A leading UK hospitality operator is embarking on an expansion of its head count in 2023, as the re-opening of 12 prime sites triggers a recruitment drive that will create almost 1,000 additional jobs across its estate.
The Inn Collection Group has seen rapid growth since 2019 and is set to see its trading premises grow by almost a third this calendar year, as extensive refurbishments complete across venues in Cumbria, Lancashire, North Wales, North Yorkshire and Tyne & Wear.
Already employing 900 people across its network of pub with rooms properties, filling the resultant positions created by these re-openings will see company that was named best pub employer at the 2019 and 2020 Publican Awards grow its headcount to almost 2,000 people.
Offering good news across the jobs market in the north of England, some of the positions will be to assemble a team at Harrogate’s Hotel St George, where the company had recently been forced to announce redundancies.
Problems within the construction industry and associated supply chain having a knock-on effect on refurbishments left The Inn Collection Group with no option but to make those cuts at the time to secure the long-term future for the site, but now sees the group looking to the future as those difficulties ease.
Beginning in earnest as landmark sites in the Lake District and North Yorkshire gear up for a spring reopening, applications are currently being invited for wide range of roles including general and assistant managers, head chefs and front of house opportunities.
Offering competitive salaries, an attractive benefits package, and a dedicated employee support programme, many of the vacancies available also offer live-in options as the company looks to overcome one of the main barriers to recruitment in more rural locales.
Speaking on the recruitment of new members of The Inn Collection Group team, people director Liz Robertson said: “It is an exciting time for The Inn Collection Group with so many sites coming back from refurbishment and recruiting their re-opening teams.
“It is a real source of pride that we are looking to expand our people base and that we can offer rewarding positions in great locations with a fantastic company.
“Some positions are being recruited for the very first time by the group, such as the general manager role at our Betws-y-Coed property The Swallow Falls Inn, whilst some like the general manager role at The Temperance Inn in Ambleside are because we've seen internal progression of colleagues developing and moving into new roles within ICG.
“The return to trading of the sites under refurbishment is the growth focus for us this year and our new colleagues are going to play a key role, alongside our already valued colleagues, in delivering our goals.”
The growth of the company and ongoing recruitment is a refreshing tonic in the face of continued pressures in the wider economy, with The Inn Collection Group’s eager to position the hospitality industry as one in which people can forge a rewarding career.
That opportunity is demonstrated non more clearly than with the group’s managing director Sean Donkin, who is one of many examples who started in front line positions before advancing through the company.
Starting out as general manager at The Bamburgh Castle Inn in 2008, he worked his way through to operations director before taking on the managing directorship in 2018 and boasts more than 20 years’ experience in the trade.
Commenting on the recruitment drive, Donkin said: “Making the hospitality industry one in which people can see themselves long-term and where they can build a career is incredibly important not just to the company, but to me personally as well.
“It is an incredibly rewarding business where making people happy is the key focus, something which drives us not only in how we want our customers to feel with us, but our people too.
“We have significantly strengthened our head office people support team in the last 12 months and have invested in several support structures too, demonstrating our commitment to our teams and determination to offer high-quality jobs.
“That will continue going forward and we will be communicating details of the significant investment we have been making recently with regards to staff accommodation as we aim to remove barriers that prevent people forging their path in hospitality.”