EDITOR’S LETTER
Being a good boss
CONTRIBUTORS
STEPHEN W. AYERS
Aubrey is the joint
managing director of
Gately Capitus. He has
over 25 years’ experience
in advising companies
and individuals on
the use of tax-based
incentives for commercial
property investment and
development.
Given the frequently demanding nature of
working in a hotel or restaurant, you would think
employees, given the privacy of an anonymous
survey, might have a disparaging comment
or two to make about their boss. Stress, long
hours, and guest complaints make up a perfect
DEBORAH HEATHER
Deborah is the director
of Quality in Tourism;
performance partners for
hospitality businesses.
Deborah manages a field
force of more than 40
hospitality experts and
assessors, who provide
accommodation grading,
mystery shopping and
performance assessments
on a daily basis.
PETER HANCOCK
Peter has been the chief
executive of Pride of
Britain Hotels - a collection
of never more than 50
luxury and independent
properties - since 2000. He
previously managed hotels
and restaurants in Sussex
and Hampshire, having
started out as a waiter
recipe finding work heavy going, and therefore, for thinking your
manager is a tyrant, right?
Well not according to a study conducted by One4all, a company
that helps business owners find ways to reward and incentivise
their staff. It found from a sample of 1,024 UK employees, leisure
and travel bosses – such as those in restaurants and hotels – were
voted as one of the best categories, with 60% of workers in this
sector describing their boss as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Nationally,
60% of the leisure and travel workforce were positive about their
bosses – and just 8% described them as ‘poor’ – suggesting that,
overall, those working in leisure and travel have a high opinion of
their managers.
I was aware that perhaps the essential component of the best
hotels is management that can motivate and inspire their staff
more than you might see in other industries. But I must admit I was
surprised to find these leadership skills are so profoundly effective
that some of the hardest work out there correlates with some
ANGIE PETKOVIC of the highest-ranked employer-employee relationships in the
Angie started as our
resident marketing advice
columnist and has now
built a substantial following
for her straight-talking
answers to the common
questions about executing
a professional marketing
strategy working world.
Really it should not have been a surprise. I have been
frequently interviewing hoteliers about their work for some years
now, and I cannot say I have encountered a single example of
someone whose heart didn’t really seem to be in it. It seems almost
a universal trait: an unshakeable passion for rendering quality
service, and immense job satisfaction when the guest is clearly
delighted with the experience.
Few other fields throw up quite so many characters with this
ON THE COVER
Front of House:
The Isle of Eriska.
Page 39.
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SEPTEMBER 2017 £5.95
kind of flare for their work, and in a sense it’s what make the hotel
industry one of the most dynamic trades to ply.
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