Hotel Folk: Investing in People, Championing Suffolk

With six hotels, 350 staff and 155,000+ customers flowing through their venues each year, The Hotel Folk are at the heart of Suffolk’s hospitality industry. Focusing on the quality of their service and the richness of their Suffolk location, the business has managed to scale rapidly while still delivering a consistent guest experience. So how do they do it? 

CEO David Scott explains that the heart of Hotel Folk’s approach is how they treat their people. He told us: “We have a real focus on training and development – we try not to throw our people in at the deep end, and to actually set them up for success.” 

Hotel Folk training centre 

This involves sending every new staff member on a company induction at a dedicated training centre, which allows Hotel Folk to go through their core values and make sure each team member understands the guest experience they’re aiming to deliver. The centre offers hands-on training, with a mock restaurant where the team can practise simple things like opening a bottle of wine at the table before they step into the real environment. 

This investment reflects a wider belief that people perform best when they’re supported to succeed. By giving staff the skills and confidence they need from day one, Hotel Folk has built a culture that values development as much as service. David also believes continued investment in hospitality skills will be vital to the sector’s future, particularly when it comes to encouraging more young people into the industry and helping businesses attract and retain talent. 

The approach is clearly working. In 2023, Hotel Folk scooped the Large Business of the Year award at the EADT Business Awards, with judges highlighting their customer focus and innovative approach. 

Behind the scenes, that same focus on quality is helping the business navigate a changing economic climate. As David notes, “in an inflationary environment, you’ve got to have a really good product” – something the team has worked hard to maintain, while also improving efficiency and managing costs. By improving procurement and operating more efficiently behind the scenes, Hotel Folk has been able to limit price increases and continue delivering value for guests during a period of rising costs. 

Alongside this, Hotel Folk continues to play an important role in Suffolk’s visitor economy, attracting guests to the area by selling our county and showcasing everything Suffolk has to offer. From the coast to market towns, their venues are part of a wider story about Suffolk’s food, culture and hospitality offer. 

For Hotel Folk, there’s also a clear opportunity for Suffolk’s visitor economy: we have an exceptional tourism offer that deserves a bigger audience. 

“Suffolk has such a vibrant food, art, culture and music offer – we just need to tell more people about it.” 

By continuing to invest in people, quality and place, Hotel Folk is helping to bring this vibrancy to a bigger audience while building a strong Suffolk-based business.  

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