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Hello, my name is Chris Mumford.
I'm the founder and
managing director
of Cervus Leadership Consulting.
I specialise in senior
executive recruitment
for the hotel
industry worldwide,
as well as advising
hotel companies on issues
surrounding compensation,
organisational structure, and
talent management issues.
It's my pleasure today to
speak to you around
labour issues in
hotels and their management with
a particular focus on
the UK and Brexit.
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There are two hotels here in
the UK which are better
known than any others,
household names which
have instant recognition.
One is in the capital London,
and the other is in a
seaside town called Torquay.
The London hotel boasts
267 rooms and a
prestigious history,
laying claim to being the first
purpose-built deluxe
hotel in the world.
Regularly frequented by members
of the British royal family,
the hotel has really
hosted anyone who's
anyone from Marilyn
Monroe to Rihanna.
The Torquay hotel has
a less illustrious guest list
and is more synonymous
with bad food,
things breaking, and
rude management.
The London hotel is
owned by a Saudi Prince,
is run by an international
five-star branded
management company,
and has 375 staff.
The Torque hotel,
on the other hand,
is run by a vexed and
harassed owner, his wife,
whom he lives in constant
fear of, and three employees.
A housekeeper, a
waiter, and a chef.
The London hotel is
the renowned Savoy Hotel
situated on the Strand,
and for many Brits, the epitome
of luxury British hospitality.
The other is Fawlty
Towers hotel in Torquay,
situated in the collective
British consciousness
as a fictional hotel made legend
by John Cleese in
the highly acclaimed
12-episode TV series
from the late 1970s,
widely regarded as one of
the greatest TV
comedies of all time.
