Starting out in the kitchen of a local hotel aged just 15, Malcolm Hendry’s career in the hospitality industry started early. Today, Malcolm celebrates over 20 years with Red Carnation Hotels, working at The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, The Milestone Hotel in Kensington, and today The Rubens at the Palace and Hotel 41 in Victoria. Leading a team of over 225 employees over three properties (including bbar & restaurant), Malcolm and his team have a list of awards and accolades to be proud of, including Hotel 41 retaining the coveted Forbes five-star rating for the past four years, the Rubens at the Palace being awarded five-stars following a multi-million-pound refurbishment and continued success on Tripadvisor – where Hotel 41 has been consistently voted as London’s number 1 traveller rated hotel in London for the past 10 years. We congratulate Malcolm Hendry on achieving 'Top General Manager Worldwide' in the Luxury Travel Advisor, Awards of Excellence 2019. We caught up with Malcolm to discuss his career, how he's spending lockdown and his thoughts on being named 'Best General Manager in the World'. Q&A with Malcolm How did you start out in the hospitality industry? Like many GM’s in our industry, my story starts at a young age, I was 15 when I started working in the kitchen of my local hotel. What has kept you in the hotel business for so many years? I genuinely love people and working with great teams, I’ve always loved being part of a group of people. I love to work, and I love to look after people and make them feel special. I like to make people happy with both large and small gestures - I am the same at home, with family and friends. If not a hotel General Manager, what other roles in the hotel operation do you respect and/or enjoy the most? I have a love and respect for all roles within the operation, as I know from experience a hotel business cannot succeed unless all departments work well together. I am definitely happier in an operational role, on the ‘floor’ meeting with guests and supporting my team. What does a great day look like for you? Happy teams and happy guests, one cannot be achieved without the other. I enjoy receiving and sharing recognition with our teams for the hard work, care and passion that they all put into their jobs, day in and day out. Nothing makes me happier or prouder than this. What challenges do you face as a General Manager today, that you didn’t face 10 years ago? There are definitely higher result expectations, but this is normal as a hotel/company grows and has to compete with better and better hotels in the market every day. Sales and Marketing has also changed beyond recognition, with our digital channels now as dominating as sales and communication channels, and seemingly in a state of constant change. There are also new and changing expectations from each generation of employee that comes through the business – younger employees expect different things from work than I did as a trainee many years ago. Sometimes different is better of course, and it’s about accepting and managing change to ultimately benefit the team and the business. How do you motivate your team, each and every day to be the best? I try to lead by example always, I work as hard as I can in the knowledge that I am leading a team of people who will be inspired by my actions – not just what I say but what I do, on a daily basis to take care of the team and of our guests. Communication is everything is a hotel operation, being consistent and positive and regularly and proactively offering support. My office door is always open, but I am not often found in my office, my real office is in the hotel lobby and the lounge. Recognition and reward are key in an environment full of ‘hidden heroes’, those team members that work behind the scenes to make the operation work. A simple ‘thank you’ still has the power to make someone’s day.
