Jason has had an in depth profession within the hospitality business spanning 32 years so far, managing all over the place from metropolis centre lodges, spa retreats and luxurious nation home lodges, to beachside properties, and personal member resorts with Michelin-starred eating. Beginning out as a Chef de Partie on the Bathtub Spa Resort to now serving as Managing Director of Rockliffe Corridor and Director of The Pheasant at Harome, all through his profession Jason has developed a wide-ranging information of the Resort, Spa, Resort, and Golf industries on the highest worldwide stage. Learn our Q&A to study extra about life at Rockliffe Corridor, luxurious hospitality developments and noteworthy life mottos.
Describe a typical day for you – if such a factor exists!
There isn’t any typical day. That’s what I really like about hospitality and my function. Day by day is completely different however sometimes I’ll arrive round 7.30 am every day, say hi there to all my staff who’re on shift, learn the handovers from yesterday, motion something that must be actioned, attend the every day ops assembly and focus on the day’s lodge and spa day arrivals, attend numerous different conferences and discover out what is occurring on the golf course and with occasions. I additionally like to verify every day I spend a while with friends, for instance, checking-in with these having Afternoon Tea and I additionally personally write welcome playing cards every day for friends who’re with us for a special day. That’s it in a nutshell however in fact, you by no means know from each day what may come up and that’s what makes my function so dynamic.
On high of my day-to-day function at Rockliffe Corridor, I’m additionally a director of one other small lodge with 16 rooms and an exquisite restaurant known as the Pheasant in Harome, North Yorkshire which has the identical proprietor. I’m going there as soon as a month to supervise operations and supply different assist to the enterprise.
And what do you like most about your function?
How various it’s! I might be so bored working in an workplace doing 9 – 5 so having such a various day retains me motivated and captivated with what I do. My favorite a part of every day is chatting to the staff as I stroll the flooring. With out my staff Rockliffe is nothing, so I want to verify they’re glad, motivated and that I’m approachable sufficient that they know they will speak to me. They know my door is all the time open!
Who has been essentially the most influential individual in your profession and why?
Surely, Raymond Blanc. I spent six years at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons at first of my profession and the requirements he set, his affect on a lot of the lodge when he was there and simply the whole lot he did was to absolutely the highest normal. He was additionally a part of each resolution, from how fruit was positioned within the room, to the crockery we used to the model itself – completely the whole lot! He actually made his mark on Le Manoir and me. I labored in numerous departments all through the years and at last left as a part of the visitor service staff beneath the mentorship and administration of Sue Williams, now GM of Whatley Manor. I learnt to have very excessive requirements throughout all departments, and this led me to land my first common supervisor function on the age of 24. Raymond’s affect undoubtedly helped to make me who I’m at this time.
What’s/are essentially the most prevalent pattern/s inside the luxurious hospitality sector that you simply’ve noticed and tailored to as regards to the Rockliffe Corridor proposition?
We are likely to draw back from developments and would moderately be trendsetters! However one space that I wouldn’t essentially name a pattern, however moderately an business shift that we have now actually tried to look at and adapt to is the transfer in direction of working a extra sustainable enterprise. As an exec staff, we’re all the time methods to make our enterprise extra sustainable, from rising our personal produce on the property to lowering our waste manufacturing. Initially of this 12 months, it was delivered to my consideration that we have been throwing away over 2,000 slippers monthly within the spa which was an avoidable waste. So, we determined to go barefoot for spa days, that means we’d not be offering slippers to friends who have been with us for the day. We have been one of many first spas to do that, it made an prompt influence to our enterprise from a sustainability perspective, and it has been extraordinarily nicely obtained each by clients and others within the business.
Rockliffe Corridor is understood for its gorgeous location. How does the lodge maximise its environment to reinforce the visitor expertise?
Our property is world class there isn’t a doubt about it. We now have a golf course within the high 30 resorts within the UK (the longest within the UK additionally), a tremendous Walled Backyard the place we develop numerous produce delivered to our kitchens every day and gorgeous grounds for our friends to discover, all managed by our wonderful Gardens and Estates staff. We maximise the environment by taking extraordinarily excellent care of them once more led by our good staff. When a visitor is right here, we would like them to really feel like they’ve entered a distinct world and I genuinely do suppose that’s the way it feels once you come up our sweeping driveway. The entire property appears to be like effortlessly well-kept, however the actuality is that it takes an enormous quantity of effort and dedication to maintain it in such great situation.
Which three phrases finest describe Rockliffe Corridor?
Distinctive, Luxurious, Approachable
What’s your insider tip for a first-time customer to Rockliffe Corridor?
You can’t go to Rockliffe Corridor with out indulging in a Spa Backyard expertise. The Spa Backyard may be very distinctive. Personal and secluded, with an infinity pool, sauna, tepidarium and extra and is the epitome of a luxurious spa.
