UK: The shortlists for the 2023 Independent Hotel of the Year and the GM of the Future awards have been revealed ahead of the Independent Hotel Show in London, 16-17th October.
This year’s Independent Hotel Show Awards, in partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, will announce the winners on day one of the show (Monday 16th October).
The shortlist for the Independent Hotel of the Year was whittled down to eight from over 100 entries.
The finalists are:
• Aviator, Farnborough
• Grove Of Narberth, Pembrokeshire
• Ness Walk, Inverness
• The Atlantic, Jersey
• The Cottage In The Wood, Malvern
• The Fish Hotel, Worcestershire
• The Grand, York
• The Headland, Newquay
The winner will be decided through a combination of public industry votes and judges’ ranking. Votes can be cast here.
Jane Pendlebury, awards judge and chief executive of HOSPA, said: “It was an absolute pleasure and honour to judge the awards, albeit a challenging process! With an impressive number and standard of entries, whittling them down was enormously difficult – especially given the diversity of properties in the mix. From urban to rural, boutique to large, we saw the full spectrum of hospitality on display.
“Given the high quality of the entries received, those who have made the shortlist can feel very proud, knowing that, should they win, they’ll be a very worthy winner – with making the shortlist a significant achievement in itself.”
Stuart Procter, COO at The Stafford Collection and winner of 2022’s Independent Hotelier of the Year Award, added: “I’m delighted to have been a part of the judging panel for this year’s Independent Hotel Show Awards. The quality of nominations was outstanding, with entries from people and hotels at the top of their game and I think we have been able to select those who really embody the best of the best in the independent hotel industry.”
The GM of the Future award, in partnership with The Master Innholders, will also be announced at the show. The winner will have the opportunity to undertake the Talent Development Programme at Cranfield University, Buckinghamshire, and will also receive a complimentary ticket to the Hotel Leadership Conference in 2024.
The finalists are:
• Leanne Silavant, front office manager, The Castle Hotel
• Daisy Turney, operations manager, The PIG-on the beach
• Niek de Rijcke, Guest Experience Coordinator, Dorchester Collection
• Jordan Hughes, hotel manager, Northcote Hotel Ltd
• Chiara Sorrentine, operations manager, Exclusive Hotels
• Chris Bancroft, operations manager, The Newt in Somerset
• Daniel Greenock, restaurant manager, Gleneagles
The winner will be judged by a panel of Master Innholders. The shortlist can be viewed in full here.
Dan Rose-Bristow, chair of the Master Innholders said: “A hotel is nothing without its general manager, yet having the skills and training to become one in our current climate is far from an easy task. Providing young talent with the opportunities to pursue their career goals, such as through the GM of the Future award, is just one of the many ways we aim to help support those within the industry.
“It has also been immensely encouraging and humbling to see so many people from across the sector apply and wanting to pursue a career as a general manager. Narrowing down the candidates was a challenging task, but we are confident that all the finalists are on a promising path to becoming successful hoteliers.”
