Eastbourne hotel employee among the best in Britain

More than 700 leading hotel industry figures came together at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge for the 2016 Hotel Cateys, one of the most prestigious awards in the hospitality industry.

Sarah has made a significant impact on the hotel’s recruitment and internal training alongside the career progression and development of its 170 contracted members of staff and 70 casual workers.

Following the awards ceremony Sarah said, “It is an incredible honour to be recognised by such a prestigious awarding body and to be positioned alongside such inspiring people in the industry. I am extremely passionate about making The Grand one of top hospitality employers in the UK and have some very exciting plans for the future that I look forward to implementing across the team.”

Sarah is committed to developing a strong, motivated team at The Grand with a proactive approach to recruitment as well as internal training and progressive careers across all departments of the hotel, which is part of the Elite Hotel Group. The implementation and success of many of Sarah’s schemes also led to The Grand being named as one of the 30 best hospitality employers in the UK 2016 by The Caterer and People Cubed.

A passionate advocate for apprenticeships within the hotel, Sarah has focused her attention on strengthening relationships with local education providers to create a direct recruitment pipeline that begins as young as 14 and progresses through casual work and apprenticeships to full-time positions. The introduction of this scheme has been a huge success with 26 students gaining a total of 102 days’ work experience since the start of 2016 alone and 50 per cent of The Grand’s current kitchen team recruited from local colleges.

Jonathan Webley, general manager at The Grand said, “On behalf of the entire team at The Grand we would like to offer many congratulations to Sarah. This recognition is entirely justified as Sarah works tirelessly to ensure all staff members, both old and new, have every opportunity to progress their careers with us, ensuring The Grand is the very best employer it can be.”

Managing Director of the Elite Hotels Group, Graeme Bateman, said, “Sarah Hoyle has made a big impact in the time she has been at The Grand and it is fantastic recognition to be a finalist in the Hotel Cateys. From all of the Elite Hotels team and myself, I want to commend Sarah on this achievement and thank her for all of her hard work.”

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Go to www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/christmas/