The MHA Awards - The Shortlist

This News article was posted on 21 Sep 2011 .

Record numbers of hotels submitted record numbers of nominees for the MHA Awards and the calibre of the candidates is making the whole process a great pleasure.

The nigh on impossible job of selecting a shortlist of 3 for each award is now complete and the shortlist can be seen below.

The Awards, in association with Hospitality Academy at Fielden, part of The Manchester College, will be presented at the MHA Ball at The Palace Hotel on Friday 21st October 2011

New Star

Raymond Drake
The Midland Hotel

Raymond Drake is the most distinguished Concierge Doorman in the city. Raymond came out of retirement to pursue a career in hospitality in June and we are extremely glad he chose the path to The Midland. Raymond has been recently praised by a guest on Trip Advisor as a ‘star’. What ever the weather Raymond shines, he ensures every guest receives a heartfelt welcome and he coveys to them knowledge of Manchester that is second to none. Raymond is a credit to the hotel concierge team and has received a great amount of positive customer feedback in his short employment.

Clare Kelly
The Lowry Hotel

Clare Kelly is the HR Administrator within the Human Resources team at the five star Lowry Hotel. Clare joined The Lowry Hotel in February 2011 and has fast become an integral part of the hotel team and is responsible for supporting all team members and delivering a five star HR service to everyone. She is a great ambassador for the hotel and industry as a whole and certainly is our New Star within the business and will continue to grow both personally and professional within our business.

Martyn Strong
Cottons Hotel & Spa

Martyn Strong joined Cottons Hotel & Spa (Shire Hotels) in September last year after graduating from university. He was selected to join the Management Development Programme after a series of interviews. In addition to working in the restaurant and bars and gaining supervisory experience, he has also been selected for our two-year Food and Beverage Academy, which is run in conjunction with Kendal College. This ultimately enhances Martyn’s knowledge of food and wine and provides him with a further qualification. It is Martyn’s ambition to progress in the company and to one day manage his own hotel.

Employee of the Year - Front of House

Martin Greenwood
Radisson Edwardian Hotel Manchester

Since joining the Radisson Edwardian Free Trade Hall in January 2011 as In-Room Dining Team Leader, his enthusiasm and professionalism have become invaluable to us. Martin approaches every day with a positive and proactive demeanour and is a superb motivator of his team. He is always calm and cheerful ensuring high morale within the department. His weekly training sessions are to the highest standard and he has implemented a “Standard of The Week” to ensure our 5 star brand standards are constantly maintained.

Helen Vernon
Arora Hotel Manchester

Helen’s attributes of teamwork, commercial awareness and passion for customer service ensure that she continues to delight the customer. Her
dedication, care, attention and enthusiasm for the business her to positively influences her colleagues and drives her to progress her career further. Helen demonstrates a real commitment to all areas of the hotel business, which is evidence in her interaction with other teams and contributes to
increasing customer satisfaction and business revenue. An integral part of our business, we are delighted to have Helen on the team and hope she will remain with us for many years.

Jack Appleton
Mint Hotel

Jack joined Mint Hotel Manchester in September 2007 as a junior reservations agent. During this time with Mint Hotel he has moved around to various departments where he had the opportunity to build on his industry knowledge and experience. Jack’s current role is Guest Service Manager where he really excelled in customer care and guest experience. Jack also took on the role of social media liaison; he has set up twitter, facebook and foursquare page for the hotel and interacts with guest on a daily basis. We have seen an massive increase in our online traffic since launching the pages. Jack also introduce a new VIP scheme for the Front desk and Guest services department which will make our regular guest feel more at home and give our corporate guest more time to relax in our rooms.
Jack is a benefit to the hotel and organisation and the work he is doing with springboard will definitely give him the exposure he deserves.

Employee of the Year - Back of House

Erica Stoodley
Macdonald Manchester Hotel & Spa

Erica Stoodley joined the hotel in January 2009 as a Receptionist where she was quickly promoted to Reception Shift Leader in August 2009 which demonstrates how competent Erica was in her role. Erica was a born leader and led the reception team from the front through numerous challenging situations. In July 2010 Erica decided that accounts was where her passion was and successfully applied and was appointed as Senior Accounts Assistant. Erica has excelled in her current role and has taken on numerous projects that are outside of her normal working remit. She is a true high achiever.

Biju Ragaopal
The Portland by Thistle Hotel

Mr Biju Ragaopal, has worked for the company since 2007 and his commitment and service to the hotel have seen him promoted to his current position of Head Chef. He is married with a Son and has another baby due this September which he is so excited about. We are nominating Biju for the back of House Award for his dedication to the role and to his team, we feel that his enthusiasm should be rewarded and this would be such a fitting way for Manchester Hoteliers Association to recognise this exceptional member of the team.

Alan Davies
Crowne Plaza Manchester City Centre

Alan has a wealth of knowledge and experience that benefits the Crowne Plaza Manchester City Centre beyond his direct team and responsibilities. The passion and commitment he shows to his team is apparent and he is a well respected member of the team in the hotel by managers and hotel staff alike. The hotel is maintained to a very high standard and guests always comment on the freshness of the hotel and that it still feels brand new - this is a credit to Alan and his team and their attention to detail.

Howard Raynor Lifetime Achiever

George Hardman
Arora Hotel Manchester

George has worked at the Arora since 2005; he is a tremendous asset to the Front
Office and Conference departments for his positive customer and work attitude.
Always dependable and reliable he is never anything less than 100% pleasant and
cheerful meaning that any colleagues and guests who come in contact with him benefit from a genuinely friendly and warm interaction. An integral part of our business and an ambassador for Arora Hotels, we are both proud and delighted to have George on the team and hope that he will remain with us for many years to come. 

Russel Green
The Lowry Hotel

Russel Green is the Head Concierge at the five star Lowry Hotel. Russel joined The Lowry Hotel in 2001 within pre – opening team as Deputy Head Concierge and returned as Head Concierge in 2010. Russel was awarded the prestigious Golden Keys in 2002 and has played an integral part in the promotion of the society not only in The Lowry Hotel but of other Golden Key member hotels outside of the London region. In recognition of his work he was appointed as Chairman of the Northern Region and he is committed to improving standards and to development of concierges outside the London region. Russel also was the lead member and co-ordinator for the Manchester Concierge Network which aimed to provide up to date information on places to visit; attractions and restaurants. He is fully committed to providing our guests with the best information he can on Manchester and the surrounds in order for them to get the best out of their stay in Manchester.

Tony Blunn
Ramada Manchester Piccadilly Hotel

Tony Blunn has been employed at the Ramada Manchester Piccadilly Hotel as Maintenance Manager since July 1997. Whilst his job title is Maintenance Manager it does not give justice to all that Tony does here at the hotel. He is a key member of the Guest Care Management Team, providing excellent service to our guests; he manages the Health & Safety of the whole hotel as well as the security management. Tony is a senior manager who is respected by all of the team. He successfully assisted in the management of the £18million refurbishment and continues to ensure the building is in the best possible condition for guests to visit and employees to work in. Tony is on call 24hours per day, 365 days per year, day or night to support and guide the team through maintenance and Health & Safety issues. The hotel would be lost without Tony Blunn and all that he does.