Nick and Aileen have always been passionate advocates of staff development which has contributed significantly to the hotel's loyalty and longevity of its staff team. So many at the hotel team have been working here for a very long time. Valuing staff and enabling training opportunities is an integral part of the Imperial Hotel’s ethos with the hotel’s kitchen, firstly under Nick’s father’s tutelage and now under the leadership of Executive Chef, Peter Clarke, famously being the launch pad for many Chefs who have gone on to own their own acclaimed restaurants, including the late Richard Hughes, Daniel Smith, Simon Wainwright and Mark Dixon, to name but a few.
Nick and Aileen have two daughters, Madeleine and Heidi, whose careers, loves and lives have led them in different directions and so they did not wish to take the hotel on. Grant, who has been working at Imperial Hotel since he was 16 years old and is like a son to Nick and Aileen was the natural choice to take the reins with an excellent head for business and a passion for hospitality and tourism. The carefully managed handover to Grant has allowed Nick and Aileen to step back whilst ensuring a seamless and successful transition with a known and safe pair of hands at the helm.
Grant continues to be ably assisted by Hotel Manager, Paula Casey, who has worked at the Imperial Hotel for over 36 years. He is supported by a brilliant team with a wealth of experience and dedication. Under Grant’s leadership Nick and Aileen have every confidence that the hotel will continue its success and maintain its superb reputation long in to the future.