Marvellous year for Metropole

It won four top categories – unsung hero, outstanding manager, warmest welcome and contribution to charity and the community.

General manager Sascha Koehler said one successful awards night was reflection of what has been an amazing year for the hotel.

He said: “We have had a really successful year and the whole team is over the moon at what we have achieved.

“All of our key performance indicators – including revenue, profit and customer satisfaction – show a brilliant 2016.

“Brighton is such a fantastic place to be and we work really hard but at the same time we don’t always take ourselves too seriously.

“It really is important to have a laugh at times and to have confidence in our product.

“We have created a great culture here. I am a great believer that if you enjoy coming to work then you can achieve what you set out to do.

“Being in the right frame of mind is so important.”

Mr Koehler said the i360 tourist attraction has benefited the Metropole.

He said: “Brighton is a very popular place and the i360 has been a great sales tool.

“Where else can you attract conference visitors with the offer of a trip up the i360?

“I also believe that we are very lucky with the support the tourism industry receives from the council and other such bodies.

“It all helps in a very positive way.

“Brighton benefits from being a seaside resort and also being so close to London. It is a great place to work.

“We host some great events such as Pride and the Brighton Marathon.

“It is a unique and very quirky city.”

Monday to Thursday is mainly conference and corporate trade while weekends and summer are primarily leisure customers.

Transformation

Mr Koehler said: “The transformation is quite an achievement.

“We are very keen to host events such as gala dinners and it’s all about striking the right balance, which I believe we do.

“Next year will be more of the same as well as renovation for part of our space.

“The indications are that next year is going to be even better than 2016, which is very pleasing.

“I am pleased that some other hotels are planning improvements.

“This is important because it means we will be lifting the quality of the market.”

The Unsung Hero at the Brighton and Hove Hotelier Awards 2016 was Nicky Menzies, 45, who has worked at the Metropole for 22 years and now works in HR admin.

Nicky said: “I was nervous on the night – nicely nervous – and to win was amazing.

“I actually organised the awards one year so I realise how tight the competition is.”

Mr Koehler said Nicky was a shining example to everyone.

He said: “She keeps everyone organised and she really does go above and beyond the call of duty.

“She may be in the background but she knows everyone.”

Director of operations Richard Hopton – who has worked at the hotel for just over one year – was named Outstanding Manager in a category judged by The Argus.

Mr Koehler said: “Richard has a great sense of humour and he is very loyal and hard working.

“He has great character, he displays passion and he is very charismatic, focusing mainly on food and beverage.”

Mr Hopton said the Metropole had made major progress this year.

He said: “I have a really hands-on role and like to make sure that I am visible and helpful but that everything is running smoothly.

“We are always working on different projects, changing menus, bringing in big events and new promotions.

Pride

“We have just reopened our brand new health club and we now have more than 1,000 members.

“We recently went through one of the busiest months of the year with a huge event for 1,600 people where our fantastic team pulled out all the stops and really wowed our guests with great food and service.

“I also felt immense pride standing in the i360 looking over our rooftop graffiti pieces and seeing people taking photos and enjoying the great art we had helped to create.”

The Metropole also won the award for the warmest welcome – and those who assume this is for the greeting when customers first walk into the hotel should think again.

Mr Koehler said: “Of course we were very pleased to win this award as well but we decided to nominate an individual, Maureen Forbes, who greets customers when they come for breakfast.

“She has been with us for more than 25 years.

“She recognises all our guests and she really does hold everything together for us.

“She’s never idle and a very special part of our team.”

The final accolade of the evening was for the Metropole’s commitment to the community and charities.

Groups it supports include the Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, Albion in the Community, Off The Fence and the Starr Trust.

Mr Koehler said: “We take every opportunity to help where and when we can.”

FROM BOXING NIGHTS TO GLITTERING AWARDS, THE VENUE HOSTS THEM ALL

IN MAY the Metropole hosted and sponsored The Starr Trust showcase of talent.

Event organiser Harleigh Slaughter, 20, from Brighton said: “We were really grateful to the Hilton Brighton Metropole and Northbrook College for being our sponsors.

“I wanted to raise money for the Starr Trust who are all about helping children achieve their potential.”

“I thought a show like this, giving talented students the platform they need to showcase their skills, would be perfect.”

The Metropole was also the venue for the newly launched The Business Women Excellence Awards – Sussex.

This stretches across the whole of the county and is staged specially to celebrate the success of today’s best females in business.

Many companies today still remain male-dominated despite the obvious progress that has been made over the years to change that.

These awards seek to highlight the best business women or the best businesses owned or co-owned by women.

Organiser Faiza Shafeek from Carrot Events said: “The awards this year were in two segments starting with a semi-final event, which was held at the Hilton Brighton Metropole in September and which was a tremendous evening.

“The black-tie gala final was also held at the Metropole Hotel on November 25. It was a glittering red carpet event.”

Carrot Events has also chosen the Metropole to host the Sussex Lifestyle Show on May 27 and 28 in 2017.

There will be more than 220 exhibition stands.

The hotel also hosts boxing evenings.

Last month BHB Promotions – in association with Scott Welch and British Warrior Boxing Promotions – chose the Metropole to host a professional boxing show.

The Metropole employs around 200 staff and has 340 bedrooms.

General manager Sascha Koehler said the hotel has built up a very effective commercial team under the director of business development, Agata Balazinska.

It has vast space and can cater for up to 1,000 conference guests at any one time.

Staff have become very experienced at handling such big events, including party political conferences.

Mr Koehler said that some renovations have taken place over the past year and more improvements will continue.