Scott Crowe wins 2024 Gold Service Scholarship

Scott Crowe from the Balmoral Hotel has been named the winner of the 2024 Gold Service Scholarship.

The supervisor at the Edinburgh hotel was presented with the title at a ceremony at Claridge's hotel in London on 5 February in front of 250 hospitality leaders.

Originally from Australia, Crowe has been at Balmoral for five years, initially as a chef de rang before working his way up to supervisor level.

He beat seven other exceptional front of house professionals to the title, including Simona Federová, chef de rang at the Ritz London and Etienne Harding, assistant restaurant manager at the Goring hotel, who were both highly commended.

Chair of judges Edward Griffiths said: "This has been yet another incredible year. Not only did we see a record-breaking number of entrants but the fact that we have two highly-commended candidates just tells you how high the standards were."

Gold Service Scholarship chair Alastair Storey added: "Ever since we launched the Scholarship 12 years ago, we had a clear vision; we wanted to encourage more people into the sector and celebrate and recognise those already doing an exception job of maintaining the service standards that make our industry one of the best in the world.

"We also wanted to create a group of ambassadors who can continue to inspire future generations. We're delighted with the appetite and passion that so many of our candidates demonstrated this year and can't wait to see how their careers develop and evolve over the coming years."

As part of his prize, Crowe will be offered a range of educational trips to Champagne and Porto, work placements and development opportunities, including a course at the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He will also be invited to work at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, and undertake placements at Michelin-starred restaurants and five-star hotels in the UK and abroad, including the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Bangkok.

The 2024 Gold Service Scholarship finalists:

• Serena Buono, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Royal Automobile Club, Surrey

• Scott Crowe, Supervisor, Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh

• Simona Federová, Chef de Rang, The Ritz London

• Etienne Harding, Assistant Restaurant Manager, The Goring Hotel, London

• Rizwan Khan, General Manager, Junsei Marylebone, London

• Annabel Rohm, Restaurant Assistant Manager, Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire

• Alexandra Sollis, Guest Relations Manager, The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall

• Joe Southwood, Assistant Lounge Manager, Corinthia London