Hotelier of the Year
Gordon Campbell Gray - Hotelier of the Year 2002
"This award meant so much to me. I had never contemplated winning because I had always seen myself as being apart from the crowd and slightly on the outside. How wrong I was! I received so many letters and messages of congratulation from friends and past colleagues that I lost count. There was a sense of mutual pride from all the staff at One Aldwych. Of course, it was because of them that I won the award.
"Being Hotelier of the Year is slightly like being Miss World - minus the crown and sash. I have been invited to attend and speak at so many events, giving me a marvellous platform to express my views.
"Being a hotelier is simply one of the most fabulous careers you could ever have, and we must all make sure that people know this."
Richard Edwards - Hotelier of the Year 1983
"There is no doubt that, of all the events and incidents in my 44-year career, receiving this award was the best. The plaque is now on the wall here, opposite my desk.
"For me, 1983 was pretty amazing. My wife and I once stopped at a hotel in Devon that we had never been to before, for a cup of coffee. The proprietor recognised me from the front cover of Caterer & Hotelkeeper and, before I knew what was happening, I'd been whisked off to be presented to the kitchen and restaurant staff in the middle of service.
"In my business life, the award presented me with the quiet, unspoken underlining of experience - the fact that this chap probably does know what he's talking about, he has been there and done it. You are only as good as your last guest experience, so your true skill is to pass on your experience, beliefs and personality to your front-line people and management."
Harry Murray - Hotelier of the Year 1986
"Winning the Hotelier of the Year title meant a great deal to me. I was passionate about the hotel industry from the age of 13, and to be recognised by it as one of the country's leading hoteliers was a dream come true. I am extremely proud to attend the Hotelier of the Year award luncheon each year, and I never stop trying to justify winning it.
"I recall that, at the time, the most difficult part was having to keep the fact I had won a secret until the presentation, a month away. It was amusing to hear everyone trying to guess who had won.
"Every hotelier in the country is a potential Hotelier of the Year. It's not about four- and five-star hotels, it's about value for money. We are in a people business, and this award revolves around people. During the year I held the title, I always regarded the trophy as a team award."
Karen Earp - Hotelier of the Year 2001
"I was both stunned and humbled to be honoured with the award, and speechless when contacted in my office to be told that
I had won. I had very fond memories of when Ramón Pajares had previously received the award, and so knew that this was truly something special.
"Aside from friends and colleagues contacting me from my distant past, it truly highlighted the fabulous team that I work with here at Canary Wharf.
"A top hotelier never forgets that he or she is judged by the success of the team. An intuitive analytical ability with a focused direction towards work, an organised mind, an eye for detail and the ability to see the big picture are the traits of an excellent hotelier."
Peter Lederer - Hotelier of the Year 1997
"I was driving to Dundee for a meeting at the University. Deep in thought, I answered my mobile phone, to be told that I had
to call the editor of Caterer, and it was urgent. Being a hotelier, the immediate thought is, ‘Oh no, what has happened?' I will never forget returning that call to be told that I had been selected Hotelier of the Year. Selected by my peers, recognised by my peers for doing the job I love - it doesn't get much better.
"Receiving the award was a celebration of success, something I am accused of not doing enough of. Everybody celebrated and it meant a great deal to 500 great people who are on stage every day at Gleneagles.
"What does it take? An absolute understanding of customers, marketing savvy, strategic thinking, a total commitment to creating an environment where employees can grow and succeed, a desire to understand the future, delivering the best possible returns to shareholders… and passion."
Nick Ryan - Hotelier of the Year 1999
"Like many other small rural hotelkeepers, I had always imagined that the award would go to the hotelier of a large, prestigious hotel. So when I received the news that I had been elected by my peers, I found it quite an emotional experience.
"Clearly, the basic principles of hotelkeeping are the same in all hotels, so I really considered this an award not only for all of us here at Crinan, but for all other small hotels throughout the country."
