How a family holiday in Cornwall inspired a career in hotel management

Andrew Mosley, General Manager of The Grand Hotel in Brighton, looks back on his career and explains why creating an ‘experience’ for guests and diners is so important.

I am immensely proud to say that my career in hotels spans more than 40 years.

It all started for me in Cornwall on our family holiday in the summer of 1979. I was 14 years old.  A week self-catering that included one evening when Mum and Dad would treat the four of us to a ‘posh meal’. I think it was at The Trevose Head Hotel near Padstow. Looking back, perhaps not that posh after all, but I loved it!  Coincidentally, we were served that evening by two young staff from my hometown (Kettering In Northamptonshire) working a holiday season.

“It’s great” they said, “we work breakfast, then hit the beach, then come back to serve dinner and then quite often there’s a drink or two after work in the staff quarters.”  That sounds good, I thought to myself. Especially the beach and the drinking bits. “The following day we do the same. Up, breakfast, beach, dinner, drinks. And then the same again and again and again… in fact, all summer.” 

Somewhat naively, I was hooked. However, I later realised that there was a greater force at play here. How just being in that hotel made me feel. How it played with my emotions. Once dinner was over, my younger brother and I would explore. We found a swimming pool, the lounge, a snooker table, corridors that led to what I envisaged were the most incredible bedrooms (well much better than mine at home anyway!) and reception areas with views of the sea. Just imagine being part of this, I thought to myself!

My pursuit of a career in hotels next took me to the Swallow Hotel in Northampton. I rang them up and asked to speak to the Personnel Manager. Sadly ,I have no recollection of that person’s name but I will be eternally grateful to them for making one hour free in their diary and seeing me. 

As advised, I studied for my O Levels and then A Levels, and later a degree in Hotel Management. Whenever possible, I got part time work. Firstly, as a kitchen porter at The Talbot Hotel in Oundle. I remember straining my neck to look through the doors into the restaurant whenever they would flap open. Oh, to be in there. I bet it’s amazing!

Once at university (well, Polytechnic to be precise) I did some silver service at The Post House Hotel in Northenden, South Manchester, before taking on my first bar job at The Bowling Green Pub in Chorlton – again South Manchester. 

After uni, I joined Shire Hotels, a small provincial hotel company based at the time in the North West, but then grew into the south in 1990 by opening The Solent Hotel near Southampton. I was Deputy Manager and it was from there that I was promoted to my first general manager’s job at The North Lakes Hotel – one of their 4 star hotels in Penrith, just outside the Lake District. It was the autumn of 1993. I was 28. But, moreover, it was just 14 years on from The Posh Meal and I had achieved my goal running a hotel.

I left Shire Hotels in 1998 to move to Corus and Regal Hotels before then joining De Vere Hotels in 2001. The subsequent four years included time at The Belfry, near Birmingham – perhaps most famously known for having hosted four Ryder Cups. As a golfer myself, I was now combining business and pleasure in a way I could have ever imagined! I then worked for QHotels in Winchester – overseeing the development and build of a 185 bedroom 4 star hotel before coming to The Grand in 2010.

I have always been privileged to work with incredible teams – but The Grand team is extraordinary – dedicated, professional and fun in equal measure – with a passion to look after our customers in a way that sets us apart from our competition. I say this regularly, but I am truly humbled to be the manager of this incredible, iconic hotel, but moreover to be in a position to lead the team within it.

In 2019 I had what I still distinguish as my career highlight when we won a Catey. The Catey’s are the hospitality industry’s pinnacle awards and we were recognised as The Best Employer in our industry that year. The dinner and awards took place at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 2nd July. My 54th birthday!  And 40 years on from the summer of 1979 and our family posh meal.

In 1979 I didn’t even know what a Catey was, but if you had told me then I would be in charge of The Grand and we would win one, I would have thought I was dreaming.  So dreams can come true!

If you sit back and think about it, spending lots of money going out for, let’s say, dinner actually makes little or no sense at all. The bottom line is that, essentially, we would all be better off financially if we stayed in and cooked for ourselves!

Our family posh meal, back in the summer of 1979, more than likely consisted of Prawn Cocktail, Steak Diane and Black Forest Gateau or something along those lines. Standard 70’s fayre!  A quick search on the internet, a trip to Tesco’s and a couple of hours in your kitchen at home and you could probably do as well with the dishes or better. For a lot less money. 

BUT there would be something massive missing. And that is the emotion. Because when someone else conjures up the dish, then creates an environment in which it is served, and then delivers it to you personally with a style and grace that makes you feel like a Lord then they are charging not for the dish, but for the experience. And that’s what it’s all about. Because the person in charge of that meal is basically playing with your emotions. And the feelgood factor you are enjoying costs money!

It took me many years to realise that our young waiter friends from Kettering were playing with my emotions that evening in the summer of 1979. But once I did, I unashamedly admit that I started ensuring that I too would play with customers emotions for my entire career. It doesn’t always work and that’s where, sometimes, complaints essentially stem from. But, when it does, it feels great – trust me!

For more information about the Grand Hotel Brighton, please visit our website.

www.grandbrighton.co.uk