Some 1200 captains of industry turned out at this afternoon's BHA centenary lunch at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane - and I got the first name-check of the event!
Opening the event in front of a packed house, BHA Chief Executive, Bob Cotton said, "now I know how Mark Lewis feels when he opens the Cateys!" Bob went on to point out that the BHA lunch was taking place on the very day that power at No 10 passed from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown, meaning that, for a few hours at least, no one in government was formally responsible for regulating the hospitality industry. (Bob later went on to make a plea to "leave us alone and stop trying to regulate hospitality more and more").
The guest list read like a who's-who of the industry. My table alone boasted such luminaries as One Aldych supremo Gordon Campbell Gray, Jeremy Goring of the Goring Hotel and Regent Inns executive chairman, Bob Ivell. There was a very complimentary name-check for Jeremy Goring's hotel later on in the afternoon, to which Jeremy responded by punching the air and whispering "get in there!" to me.
The afternoon's two guest speakers were Sir Rocco Forte and Sir David Michels - who were introduced as "two young men with promising careers ahead of them". In his speech, Sir Rocco questioned the hotel industry's increasingly short-termist, money-oriented approach. He stressed the value of continuity, dedication, nurturing your staff and treating the customer as king.
My favourite tale of the day? Gordon Campbell Gray's admission that when he was in Antigua overseeing the development and launch of his Carlisle Bay resort, the task was so all-consuming, and at times such an uphill battle, that when Christmas Day came, he holed up in his room alone and ate a whole box of Quality Street.
Finally, well done to the Grosvenor House - it can't be easy catering for such a vast number of hospitality bigwigs, and for the record I thought the food was enjoyable and the service professional.
Comments (4)
Yesterday’s lunch at the Grosvenor was designed to celebrate 100 years of British Hospitality. It is disappointing and disturbing that this century of industry was not described by highlighting important social and consumer milestones but chortled through with anecdotal tittle tattle that seemed to send most of the audience to sleep.
When is the industry going to get it? When are we going to stop reflecting and start projecting? This self-indulgent wedding speaking is not going to take the industry forward and allow us to rival the likes of the budget airlines and retailers. The more time we spend rambling on about THIS board meeting in THAT five star hotel, the less we are innovating and driving the consumer agenda.
And now we are asking Government to leave us alone? Now, when government relations are more crucial than ever? We sound like bullied victims if we plead for peace and solitude from the country’s agenda. We need to tackle these issues and tackle them now. The Olympics is a once in a life-time opportunity to change the perception of our industry and this country’s tourism product but we are not going to do that by speaking like spoilt children. We need dialogue with government on Tourism strategy, investment, skills and sustainability so let’s stop tittering and let’s start directing.
If anyone at the top table had looked forward yesterday, they would have mentioned the rise of the budget hotel sector. They would have discussed the dominance of brands that put value in the heart of their offer. They would have mentioned that in every other leading industry; mass market brands with lean and low cost strategies head the pack. They would have said that we have to strive to innovate, put the customer in the heart of the business and use technology to open up new revenues while serving the customer better. Instead we sat through a role call of old hotels with no other ambition than to preserve its name and quirks.
Budget hotels may lack grand fire places, chandeliers and quiet corners for gentlemen to yarn but we are the future.
Like I said to my table yesterday around the time we were served deserts; “maybe budget hotels are leaving the BHA behind.”
Guy Parsons
Chief Operating Officer
Travelodge
Posted by Guy Parsons | June 28, 2007 1:10 PM
Posted on June 28, 2007 13:10
Thanks for your interesting comments, Guy. I take your point, the event certainly did look backwards more than it looked forwards, but I guess Bob Cotton would defend it by saying the lunch was meant to be exactly that, a celebration of the century gone by, rather than a day for future-gazing - as you say, reflection not projection.
You make a valid point about dialogue with government, and here I think the priority is for the hospitality industry to speak with a combined voice. Ours is an industry employing millions of people and contributing substantially to GDP, and it needs to wield commensurate clout.
Posted by Mark Lewis | June 28, 2007 1:45 PM
Posted on June 28, 2007 13:45
Well done Guy, your commentary was very much overdue, so let's hope there is positive change. I recognise Mark's comment on the the day being celebratory, and he makes a very good point about improved leverage with government. I recall a meeting at the embryonic Sherwood Center Parc when I tried to persuade the Manpower Services Commission and the then Industrial Society of the potential of the budget hotel sector, and the impact of employment needs - unsuccessfully! We are a large industry sector that has too many representative bodies having little impact on government and future planning and resource development - no matter what they believe! Perhaps with the opportunity of the Olympics on the horizon now is the time to address this and create an effective lobby initiative that has teeth and involvement from all - How about your chairman leading the way Guy?
Posted by John Flowerdew FIH Chartered MCIPD | June 29, 2007 1:57 PM
Posted on June 29, 2007 13:57
What a mean spirited riposte by Guy Parsons of Travelodge after a wonderful celebratory lunch organised by Bob Cotton and the team at the BHA.
Not only was the event a triumph of organisation and flair, the food excellent, and the venue fantastic, but the speeches rightly looked back on a golden era of hospitality, dominated by big figures like Sir Max Joseph and Lord Forte.
To say that this was all self indulgent is to make a mockery of careful planning, high quality speakers in Derek Taylor, David Michels and Rocco Forte, and the great opportunity to celebrate 100 years of the BHA.
I wonder if Travelodge will be here in 100 years ? Maybe, after multiple ownership changes and rebranding. Guy is wrong to say that the future is all about the budget sector - it is only one aspect of a hugely exciting and disparate hotel industry, no more or less important than any other sectors.
Givne the choice between staying in one of Guy's desperately bland and soulless budget hotels, where service is pared down to the minimum, or in an interesting independent hotel run by a hands-on proprietor with real imagination and flair, I know where I would rather be - and crucially it seems that the majority of guests to our hotels would agree.
Andrew Beale
Managing Director
Beales Hotels
www.bealeshotels.co.uk
Posted by andrew beale | June 29, 2007 3:23 PM
Posted on June 29, 2007 15:23