60 seconds with…Jose Luis Marques, General Manager – Manor by the Lake

Looking back on 2020, which was your professional most successful initiative/achievement? 

To be able to increase sales by 20% compared to the previous year by introducing technology and examining all internal processes.

What are your most priorities in terms of planning for this year? 

To have the right team ready for when we are able to open.

With the ending of the BREXIT transition period and new rules being here, what do you think the impact will be? 

It is going to have a massive impact on how we recruit for certain positions, especially key position such as housekeepers or kitchen porters. As the road map to recovery is uncertain, we are hoping that there will be enough staff poll to cover the job vacancies that will become available.

The Government has put in place several measures in order to help business owners and operators throughout the pandemic and lockdowns. What are your thoughts on what is available to you?

Furlough has been a godsent because without it we would have been able to keep our key members of staff. CIBLS loans has also been a great help and also the temporary change of the VAT rate. However, I think a more hospitality specific support should definitely be considered.

As we all know, employees’ and people’s well-being & mental health have been critical points during 2020. How have you incorporated them in your operations, and have you changed your ways of working in order to accommodate different working patterns (flexible hours, working from home…)? 

We talk to our employees as much as possible to make sure that they are okay and that their mental health is being cared for. This include staff of furlough and employees working from home. If any employee is to come back on flexi furlough, we carry out a return to work meeting where we specifically ask questions about their mental health and how the return to work can affect them. 

What positive lessons do we need to learn from what the industry has been through? 

From a business point of view, we have been given a once in a lifetime opportunity to stop and assess how we are conducting business. Change what doesn’t work. Ask people to get involved and contribute with ideas.