How 300 UK Hoteliers Have Kept In Touch In These Troubled Times….

Main Photo: The Royal Hotel, Weston-super-Mare, a hotel managed by The Hotel Management Company

Date: November 2020

Location: UK

Name: The Hotel Management Company

Who They: The Hotel Management Company, led by industry veterans, Roddy Watt, Peter Lederer CBE, Charles Holmes, Jill Chalmers, Alan Murray and Michael Ball started a weekly call at the time of the first lockdown in March 2020 to provide a forum for independent hotel owners and operators and others interested in the sector such as Property, Finance, Legal and Banking Professionals, in order that they could share experiences and best practice under Covid-19.

The weekly THMC Hospitality Insights call has grown in stature, content and scope and today some 300 hoteliers and others from across the sector have asked to be included and to receive a weekly invitation.

Each week the calls welcome one or two guests, leaders in the industry who have genuine insight and expertise and who are happy to share their views and knowledge with those on the call. Past guests and regular contributors include;

• Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality
• Paul Charles, Lead on the Quash Quarantine campaign
• Fergus Ewing MSP, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & the Rural Economy
• James Lohan, Founder of Mr & Mrs Smith
• Robin Hutson, Chairman & CEO of Lime Wood Hotel and The Pig Hotels, and Founder of Hotel du Vin

These calls are held every Tuesday morning for one hour at 10am on Zoom and participation is entirely free. THMC are happy to welcome anyone who is interested in participating.

Roddy Watt, CEO of THMC explained “Operating in the independent hotel sector is challenging at the best of times, and can be a lonely road. The current worldwide pandemic has only served to complicate matters by a factor, and it has never been more important for the industry to pull together and collaborate at every level. These calls have obviously served a purpose as is evident by their popularity.”

Anyone interested in being included should simply contact us at THPT and we will pass to Roddy to add you to the invitation list.

More about The Hotel Management Company (THMC):  They claim to be the UK’s leading management services company focused on the independent hotel sector. They have recently reported a significant increase in activity…. It seems many owners of independent hotels, beset by the scourge of Covid-19 are taking stock of their individual situations and are considering alternative management strategies.

Roddy Watt, CEO of THMC commented “Operating independent hotels successfully and profitably was challenge enough prior to the worldwide pandemic. As is well known, recent lockdowns and business interruptions have created an almost impossible situation for virtually all hospitality businesses, and independent hotels are no exception.

Indeed, running such businesses can be a lonely and worrying occupation. We have found that many owners have really enjoyed and benefited from having external support such as that provided by a third-party management services company”. Michael Ball, Chairman of THMC commented further; “Whilst the current crisis prevails, meaningful, profitable operation of hotels is incredibly hard. However, it is clear that those properties that benefit from the leisure market will enjoy a boom in business from Staycationers when restrictions are lifted.

We have managed to operate most of the hotels we have under management throughout the lockdowns, providing accommodation for essential workers. Other clients have experienced unprecedented levels of demand in the periods during which they have been allowed to operate. In short, we see a glimmer of light for these leisure properties, but the road ahead will not be easy, and the winter promises to be particularly gruelling”.

THPT Comment: Roddy and his team have done phenomenally well since leaving the world of recruitment – Roddy started Berkeley Scott, an hospitality specialist recruitment business, in 1984, initially by gathering together some 30 industry experts and specialist companies to create Buell Consulting in 2011, then in more recent years, The Hotel Management Company. These weekly calls, many of which we at The Hotel Property Team have been on, have proved to be a great success.

First Seen: The Hotel Management Company press release

The Hotel Property Team (THPT) is a small group of highly experienced business professionals. Between us, we provide a range of skills and experience which is directly relevant to those involved in the hotel property market.

For more information – Visit www.thpt.co.uk or email info@rrh.hmf.mybluehost.me