Celebrating the achievements of Human Resources within the hospitality industry, the event has grown each year and is now a sought after award entered by HR departments throughout the industry nationwide. Hosted by the inimitable duo of Chair and Vice-Chair, Carl Smith and Basil Blanco the awards ceremony also raised £5,000 on the night for the HR in Hospitality's chosen charities of Springboard UK and Hospitality Action, two charities that work tirelessly for the industry and its people.
Receiving the award from the judges Anita Bower commented: "We are delighted to have received this fabulous award. At Chewton Glen we have a commitment as a business to work with schools, colleges and universities to highlight the many opportunities available within the hospitality industry and to also teach life skills that will benefit them for the future."
"I feel very privileged to work with such a strong team at Chewton Glen who are fabulous ambassadors for the industry. I am personally very passionate about educating the students to understand that hospitality should be seen as a worthwhile career of choice and a great career path for the years ahead" concluded Anita.
The awards were judged by Ian Burke, Caterer.com; Penny More, Hospitality Action; Philomena Cahir, The Dorchester; John Stauss, Four Seasons; Christian Horvath, Royal Automobile Club and Judith Owen, Judith Owen Associates. The judges stated that: "The winners of these awards have worked exceptionally hard at encouraging people into and making hospitality their career of choice. They have built up their reputation and are now attracting people from schools, colleges and universities to join the hotel industry and progress with them. The judges were impressed by what a small size team of dedicated human resource people can do when the need is there.
Chewton Glen's Managing Director Andrew Stembridge stated: "This is a wonderful recognition of Anita's efforts with local schools and colleges and one that she, and her colleagues Kneilly Mayo and Eileen Keith, should be very proud to receive. So often the work of human resource teams can go unnoticed in the hectic world of hospitality. At Chewton Glen we recognise that the most important asset this company has is the people that make this hotel World Class, and Anita's role in developing a strong team has a huge part to play in this achievement."
Employing over 220 staff, Chewton Glen is a five-red star privately-owned luxury country house hotel, located on the edge of the ancient New Forest National Park in Hampshire and just a few minutes' walk from sea. Chewton Glen has a world-class spa and leisure activities including a nine-hole par three golf-course, croquet lawn, indoor tennis centre and outdoor tennis courts. The hotel has 58 individually designed luxurious bedrooms and suites, private dining, banqueting and modern meeting facilities. The award-winning Marryat Restaurant specialises in using high quality locally produced ingredients wherever possible. Seating up to 140 covers for lunch or dinner the restaurant is open seven days a week to hotel guests and non-residents who enjoy the beautiful views over the 130 acres of gardens and parkland that surround the hotel.