Saira Hospitality

Our curriculum has been curated and adapted over the years to inspire excellence in every learner, but a hospitality education with Saira extends well beyond the classroom. Last week we took a very special trip to 1 Hotels Mayfair, where our learners discovered what sets a truly remarkable hotel apart. Hosted by General Manager Francois-Xavier Schoeffer and his exceptional team, we were welcomed like family and explored every beautiful corner of the property. Our learners met with remarkable team members who immersed them in life at the hotel and shared their own hospitality stories and experience. The word Inspirational doesn’t come close to capturing the experience, and we are immensely grateful to Francois-Xavier, Halyna, and their team for their hospitality. SH Hotels & Resorts

Last week we caught up with Andrew Elliott, Director of the Hotels with Heart foundation, the philanthropic arm of St Giles Hotels. Andrew's commitment to making a positive change in the community is a true north star in our collaboration. As our partnership grows, so does our respect for his insight into all things ESG.

Reflecting on last week's Immersion Day for our latest Hospitality Academy with St Giles Hotels... Our Immersion Day is the start of the journey for our candidates. A safe space to meet hoteliers, ask questions and discover how a career in hospitality can change their lives. Thank-you to everyone who made it such an exciting, inclusive and energetic day. From our Adyen and Vizzy | B Corp™ volunteers, to our hotel partners Leonardo Hotels, The Biltmore Mayfair, Z Hotels, Pullman Hotels & Resorts, The Zetter and, of course, to St Giles Hotels, who have sponsored the entire programme and continue to act as a beacon to other operators in the city. Yesterday our newest cohort began settling into the programme, stay tuned as we follow their journey over the next four weeks... Alana Buchanan Nicolas Medicamento MIH Rosalba Tito Abigail Tan Andrew Elliott Eliana Athanasiou Lorna Talboys Jason Addo Renée Amoah Laura Hadfield Nadia Walford Alex Hunting Sneha Pankhania Brian Mapley - VP of Sales UK at Adyen Charlie Kraus Chris Pinnegar Giulia Zuccato Victoria Taylor Tamara Burgos Nikky Price Carla Tumelty Aaron Abardia Salada Loredana Burdulea, Assoc CIPD Abigail Nicdao AIH, Sara Doutch Jim Liu

With less than two weeks to go, the Saira Hospitality team are excited to join our friends at mum and over 300 hospitality-loving participants on Walk for Wellbeing. This industry-wide initiative has seen thousands of hospitality people across the UK champion wellbeing and raise over £200,000 for Hospitality Action. Since 2020, Hospitality Action has awarded £4 million in grants to hospitality people who find themselves in need, including 12,500 grants to families and 1,413 winter fuel grants. It's not too late to walk the walk with us on October 13th. Follow this link to learn more and enter your team: www.walkforwellbeing.org

We're so excited to announce the return of the St Giles x Saira Hospitality Academy. Following an incredible pilot programme in April 2024, we can't wait to launch the second iteration of the Academy, funded by Hotels with Heart, the philanthropic arm of St Giles Hotels. Starting October 14th, 20 candidates will begin their four week hospitality journey with us, learning what our industry can offer, and discovering more about themselves via our life-skills focused curriculum. In the lead-up to the launch, we're looking for local hospitality partners in London to support the programme and offer hiring opportunities for our wonderful graduates. Please get in touch if you're interested in supporting...

And just like that, the St Giles Hotels x Saira Hospitality Academy has come to an end. The academy was created to develop hospitality-focused life skills for 20 local community members surrounding St Giles Hotel in Bloomsbury, 50% of whom had recently experienced homelessness. The past four weeks have been nothing short of magical, from the unwavering commitment of each and every learner, to the compassion of the entire St Giles Hotels and Hotels with Heart Foundation teams, who sponsored the Academy. There's never been a more important time to take united action against the social issues that face our city, and we hope the vision of St Giles Hotels will inspire more businesses to create opportunities for those who need and deserve them.

Last week our Chief Operating Officer Greg Früchtenicht spoke with Josiah Mackenzie of Hospitality Daily about our latest project in London. With new figures highlighting a 965% increase in people sleeping rough after leaving asylum accommodation, supporting this demographic has never been so important, and we're grateful to partner with an organisation like St Giles Hotels, and their revolutionary "Hotels with Heart" philanthropic arm to make a lasting impact. We believe that more can be done to support overlooked communities into new careers, and the St Giles Hotels x Saira Hospitality Academy is a model we're excited to roll out in the coming years. Tap the link below to learn more about our partnership.

A key step in learning to deliver first-class service is to experience it for yourself. We couldn’t think of a better way to immerse our learners in the world of service than by inviting them to experience Dishoom’s legendary breakfast. Hosted by the wonderful Nicky Smith, London Chatter Walli - or local Marketing Manager - our learners were absorbed by her own hospitality journey and left feeling ready to emulate the renowned service that the Dishoom team delivered. Thank you to the entire Dishoom Carnaby Team for hosting and inspiring our learners

As important as classroom learning is, we love nothing more than giving our learners face time with local hospitality legends in London. These experiences are at the very core of the Saira Hospitality x St Giles Hotels Hospitality Academy. No-one embodies the hospitality gene better than Peter Avis FIH, named as the first Institute of Hospitality Restaurant Management of the Year in 2009, Peter’s experience speaks for itself, but his hospitality story is what particularly enthralled our learners. Peter’s tenacity and drive has inspired countless Saira Learners in the past, and we can’t wait for our next visit to Galvin at Windows to inspire future cohorts.

We wrapped up our first week of learning at the Saira Hospitality x St Giles Hotels Hospitality Academy with a tour of London Hospitality venues. Learners met with leading figures in hospitality and discovered what London’s thriving hospitality scene has to offer. Our hosts: Dishoom London Hilton On Park Lane Galvin at Windows The BoTree Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences Mercato Metropolitano A huge thank you to all our venue partners and their incredible teams that opened their doors and opened our learner’s eyes... Peter Avis FIH Nicky Smith Andi Fletcher Ben Bateman Leonard Bianu Maggie Flora Jasmine Awad Matteo Giannuzzi Rosalba Tito Daniella Turnbull Thomas Finn Alana Buchanan Eliana Athanasiou Abigail Tan Andrew Elliott Sarah Kenny Greg Früchtenicht