Winners announced for Liverpool Hospitality People Awards as over £25k raised for charity on the night

Titanic Hotel Liverpool’s Rum Warehouse provided the stunning backdrop for the Liverpool Hospitality People Awards sponsored by Saffron Vanilla, on Thursday 30 March, 2023.

As well as recognising excellence across the city region’s hospitality industry, the Liverpool Hospitality People Awards also support the charity Hospitality Action and raised over £25,000 for the charity through the event.

Jay Hynd from The Guide Liverpool and event host and presenter, Claire Simmo, hosted the glittering award ceremony, where guests feasted on spinach and watercress soup with smoked duck, slow roast fillet of beef with hot pot potatoes, and Titanic Eton mess with cream and strawberries to finish.

Double winners on the night were Titanic Hotel Liverpool with Hotel Manager, Scott Davies, taking home the Manager of the Year award, and Maria Fuensanta Calvo Moreno, Reservations Co-ordinator, winning the Judges’ Choice Award.

The Unsung Hero Award went to John Hughes, Liverpool Nightlife CIC for his efforts in helping to make the city a safer place to enjoy, and Young Chef of the Year was awarded to up and coming chef, Lidia Baluja Rosende at The Art School. Chef of the Year was awarded to Mark Dickey at Belzan, with Head Chef going to Anthony Wright, Hugh Baird College L20 Restaurant.

Other winners were Karen Byrne from Stay City, Charlotte Saunders from Leonardo Hotel Liverpool, Kieran Mc Guinness from Hard Days Night Hotel, Mary Dunleavy from Holiday Inn Express Royal Albert Dock, John Ennis from Manolo, Marius Muresan from Lerpwl, and Harry Mercer from Bold Street Coffee.

The Front of House Team at INNSIDE by Melia took home the Top Team Award and Leanne Bebbington from Malmaison took home the Sales and Revenue Star award, whilst The Chairman’s Award went to Chris Brown, Marketing Liverpool.

Steven Hesketh, Vice-Chair of Liverpool Hospitality, said: “What a fantastic night we had. The awards show great companies supporting and sponsoring the hospitality industry, the immense talent that we have in the industry with our nominees and winners, and finally it also shows the connections and strong relationships Liverpool Hospitality is producing. This has been our biggest and best yet!”

Stephen Ramsden, Director of Saffron Vanilla, headline sponsors of the awards said:

“It’s been an enormous honour to work with Liverpool Hospitality to celebrate hospitality professionals in our region.

“Saffron Vanilla wanted to help to shine a spotlight on our industry to highlight and reward the incredibly skilled, dedicated and professional people in our region where we offer the best hospitality has to offer. The event has been a huge success and will continue to thrive for years to come.”

Brian Connor, General Manager of Titanic Hotel Liverpool, added:

“Last night was a roaring success and we were delighted to host the awards in the Rum Warehouse.

“After its four year break, it was great to see so many members of the hospitality industry reunite and acknowledge the hard work of all the individuals and teams that make up Liverpool’s booming hospitality industry. Congratulations to all of the finalists and winners, including Titanic’s employees, Scott and Maria.”

The awards were supported by The Guide Liverpool, Sugar and Lime, Barfection, Liverpool BID Company, Expedia, MSP Global, PIB Insurance, C and C Group, Marketing Liverpool, Lanson, Brakes and Bexleys, Cool Breeze Agency, Think Publicity, and Red Events.