Exclusive Hotels and Venues’ Managing Director, Danny Pecorelli, has today been named the 2014 Hotelier of the Year by The Caterer. The award, which has been running for 32 years, is widely considered one of the most prestigious accolades in the hospitality industry.
A judging panel of past winners selected Pecorelli as this year’s Hotelier of the Year for achieving the highest standards of hotelkeeping in running a group of four hotels, two venues and two golf clubs which hold an unprecedented 20 AA stars and four Michelin stars. The judges were particularly impressed by Danny’s passion and commitment in being a hands-on hotelier and driving the business through mentoring and development of people, whilst continually achieving culinary excellence across all the properties.
2008 Hotelier of the Year winner Andrew McKenzie, Managing Director of the Vineyard Group, commented: “If you were to paint a picture of the modern hotelier it would look like Danny Pecorelli! He possesses all the qualities required to operate hotels in this day and age – an understanding that his people are at the core of everything that he does, alongside an awareness that without making his business efficient and profitable there would be nothing for those people to do.”
Dominic Walsh, business reporter (leisure/drinks), The Times, described Pecorelli as “a restless innovator” who always seeks new ways of making his hotels the best they possibly can be.
“He is not afraid to invest to achieve his aims, as shown by the remarkable collection of Michelin stars and other accolades garnered by the hotels’ restaurants,” he explained. “Yet, despite his role as managing director of the group, he remains very much a hands-on hotelier, spending much of his time walking the floor to meet guests and interacting with employees at all levels of the business.”
Pecorelli took over the running what was then known as Exclusive Hotels in 1997 and over the past ten years has overseen the business double its turnover to £50m. His father, Giuseppe, founded the company in 1981 with the acquisition of Pennyhill Park, an Exclusive Hotel & Spa in Bagshot, Surrey. The group has since gone on to add South Lodge, an Exclusive Hotel and Mannings Heath, an Exclusive Golf Club in Lower Beeding, West Sussex; The Manor House, an Exclusive Hotel & Golf Club in Castle Combe, Wiltshire; Lainston House, an Exclusive Hotel near Winchester, Hampshire; Fanhams Hall, an Exclusive Venue in Ware, Hertfordshire; and Royal Berkshire, an Exclusive Venue in Ascot, Berkshire.
London’s Grosvenor House hotel, home to last year’s winner, general manager Stuart Bowery, hosted today’s celebratory lunch during which Danny was presented with his award by Amanda Afiya, editor of The Caterer, and Nick Appell, owner of Casna Group, the award’s sponsor.