Steven Hesketh

For most of the year, we spend our time hoping for sunshine. Then it finally arrives… and suddenly hospitality has a whole new set of challenges to deal with. On paper, hot weather should be fantastic for our industry. Beer gardens are full, ice cream sales soar, festivals are packed and everyone wants to be outside enjoying themselves. But the reality is far more complicated. Analysis by hospitality data platform Tenzo, looking at more than 20,000 trading days across five UK heatwaves, found...

For years, hospitality has talked about the same challenge. How do we attract more people into the industry? How do we change perceptions? How do we show young people that hospitality is not just a part-time job, but an industry full of careers, creativity, confidence, people skills, food, travel, leadership and opportunity? For us, the answer starts earlier. It starts in schools. That is exactly why Bee Our Guest was created. Bee Our Guest was designed to support children’s education in the...

Last week, Chester Racecourse played host to one of my favourite nights of the year: the Chester Hospitality People Awards. And honestly, what a night it was. Hosted by myself and the brilliant Izzy Marston, the evening brought together some of the very best people, venues and businesses from across Chester’s hospitality scene. From Carden Park to Rooftop Social, BarLounge, The Ivy, Chester Zoo, Shrub and so many more, the room was full of the people who make this industry what it is. This...