Special Interest Episodes

Hospitality Meets - Episode 200 Welcome to the 200th episode of "Hospitality Meets"! In this landmark celebration, we delve into some of the best bits from the last 100 episodes including the extravagant tales, pivotal moments, missteps and inspiring journeys shared by our incredible guests. Each story is a testament to the laughter, dedication, creativity, and resilience inherent in the world of hospitality. What you can expect in this episode (Bed in, it's epic!):- Eddy Tannous haircut disa...

In the latest episode, Phil brings you an engaging and humour-infused conversation with Andrew Evers, the charismatic Group Director of IT for Rocco Forte Hotels. Grab your popcorn and settle in for an entertaining journey through technology mishaps, personal growth, and the evolving role of IT in hospitality. Key Highlights: 1. Telephone Tales: Andrew welcomes Phil to the iconic Alexander Graham Bell suite at Brown's Hotel in London. Did you know this suite is named after the first telephone c...

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Simon Numphud, the dynamic Managing Director of AA Media. Join us as we delve into Simon's fascinating journey through the hospitality industry, from his humble beginnings in catering college to becoming a leading figure in the industry. In this episode, Simon shares candid anecdotes about the less glamorous side of constant travel and dining, the rigours of maintaining fitness, and the humorous misconceptions his children have about his job. We discu...

We've got time for a cheeky bonus episode this week so today, we have a very special guest joining us - Tim Andrews. Tim is currently a talent manager at Jumeirah Hotels and also the founder of the podcast "Talking Hospitality." With his extensive experience in the industry, spanning from his early days working in a bar in Soho to his current roles, Tim brings a wealth of insights to share. In this episode, we'll be diving into Tim's fascinating journey in hospitality. We'll explore how his div...

For this week's chat, I tootled off to the Edge hotel School at the University of Essex to meet comedy genius (And Deputy Head) Adrian Martin. Adrian brings a wealth of experience from both the hospitality industry and academia, making for a fascinating conversation. And Adrian is engaging from the get go as we delve into his unexpected journey into hospitality, which began with a nudge from his grandmother and led him to a successful career in hotel management before transitioning to academia....

Today's special episode features an engaging conversation with the quite wonderful Jason E. Brooks, a seasoned expert in the restaurant industry and the author of the transformative book "Every Leader Needs Followers." Phil, delves into Jason's innovative strategies for integrating new hires, his methodology for effective leadership, and the crucial shift from managing to leading a team. Jason sheds light on his book’s five keys, encapsulated in the acronym MODEL, and further expands on the impo...

Welcome to another episode of "Hospitality Meets," where this week we delve into the vibrant world of the hospitality and night time economy. Phil is joined by none other than Michael Kill, the dynamic Chief Executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). Michael shares an array of fascinating stories—from being pranked early in his career at Fifth Avenue to orchestrating his own elaborate pranks as promotional stunts. Listen as Phil and Michael explore how such experiences build res...

This week on Hospitality Meets, we had the incredible privilege to sit down with Natasha Robinson, a torchbearer for a storied legacy in the restaurant industry. Natasha’s deep-rooted connection to hospitality comes from a lineage spanning generations, with her parents standing out as boundary-pushing restaurateurs. From her upbringing amidst the bustling energy of family restaurants to her contemporary role guiding young talents, Natasha’s journey is awe-inspiring! We cover January Changing ...

Almost 2 years ago to the day, I was lucky enough to get the industry legend that is Danny Pecorelli on the show to tell his story. Within that story we got talking about a very special event that was about to happen called Back to the Floor and he kindly invited me to join his table. What unfolded at that event was what undoubtedly makes Back to the Floor one of the most celebrated events on the hospitality calendar. Fun and Carnage in equal measure, all whilst raising some much needed funds f...

Time for a cheeky bonus and this week I welcomed the absolutely epic, and my good friend, Dr Lizzy Bernthal who is a resilience specialist to chat through work place Toxicity and how to eradicate it (Amongst other things). Lizzy has an amazing story of how she ended up specialising in this under discussed, but relevant topic and we cover a lot including:- The Army Fighting back against Toxicity Resilience Forms of Toxicity The Drama triangle Empowerment Language Choices The signs of To...

Up until around 2 years ago, I can't say that I'd even heard of the company that today's guest comes from, but when I learned what they do and how well they are doing it, I just had to get him on. I welcomed Max Lawrence, Director of Hospitality Assured to the show and we get through a lot, including:- What is Hospitality Assured? Knowing what you want to do The privilege of giving service Learning the ropes with Holiday Inn Accounting Fascinating challenges Moving to Independent busines...

A real treat for you this week as I got some time with Alison Cullin-Woodcock who is a Food & equipment development consultant, an area of the industry we have not really explored. And I'll bet that some of this will blow your mind but more than that, Alison really brings the energy and passion so it's very easy to get on board with her journey. We cover:- The dogs in our life Equipment & Innovation Knowing what you want to do Developing the palette College Getting the basics right THE ...

