Hotel Owner Hotel Owner May 2017 digital | Page 3

EDITORIAL LETTER Switch it up CONTRIBUTORS STEPHEN W. AYERS This month you may notice that we have Stephen is a British and Canadian author and former hotel manager. He is the CEO of Stay Ahead Hospitality, a company that helps independent hoteliers in Europe and North America to attain high standards and increase profit re-designed our news pages in an innovative style. We figure the month’s happenings are best presented in a chronological style, but we also know you only have so long to sit with our splendid coffee table read to take it all in. The new style aims to help you sail through our month’s coverage in quick succession – a fast-track to keeping up DEBORAH HEATHER Deborah is the director of Quality in Tourism - the accommodation assessment scheme for VisitEngland. Deborah manages a team of more than 40 accommodation assessors, who each grade some 300 properties a year with what’s happening in the trade. There will be other changes coming to the magazine over the coming months – our belief is in evolution, not revolution. Watch this space. This month we caught up on the facts with Jurys Inn in the wake of its acquisition by Lone Star Funds last year in a €900m deal. In the same year, the brand reached a record 5 million guests. In his last piece for Hotel Owner before moving onto his next career chapter, Tom Davis sat down with managing director, Jason Carruthers, to learn about where the company is heading. PETER HANCOCK Peter has been the chief executive of Pride of Britain Hotels - a collection of never more than 50 luxury and independent properties - since 2000. He previously managed hotels and restaurants in Sussex and Hampshire, having started out as a waiter Hospitality is a famously stressful field for owners and staff alike, but how to keep the atmosphere light and fun, and hold on to your best people? We also spoke this month with Stephen Ayers, CEO of Stay Ahead Hospitality, who shared with us his tips on how to keep your employees happy and de-stress the workplace for maximum rewards. Having bid goodbye to Tom, we bid welcome to Shekina Tuahene, who joins as our new editorial assistant. You will see from our incredibly well-stocked website that she has hit the ground ANGIE PETKOVIC running and is already proving to be a quick-paced news writer. As Angie started as our resident marketing advice columnist and has now built a substantial following for her straight-talking answers to the common questions about executing a professional marketing strategy always, drop her a line with any editorial ideas at [email protected] I hope you enjoy the issue. Michael Northcott Editor, Hotel Owner [email protected] ON THE COVER Jurys Inn, Oxford | MAY 2017 £5.95 WWW.HOTELOWNER.CO.UK H O U S E K E E P I N G | R E N O VAT I O N | F O O D & B E V E R A G E | S P A | P R O P E R T Y | E D U C AT I O N hotelowner for the independent hotelier who means business ISSN 2049-7709 HotelOwner RECORD-BREAKING Jurys Inn on its post-acquisition strategy FRONT OF HOUSE ONES TO WATCH How Aredonaig’s new manager wants to make his mark on the place UPGRADE Eynsham Hall modernises its property We collate a list of companies supplying the industry with housekeeping goods p15 DE-STRESS p38 Reducing stress levels amongst your employees May 2017 DIVERSIFY Deborah Heather on how to vary business p41 @HotelOwnerMag www.hotelowner.co.uk HOSPITALITY IS A FAMOUSLY STRESSFUL FIELD FOR OWNERS AND STAFF ALIKE, BUT HOW TO KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE LIGHT AND FUN, AND HOLD ON TO YOUR BEST PEOPLE? ‘‘ www.hotelowner.co.uk 3