A peaceful retreat

Red Carnation is the absolute opposite of a corporate hotel company. We are a family in the truest sense of the word; family-owned and family-run, our trailblazing founder, Beatrice Tollman, knowing every single member of our team. This close, hands-on feeling runs through everything we do, warmly welcoming new recruits and treating everyone in our collection of hotels as a much-appreciated member of the global Red Carnation family.

Like every loving family, we run on true family values: trust, respect and caring for each other. This, we believe, is why we all give our very best in everything we do – and why we are known as one of the world’s top hotel companies, achieving countless accolades such as the renowned Forbes five-star ratings and being voted as either the top hotel, or in the top three, on TripAdvisor in every single location.

We strive to offer a huge variety of ways to develop, nurturing our talent to help them achieve the best they can. Offering a wide range of training programmes, apprenticeships and mentoring schemes, our recruits are taught the technical know-how and personal skills to excel at what they do, and we help to map out their career progression to ensure they are fulfilled and happy.

Every member of the Red Carnation family is empowered to make a real difference. We put faith and trust in our team members, encouraging them to make decisions and create those tiny noticeable touches that can really make someone's day – whether that’s a guest or a colleague. Our agile team structure lacks the usual corporate hierarchy, offering a truly flexible, adaptable and fast-moving work environment.

Our founder, Beatrice Tollman, started her career as an executive chef and has worked in every position in her hotels, so has true empathy for what it takes to create an exceptional experience. That value and respect is felt by everyone. What’s more, 80% of our managers have worked their way up through the company, many through our Management Programme, presenting a truly inspiring leadership team. We are also proud to have some of the longest-serving staff members in the industry, many having stayed with us for more than 20 years, and have a very high employee return rate.

From gifting £800 to every new baby born to a Red Carnation employee, to offering over 80 learning and development courses, as well as enhanced holiday entitlement, medical benefits and employee assistance, we go above and beyond to make our teams feel appreciated. We also offer delicious staff meals on location, plus a wide range of discounts and benefits with trusted partners. Our annual staff appreciation party, meanwhile, is a celebration of our top team players, with 100 awards handed out to over 1,000 people.

We have a profound respect for our destinations and tread lightly wherever we go. Our philosophy is to help both our team members and our guests to become part of our sustainability journey, supporting local charities and implementing green initiatives in each destination. Employees benefit from two days’ paid volunteering at a charity or cause of their choosing every year.

We welcome and celebrate people from every possible background, culture, sexual orientation, and the differently abled, and are especially proud of our female-friendly work environment. Our workforce is made up of 51% women, with nearly 40% in top managerial roles, including six at General Manager level – a true achievement in the male-dominated hotel industry.

We listen closely to our staff and offer an unbeatable support system. Each team features a mental health champion, trained to help those that might be struggling in the workplace. We also offer wellbeing training sessions that focus on health, lifestyle and mindfulness, while our UK, Guernsey and Ireland-based employee assistance helpline assists staff with everything from financial problems to dealing with depression or bereavement.

Hard work, loyalty and dedication are highly rewarded, but we go several steps further to make our staff feel appreciated. Each hotel hosts monthly tea parties for every team, where we champion our employees of the month and managers of the quarter. At Christmas, each property holds Christmas parties for both staff and their children, with personalised presents for everyone.