Merry Twixmas to you all! Something a little different for you this week, a monumental story of strength and hope! When Charlie Hodson (Owner, until the end of 2023 at least, of Hodson & Co) reached out to me to see if his story merited an airing on the show, a quick call got me questioning whether this show is big enough for his story. There's a lot to get through in this chat including:- The Cheese Room Being a Chef Opening the smallest restaurant in the UK Community Spirit False econo...

I cannot even describe what a total joy recording this podcast was with 2023 AICR Receptionist of the Year, Chelsea Lacey. Chelsea is also Front of House Receptionist at the quite fabulous Pennyhill Park. Chelsea oozes natural fun and authenticity (Two traits that I'm sure serve her well in her role) all the way through our chat and she's got some cracking stories to boot. We get through:- Midweek weekends Making Rota’d shifts work for you The (Genuine) Joy of working Christmas Having no pl...

A quick Bonus for you this week as I was lucky enough to catch up with Chris and Robbie, the crew behind Spirit of Hospitality, a few days before they set off on the the worlds toughest row across the Atlantic, all to raise money for the wonderful Hospitality Action. I caught them in the middle of their pre departure preparation but they were kind enough to take a few moments out for us to catch up and find out how things have been since we last chatted. We covered:- Clothing and Hygiene La ...

A little sneaky bonus for you all this week as I wanted to showcase one of the wonderful highlights of the Hospitality Calendar, that being The Walk for Wellbeing. So what better way to showcase that than get its founder on the show, Craig Prentice. We also chat through Craigs journey to figure out where this idea came from and cover off:- Starting at a Money brokers Moving to a theatre & Music venues Finding Hospitality Neglecting self care Recruitment Ennismore Mental struggles Starti...

Another treat for you this week as I got some time with the walking industry legend that is Peter Hancock. Peter has had a wonderful career so far and is one of the most respected people within hospitality, now plying his trade as a public speaker and MC extraordinaire. We chat about:- The Changing face of the mid life crisis The unplanned start Quick Promotion Moving to Hotels Publishing Evolution Pride of Britain Getting into speaking Having a laugh Being a MasterChef eater Hospita...

Ever wondered what goes on in the world of an Environmental Health Officer? Well, wonder no more (And even if you didn't wonder, pay attention as there's some awesome content afoot) as I got some time with Natalie Stanton, Founder of the Safety Expert. I know what you are thinking, how is that hospitality? Well, quite frankly, the industry of hospitality would not exist without a massive focus on keeping our guests safe, environmental health does just that. Not only that but Natalie talks so p...

What a vibrant and energetic chat I have for you this week as we delve into a little corner of hospitality that you may not have even considered as part of the industry. I chat to Rosa Brough, Founder & Creative Director behind 7 Fifty - an un-conventional video production agency that specialises in content for the hospitality industry. I had the joy of working with Rosa earlier this year at HRC, she was a livewire then and she is livewire throughout our chat. We cover off:- Media and Conten...

I've spoken about the importance of networking many times on this show and without that, I may never have met today's guest. And you are absolutely going to love it. I chat to Stephen Trigg, Managing Director and Founder of Lauden Chocolate, a truly world class chocolatier, and all round top bloke. I can't let this pass without a big shout out to Claire Bosi and the team at Chef Publishing for the introduction. There's so much to love in Stephen's story and we get through:- Getting started ...

A sneaky bonus for you this week as I welcome back absolute rockstar of a human, Jim Knight - Author, Speaker & Podcaster. Jim's super power is all about elevating through culture and having just written another book in his series, this time "Service that Rocks", I thought it was high time we had him back. Jim is just box office in every minute and we get through:- Music Jim's Books Authenticity Creating wow experiences Price of admission stuff Service Attitude and personality Rita Gill...

And so here is part two of Matt's epic journey. In the first part we learned about an incredible amount of adversity that Matt had to deal with. By his own admission, some of it self inflicted. In the second part, there's definitely a transfer over to hope and moving forward. In this part, we get through:- Bluebird Restaurant Re-focussing Energy into the positive Maze Restaurant People Jamie Oliver Learning leadership Giving back Caravan restaurants Covid Extra Curricular Collaborat...

My life have I got a story for you this week. Introducing Matt Burgess (Known as Matt Blak on Instagram) who has a story so epic, a Hollywood writer should pick it up. I made a decision half way through chatting to Matt that I'll just let this one roll for as long as it takes as frankly, there's learning from the outset and all the way through. It's a 2 hour chat so I'm breaking this up into two this week, the first part for you now and the second part on Friday. So here is Part one. And crik...

Did you know that it's International Margarita Day today? Well, sit down, pour yourself a beautifully crafted Mockarita and listen into my wonderful chat with the awesome Pooja Sharma-Jones, Chief "Mock"eting Officer (You see what they did there?) at Mocktails (https://mocktails.com/) And it's quite a bizarre story how we came across each other, but we talk about that in the chat so I won't bore you with it twice. We also get through:- Nicknames Finding the fun Being inspired by parents S...