This summer, during the extreme temperatures, several businesses that I know closed temporarily. Throughout my career I worked under all sorts of conditions, but that doesn’t mean it was right; so I felt very proud that here in Rye, Rosie Bates at the Whitehouse and the team at Ono took that brave decision and put their staff’s wellbeing above their own profits.
I said I’d give you a role to play too. Obviously the first thing is to carry on going out, despite the cold, the dark and the economic pressures we now all face. Birthdays and anniversaries will always need to be celebrated at Landgate Bistro but next time you invite your friend round for a cup of tea, go out instead. The boost to your mental health, of getting out of the house and being surrounded by other people, is priceless and you’ll be helping to support a local business at the same time.
My personal favourite is going out for a cocktail. I love the glamour and atmosphere of a fabulous bar and then heading home for a simple supper of hot buttered toast in front of the TV. We have all the ingredients for that in Rye; for me currently it’s cloudy mango gin at the Waterworks, followed by Richard’s delicious sourdough from the The Lazy Bakery when we get home.
The second thing is to think again about hospitality as a viable career choice for your children and grandchildren. How many other jobs are open to you regardless of your age, sex, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, or your level of education or training, or your socioeconomic background? How many jobs can you transfer around the world at the drop of a hat? And how many have such a variety and trajectory? All rhetorical questions.
Speaking to Michael Bonsor, the MD of Rosewood London, he thinks that we have turned a corner, with people returning to the industry or new people joining. And where London leads the rest of the country eventually follows. This is Michael Bonsor, who started in his parents’ hotel in Inverness, making beds at the age of eight and who this week hosted the launch party for the London Christmas season; fireworks lighting the night sky over the courtyard, as Paloma Faith entertained the crowd. Now tell me that hospitality isn’t an amazing career.
I’ve told you what Rye is doing, how you can help and finally I too need to do my bit. When I first started, it was the ‘catering industry’, then it became the ‘hospitality industry’, but now I’m going to make a conscious effort to call it the ‘hospitality profession’. Because it is a profession, with a career path that can take you anywhere you like. One of its unsung joys is the fact that you are constantly surrounded by young people, whose hope and optimism in turn keeps you young and open minded. They are the lucky ones who made a great life choice, because as I might have mentioned a couple of times, #hospitalityrocks.
Image Credits: Natasha Robinson .