Cateys 2026: Manager of the Year Award – Jennifer McCabe, art'otel London Battersea Power Station

Creativity and community engagement epitomise Jennifer McCabe’s tenure as general manager of art’otel London Battersea Power Station.

Since taking on the pre-opening role at the hotel in 2020, she has led the property to stable and well-controlled profitability, despite inflation, rising labour costs and evolving guest expectations. 

Nowhere is this more evident than in the hotel’s food and beverage offerings. McCabe drew on her extensive background in high-volume F&B to oversee a strategic repositioning of restaurant Tozi into a pizzeria in 2025, generating a 38% uplift year-on-year, as well as the evolution of Joia bar into Perola, creating a new, standalone identity and unlocking new guest segments and commercial opportunities.

Revenue at the hotel has grown 6.7% year-on-year, with revenue per available room rising by more than 5% and occupancy continuing to climb despite volatile market conditions. Alongside this, she has optimised the hotel’s meetings and events offering through a focus on higher-margin business and an expanded experiential offering.

McCabe has also been instrumental in shaping the creative side of art’otel London Battersea Power Station. Over the past year, she has reinforced the property’s position as a market leader in artistic, culinary and experiential innovation, with events including rooftop cinema nights, which have attracted more than 720 attendees, seasonal experiences such as barbecue offering Chef’s Flaming Feast, and an artist in residence initiative, providing emerging artists with visibility and opportunity.

A standout achievement in the past year has been the success of the Wellness Collective, an offering that includes yoga classes, sauna, massage, personal trainers and aesthetic treatments. In its first full year in 2025, it delivered an exceptionally high profit margin of 80%, enabled by its low-cost model driven through collaboration with practitioners.

McCabe’s talent management marks her out as an outstanding leader. She hand-selected the hotel’s opening team, with nine of the original 11 senior managers still with the company today. As the business has matured, she has evolved the organisational structure to meet rising demand, overseeing more than 50 internal promotions. Her team continues to report exceptionally high engagement scores, with the hotel-wide score remaining well above 85%.

McCabe also remains deeply committed to community engagement through her support of initiatives such as Cleaning the Thames, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Nine Elms Arts Ministry and multiple local schools. She has overseen significant in-kind donations for London’s Community Kitchen, enabling it to serve 180-200 people four times a week, as well as pillows for the Ukrainian Support Centre and homelessness charity the Passage.

McCabe’s influence stretches across every aspect of the hotel, making her a deserved Catey winner.

What the judges said

“Creative and innovative, McCabe shows her care for the community, her team and the industry with equal vigour. A thoroughly consistent leader and a worthy winner.” Sally Beck

“McCabe has been instrumental in shaping art’otel London Battersea Power Station and really putting it on the map as an exceptional hotel. Her leadership style gets the best out of her team and she mentors and nurtures talent.” Chris Eigelaar

The shortlist

• Richard Chiswell, the Evolv Collection
• Seamus Coen, Rusacks St Andrews
• Zin Thet, Kimpton Fitzroy London
• Jennifer McCabe, art’otel London Battersea Power Station
• Matt Townley, Dakota Hotels

The judges

• Sally Beck, Royal Lancaster London
• David Connell, Exclusive Collection
• Chris Eigelaar, the Belfry Hotel & Resort
• Zoë Jenkins, Coworth Park 
• Helle Jensen, Covent Garden hotel
• Francisco Macedo, Ocubis
• Justin Pinchbeck, Sheraton Grand London Park Lane