Meet Peter Avis MIH

We talked to Peter Avis MIH, General Manager of Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Peter was recently appointed to the Institute of Hospitality Supervisory Board.

Tell us a little bit about your career history in hospitality including your current role.

I started my career in hospitality when I was 17 as a dishwasher in Miami. After a couple of years developing my skills to head waiter level, I moved to Las Vegas and landed a job at the MGM Grand hotel where I worked for one year.

After returning to the UK, my first job in London was at the Royal Garden Hotel where I completed my management training. I was then approached to join the opening team of Babylon restaurant at the Roof Gardens, part of the Virgin Group. During that time I worked closely with Sir Richard Branson on projects including launching Virgin Limited-Edition hotels such as the Mont Rochelle Hotel in South Africa and the Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco, and Necker and Moskito Islands.

After working with the Virgin group for over 16 years, in 2018 I decided to set up my own consultancy business which allowed me to gain experience within the food services and luxury resort sector which I really enjoyed, plus it helped me to develop my own skills set.

In February 2020 I was appointed General Manager of Galvin at Windows and 10 Degrees bar at the London Hilton on Park Lane, getting the chance to work with the legends that are Chris and Jeff Galvin along with the amazing team at The Hilton on Park Lane. It’s the perfect role for me as both The Hilton Group and the Galvin brothers genuinely share the same principles as me.

You started in this role just before hospitality was hit so hard by the pandemic, how have things been at Galvin Restaurants during the last nine months?

I was only in my new role at Galvin at Windows a couple of weeks when COVID-19 pandemic conversation started, but from the outset I was aware of the experience and passion that surrounded me, and no one had ever dealt with this type of situation before.

The thing I have appreciated most is the genuine communication, the messages just checking in, being honest with each other and sharing ideas.

The team at Galvin Restaurants and Galvin at Windows have been working incredibly hard, even when the restaurants have had to close to the public. Galvin Restaurants launched and developed an at home dining experience called Galvin at Home which allows our guests to enjoy a restaurant quality meal with little to no fuss.

At Galvin at Windows we used the period of being closed to prepare and launch our fabulous Afternoon Tea. Headed up by our new Head Chef Marc Hardiman who came on board just as we re-opened in August.

I have been blown away by how unflappable everyone is and the spirit and energy to create new things. This pandemic has meant we have had to put our thinking caps on to turn lemons into lemonade.

How have you ensured the team remain motivated during this crisis?

I stay in weekly contact with the team and also separately with the management and senior management team. I think going through this a second time, we are much more prepared. Deep down we all knew another lockdown was coming and my job was to prepare the team for this. The one lesson many leaders learnt from the pandemic was that being honest with our teams is key. I did not and still do not have all the answers, but communicating with the team and keeping them updated has been so important.

We have also supported our team with online training sessions, our Assistant Head Sommelier Jules set up a group where he showcased our wines by the glass with tasting notes, as well as how to purchase some of the wines at a discounted price. This has allowed the team to improve their wine knowledge and also get to try the wines at the same time during lockdown… what could be better! I think this creative way of training will develop as we move forward.

What’s your top piece of advice for coping during such challenging times?

Keep your mind healthy! I really think this is key to getting through this. I try and go for a run each day, some days are hard, but we must keep that resilience and keep our mind and body strong. And please remember it is ok not to be ok.

What do you love most about working in hospitality?

Working with the amazing people and being part of something that creates fabulous experiences for people. I also love watching team members grow in their careers… this is the best feeling you can get.

You have recently been appointed to the IoH Supervisory Board, why did you decide to take on this new role?

I felt the timing was right for me to join the supervisory board of the IoH. I had a couple of years sort of out where I had to put focus on my own mental health and wellbeing. But now I am back and in a full time General Manager role at Galvin at Windows and working for two strong brands, Hilton and the Galvin Brothers who both fully support my work within the hospitality sector.

Anyone that knows me knows I am really passionate about showcasing our industry as a great career path. So when I heard Kellie Rixon had taken on the role of chairman, I felt it was the right time.

I am genuinely honoured to be on the supervisory board and working with the team to support and grow the Institute of Hospitality in these new and unique times we find ourselves.

What do you hope to bring to the Board as a trustee?

The main focus for me will be to ensure the restaurant sector is represented within the IoH. I am also looking forward to supporting the IoH with their events and awards. My experience in this area will be something I hope to share, and I have been involved over the years with many industry events especially the UK Restaurant Manager Awards which I am of course a big fan! So being able to support the team with the events side is something am really looking forward to, as well as helping to develop and support the mentoring programme.

We all need to work closely as an industry right now to insure we get through the hard road ahead and I believe the IoH as a big part to play in this, for sure I will be using all my experience and network to support this in any way I can.

You are speaking on an upcoming IoH panel on lessons we can learn from the first lockdown, what is the most important lesson you have learnt?

The most important lesson I have learnt from lockdown is to be present with the team. We have gone through very hard times. I do feel we can take positives from the last lockdown in terms of business and planning. For example when we reopened we knew we were going to have less team members so we ensured we planned a detailed cross training programme for the team… this is something we plan on doing when we come back from lockdown 2, and we know the team can multi task much more now.

I think the other big lesson is do not take anything for granted, I see my management team are much more aware of the cost side of the business because they were seeing first-hand the business levels just changing overnight so we had to react fast. It was very important that we all took ownership for the situation. I can see they are all now much more cost focused than before which is good as we move the business forward.

How do webinars like this help the industry?

Webinars and general online training, communications etc are key right now. I think again this is a positive we can take from lockdown. Before all this I disliked Zoom meetings… I mean with my accent it was never going to easy! But I have got so used to it and some of my colleagues are actually much better remotely getting work done. I think that’s because I am not there to annoy them!

I also think webinars are great and the IoH do some really fantastic ones. I am really looking forward to join the Here We Go Again webinar on the 23 November, when we will be discussing lessons from lock down.

Do you think there will be any positives for our industry when life returns to “normal”?

I think we will appreciate what we have and how truly amazing our industry is. Hopefully our guests will be out and spending again so happy all round!

What skills/traits do you think you need to work your way through to the top?

You need to be a grafter, resilient, have a game plan, good mentors and just never give up! Even at this point in my career I still have to keep pushing and networking in order to keep myself relevant in this fast changing industry. But the success comes if you keep going. 

What’s been the most memorable day of your career so far?

The most memorable day has to be when I won the Catey for Manager of the year. It just really summed up all my hard work and to be recognised by the industry I love so much was a day to remember for sure.

Which elements of your IoH membership have you found the most valuable during the crisis?

The webinars are great especially during lockdown. I have loved getting to do Zoom meetings with the IoH team and getting to know everyone and hearing about all the exciting projects we have lined up for our member. This has really helped me, because it is just so nice to still be discussing positive projects for our great industry, like the upcoming IoH awards programmes.

How has being an IoH Member helped your career?

The IoH has played a big part in my career for many years now. I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Ducker many years ago and he has always supported me, and also Sarah Peters who is amazing. The IoH has always supported me and through various networking events I have made so many connections over the years.  Some of these connections are now dear friends more than 10 years on.

I think that shows the importance of the IoH.