IoH members make shortlist for Independent Hotel Show Awards

The shortlist for the 10th annual Independent Hotel Show Awards has been announced and we are delighted to see some of our amazing IoH members amongst them. Including IoH Supervisory Board Member Rachael Stevens FIH and Patrick Burke FIH MI.

The Independent Hotelier award is decided through a combination of public industry vote and marking from the esteemed panel of industry judges, with online voting open from now until the day before the Independent Hotel Show returns to Olympia London on 4-5 October. The awards ceremony will take place from 5pm on Tuesday 4 October at the show.

Across two busy days in June, the judges read through a record number of entries for both the Independent Hotelier and GM of the Future, in partnership with The Master Innholders, which saw entries more than double year-on-year.

The Independent Hotelier award recognises an excellent independent hotelier or hotelier partnership with a reputation for pushing boundaries and creating exceptional guest experiences. Since the Awards launched in 2012, the independent hoteliers recognised in this category have continued to drive change and innovation in the sector, with the latest winner being Joanne Taylor-Stagg FIH of the Athenaeum.

The shortlisted hoteliers for this award are:

• Charlie Luxton and Dan Brod, Co-Owners, The Beckford Group
• Harry Cragoe, Owner, The Gallivant
• Helen Heraty, Proprietor, Grays Court Hotel and The Bow Room Restaurant
• Janine Marshall, General Manager, One Aldwych
• Patrick Burke FIH MI, Managing Director, The Atlantic Hotel
• Stuart Procter, Chief Operating Officer, The Stafford Collection

The judges for the Independent Hotelier award were Joanne Taylor Stagg FIH of the Athenaeum, Grosvenor House Suites’ Andrew Henning, Brenda Collin FIH of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Charlotte Evans of Condé Nast Johansens, David Noble of James Hallam Insurance, Sunday Telegraph Travel Writer Fiona Duncan, HOSPA CEO Jane Pendlebury MIH, Paula Ellis of Retreats Group Ltd, conference and awards host Peter Hancock FIH, Richard Fraiman of The Good Hotel Guide, Simon Numphud FIH of AA Media, The Times and The Sunday Times Hotels, Luxury Travel and Wellness editor Susan D’Arcy and Boutique Hotelier Senior Editor Zoe Monk.

GM of the Future, won in 2021 by Anna Sirba MIH, who has since been appointed General Manager of The Bodmin Jail Hotel in Cornwall, recognises a rising star in the hotel industry: someone who consistently goes the extra mile and has a commitment to inspiring others.

The shortlisted hoteliers for the GM of the Future award are:

• Beth Bryant, Hotel Manager, The Ickworth Hotel
• Oliver Harris, Operations Manager, Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa
• Rachael Stevens FIH, Rooms Division Manager, Pennyhill Park and member of the IoH Supervisory Board 
• Jill van Rest, Operations Manager, Strand Palace
• Alexander Wilson, Front Office Manager, The Goring
• Karen Weisheit, Hotel Manager, Grove of Narberth

Nominations for the GM of the Future Award were judged by a panel of leading hoteliers and experts in the industry, including Glenn Wallace, Independent Hotel Show Event Manager, David Morgan-Hewitt FIH, Chair of the Master Innholders & Managing Director at The Goring, Dan Rose-Bristow FIH, Owner & Managing Director at The Torridon Resort, Petra Clayton, Creator & CEO of Custard, Wallace Vincent FIH, Master Innholders, Daniel Pedreschi FIH MI, Regional Vice President of Hotel Operations, UK and, Anna Sirba MIH, General Manager at The Bodmin Jail Hotel. The result of the GM of the Future award is decided purely on judges voting.

We would like to congratulate all the hospitality talent that was nominated. Good luck to all the shortlisted candidates.

Read more about the IHS & the Awards