I might additionally advocate for the complete expertise you attempt the Tasting Menu with wine flight within the Orangery restaurant. It’s merely chic – rated as one of many high 10% eating places within the UK with 3 AA rosettes, and a current addition to the Michelin information, it’s a should for meals lovers!
And eventually, not many individuals realise this, however we’re solely 2 hours and 20 minutes from London on the LNER Azuma, so very accessible for a weekend break.
Beneath your management, Rockliffe Corridor has achieved many awards and accolades. Please inform us the way you and your staff proceed to ship such excessive requirements. What do they imply for the lodge’s popularity and visitor satisfaction? And does this add an additional stage of strain/expectation to your function?
It’s all concerning the tradition. It’s my job to verify each staff member is sorted, motivated, passionate and educated to the exacting normal that my govt staff and I set out. From grooming requirements, to how we pour of cup of tea, to how we make a mattress, it’s all within the particulars and each space should exceed our friends and staff members’ expectations although the massive quantity of coaching we do. It’s relentless but when let our guard down for one minute that’s the place requirements begin to drop, and I merely can not permit that to occur.
If we get the whole lot proper all the time, the friends shall be glad, and the awards will observe.
Rockliffe Corridor, is the North’s solely 5 AA Purple Star Golf and Spa resort and with such a longtime model and prestigious popularity if / how does Rockliffe Corridor contribute to the broader journey and tourism business within the area?
There isn’t any doubt that Rockliffe Corridor is in a singular place within the North East. The world we’re located in will not be essentially synonymous with luxurious and so we have now an enormous alternative to deliver individuals to the world that will not in any other case have visited. We encourage our friends to discover the native space, characteristic the Tees Valley Customer Information in our rooms and public areas and companion with different native companies corresponding to Teesside Airport the place we sponsor the airport lounge to drive consciousness of Teesside as a vacation spot for UK and worldwide journey.
Since its transformation to a luxurious lodge, with a spa and golf course, the property continues to evolve, with new sights and services common launched. Are you able to share with us what else is within the pipeline?
We’re all the time evolving and seeking to discover alternatives for “firsts” so we’re actually excited that subsequent month we would be the first place within the UK to launch FACE SPAce by Consolation Zone, considered one of our model companions within the spa. FACE SPAce is a brand-new therapy idea, designed for guests who might choose a extra social spa expertise moderately than going into considered one of our therapy rooms. FACE SPAce at Rockliffe Corridor shall be positioned within the Spa Boutique and provides an space outdoors of the standard therapy room that enables friends to work together with their therapist and others round them. We’re delighted to be the primary to market with this within the UK and we’re excited to see how our friends reply!
Rockliffe Corridor is a POB (Delight of Britain) Resort – a set of the easiest impartial lodges throughout the British Isles. As each a hotelier and a visitor what does it imply to be a part of this assortment?
As a board member of PoB I’m immensely proud to characterize Rockliffe Corridor as a part of this assortment of the easiest impartial lodges within the British Isles. Every of the PoB properties are distinctive and so they genuinely are the Delight of Britain. From a visitor perspective the PoB model is a marker of extraordinarily excessive requirements. It ought to serve to reassure that that the lodge you’re visiting has been rigorously vetted, guaranteeing it meets the standards required to be accepted into this unique group.
From a hotelier perspective, it’s a part of our job to speak to one another about requirements and advertising initiatives in addition to speaking collectively about our challenges, and our wins! PoB provides us this chance and it actually is an excellent group.
Luxurious is extremely subjective – what does it imply to you?
Luxurious to me is a state of nice consolation and magnificence. In a resort of Rockliffe’s calibre the whole lot must be luxurious throughout the board: the mattress linen, the glassware, the carpet, even all the way down to the towels within the loos, nothing may be lower than the most effective. Our friends anticipate the most effective, as they’re paying for it and their expectations fairly rightly are sky excessive. We have to exceed them whenever.
Lastly, what’s your life motto – in case you have one.
I’ve two!
My work motto as my staff will know is “come to work, do an excellent job, and go residence, nothing extra nothing much less.” My expectations of the staff are excessive in fact, however all I ask is that they do their finest when they’re at work, after which go away it on the door after they go residence in order that in addition they profit from a constructive work / life stability. We additionally give all of them the assist and coaching we will, to allow them to ship world class hospitality.
My life motto is – don’t get harassed about it, it received’t change a factor, and in reality on most events it makes issues worse. Be decisive, cope with the problem, put it to mattress and transfer on. In my function, I’ve to make the appropriate choices for the enterprise rapidly and so sitting worrying about it prolongs the issue and generally makes it worse. So, making immediate choices is vital.
Uncover extra about Rockliffe Corridor on their web site and browse our in-depth evaluate right here.