Terry Holmes - Hotelier of the Year 1985
"Any hotelier who says he doesn't want to win Hotelier of the Year is either not telling the truth or is a fool. Winning this award was one of the highlights of my career.
"An American client at the Stafford, who was also my mentor, flew over just for the day in order to attend the lunch. My win was written up in that evening's London Evening Standard, and the next day, when I got in a cab, the driver said, ‘Here, you're that London geezer who won Hotelier of the Year. There's no charge!' I have tried to find him again many times since.
"Everyone who has won this award in all the years it has been going has been totally and utterly dedicated to both their job and the industry. Each one has been successful in their field, sometimes against all the odds. Whoever wins this year will belong to an exclusive club, not only of professionals, but also some of the loveliest people I have ever had the privilege to meet."
Nicholas Rettie - Hotelier of the Year 1998
"The effect of being awarded the Hotelier of the Year title was extraordinary.
"First, it is a huge honour to be chosen by your peers, in a process whose rigour you do not appreciate until you sit on the judging panel the following year.
"Second, I felt it was a vindication of the style (and substance) of hotelkeeping I had been practising while at the Halkin and the Metropolitan over the previous few years - different hotels that called for different hotelkeeping.
"Third, it helped draw some talented people into the team I was then gathering to open the Great Eastern hotel.
"It's a wonderful award - I highly recommend it to anyone aspiring to succeed."
Ramon Pajares - Hotelier of the Year 1984
"At the time, it was the most rewarding experience of my professional life. After receiving the award, I was invited to the ballroom
to test some new dishes for banqueting and was met with 300 employees with glasses of Champagne in their hands and shouts of, ‘Congratulations!'
"The enthusiasm and motivation that followed in the hotel was extraordinary, and when I started to receive notes and calls from customers, I realised the extent of the staff's pride, as they were sharing it with everyone."
Ken McCulloch - Hotelier of the Year 1993
"I can honestly say that the Hotelier of the Year lunch was one of the most special days of my life. To be surrounded by some of the greatest achievers in the industry, who were gathered together to celebrate the award, was overwhelming. I was sitting next to the late Brian Sack and Francis Coulson of Sharrow Bay, and at one point they both raised their glasses, turned to me and said, ‘Dear boy, enjoy your day, this is all for you.'
"In 1993, the hotel industry was just coming out of recession, and I was in the middle of planning two new hotels called Malmaison. When I look back now, 10 years on, I sincerely believe that winning the award gave me the confidence and the determination to hold on to my dream and create something significant for my company. This award is as good as it gets."
Hotelier of the Year award, past winners
1983 Richard Edwards, then at the Chester Grosvenor, Chester
1984 Ramón Pajares, then at the Four Seasons, London
1985 Terry Holmes, the Stafford hotel, London
1986 Harry Murray, then at the Imperial hotel, Torquay
1987 Eion Dillon, then at the Copthorne Tara, London
1988 Ronald Jones, then at Claridge's, London
1989 Grete Hobbs, then at Inverlochy Castle, Fort William
1990 George Goring, Goring hotel, London
1991 Martin Skan, Chewton Glen, New Milton
1992 Dagmar Woodward, then at the May Fair InterContinental, London
1993 Ken McCulloch, then at One Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow
1994 David Levin, the Capital, London
1995 Ricci Obertelli, the Dorchester, London
1996 Chris Rouse, then at Turnberry, Ayrshire
1997 Peter Lederer, Gleneagles, Auchterarder
1998 Nicholas Rettie, then at the Metropolitan, London
1999 Nick Ryan, the Crinan hotel, Argyll
2000 Peter Crome, then at Chewton Glen, New Milton
2001 Karen Earp, Four Seasons Canary Wharf, London
2002 Gordon Campbell Gray, One Aldwych, London
Award criteria
The 2003 Hotelier of the Year will:
- Exhibit strong attention to detail
- Be willing to impart knowledge to staff
- Have an exemplary business track record
- Have the personal touch with guests
- Be totally dedicated to the industry
The Hotelier of the Year Award is sponsored by Louis Jadot
