Impact Statement 2021
Being better
When my dad founded Exclusive Collection 40 years ago, he set out to give guests amazing experiences at the hotels: heartfelt hospitality built around our family values.
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Danny Pecorelli Managing Director Exclusive Collection
When my dad founded Exclusive Collection 40 years ago, he set out to give guests amazing experiences at the hotels: heartfelt hospitality built around our family values. We love to socialise; we know all about good food and wine and we love to celebrate; they are perfect attributes for a family of hoteliers, and they have stood the test of time. Fast forward four decades and Exclusive Collection retains our strong family values which have become the lifeblood to our success. We see our team and the people we partner with as our extended family, and we are aware of our part maintaining several heritage buildings and their estates for future generations. Plus, some of our hotels are set in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty placing an even greater onus on our guardianship and the work we do to repair and protect their legacies for generations to come. It means we’ve always had a conscientious eye on the environmental and social impact our lively businesses can have on the buildings and the grounds in which they sit, as well as the part they play in the local community and upon the wider planet.
We can chart our custodial vision back over the decades: — In 2014, we started The Exclusive Chefs’ Academy. It’s gone from strength to strength in bringing new foodie talent to the fore and we’ve seen many rising stars in our kitchens. — In 2015, when we embarked on building our wellness centre at South Lodge, the brief was clear: to create a luxury wellness centre that was respectful to the building’s context in the shadow of the South Downs and built with a deep commitment to sustainability. The Spa has won numerous awards for its design, its sustainable treatments and its environmental eye on its food and drink offerings. — The environment is an area the Collection has long-been recognised for even as far back as 2015 when we won the AA Eco Hotel Group of the Year 2015.
Where it began
Very few people would know... ... at South Lodge Hotel we have Britain’s widest singlestemmed rhododendron. Now 50 feet wide and 30 feet tall ‘big Rhoddy’ was planted 120 years ago.
We have always instilled an appreciation of the environment into all of our teams and more recently our advocacy and values have helped draw amazing talent to the Collection. Our new chapter as a certified B Corporation will keep us evolving and fine tuning our practices to ensure that we, our family and our extended family of guests and business partners, create tomorrow’s legacies.
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... Lainston House’s treelined grounds also contain the longest line of limes in England (9/10ths of a mile), some of which were planted in 1716.
... Fanhams Hall, our Grade II listed Jacobean manor house, can trace its history back to 140O and has an Austrian House which was obtained from the Paris Exhibition of 1900 and erected in the Japanese Garden, together with two Japanese buildings in the grounds.
It’s remarkable what can happen when two individuals, both with a deep-rooted love and appreciation for the planet and the communities around them, get into conversation.
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Steph Hall Group Director of Sales & Marketing
A couple of years ago our MD, Danny, was invited to join Ben at Ethical Compass Management on his podcast. What came from their ponderings was the seed of change: an ambition for Exclusive Collection to embrace, exemplify and take accountability for its existing principles and standards around: sustainability, our culture built on family values, and the considerations given for the company’s long-term impact. Hospitality is at the cornerstone of our communities; it brings people together to share, relax and entertain and is one of the biggest employers. Hospitality reaches everyone and every community and can play an incredible part in helping reform habits. Every small consideration can contribute to a bigger change at a time when the world needs it most. Since Danny and Ben first met, our 600 plus strong Exclusive family have all been on quite a journey of discovery as we reinforce our support to nurture the people and planet around us.
Becoming a certified B Corporation gives us a platform to formally recognise the informal practices that the people of Exclusive Collection have been carrying out for well over a decade. Finally, we have a platform to measure, improve and hold us accountable in relation to the impact we have on the people and planet around us. You’ll see we have rarely cited profit throughout the statement and that is for very good reason, because we need to shine a light on the importance of our impact on the people and planet, alongside our ability to be a sustainable and profitable business. We touch so many lives on a daily basis we can help educate a wider change by using our businesses as living case studies of how our guests too can be better; after all, even the smallest consideration can contribute to a bigger change for the better. Our strapline is ‘to create happiness in amazing places’ and we will continue this mission with care and thought and by encouraging a community of consciousness amongst our people, our guests and members, our supplier partners and the communities that we reach to make the world a better place.
Like all families we know we aren’t perfect but what we do know is our values and intentions are aligned.
Our B Corp journey
Receiving B Corp plaque from Kate Sandle of B Lab UK Lily Pond Terrace outdoor cooking, Pennyhill Park Exclusive Collection, Pennyhill Park
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Our business is people and people are our business. To create happiness in amazing places we encourage and educate our people and teams to embrace our four key goals: high performance, planet, innovation and wellbeing. These pillars inform decisions, capital expenditure, our supply chain and keep us all focused.
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Our goals are underlined by our values and what we only recently realised was we needed to add another value to reflect our ownership of and commitment to our communities.
Why we do what we do
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e d go iff at o er te d a en nt n c e io d n gr b e to ea tw de t i e e n ta s il
PE RF O RM H HI G
ET AN PL
VISION Why we do it To create happiness in amazing places
e w r d he an ot a m ch te ea a n re o e’ n d W pe de
ETHOS — How we’ll do it We’re going to spend more time on our own happiness, b ecause happy people make people happy.
Be generous
We’re going to challenge ourselves, do what we do best but do it with purpose… always.
VALUES What makes us tick
GOALS OUR FOUR PILLARS
IN NO VA TI O N
ar a ou cte rs ri er s p vi a r ce t
We’re going to make a difference to the people and planet around us.
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We’re going to make sure Exclusive is a really happy place to be, b y exceeding our own and our guests’ expectations.
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We’re going to educate ourselves to become truly inclusive, with authenticity and sincerity.
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Challenge the status quo
Creating a community of consciousness
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Little changes, BIG actions We’re all about little changes coming together to make a bigger difference, but on our path to B Corp we’ve also taken some big steps that demonstrably alter the way we operate in a more conscious manner. The Charter - championing the sector’s diverse opportunities In 2020 we were one of the very first to sign up to the charter, an important initiative created to champion diversity and the vibrancy the hotel sector brings to our people and guests. The charter aims to raise the profile of the hospitality industry and to promote the sector as a profession of choice to parents, schools and universities. We jumped at the chance to sign up as the charter reinforces our longstanding value to nurture our teams and amazing talent by giving them opportunities to shine and to each develop their own story and legacy. Our culture encourages entrepreneurialism and is underpinned by focused learning and development
programmes and mentoring to allow tomorrow’s talented manager, chef, or sommelier a fast-track career path with Exclusive Collection and beyond. The Hoteliers’ Charter also encourages sustainable business practices – a passion of ours as our awards cabinet shows!
real Living Wage Happy people make for happy guests! We made the commitment to move all Exclusive People including apprentices, casuals and permanent staff to the real Living Wage earlier in the year. The hospitality sector is often singled out for its low wages; however, we believe it’s important to reward and recognise our people for the part they play in Exclusive’s success. We know that our people work long and hard hours and it’s only right and just that we recognise their commitment to the company with a wage that more realistically meets the cost of living.
Changing the Articles of Association - we’re in this for the long-term
(a) the likely consequences of any decision of the Directors in the long term and the impact any such decision may have on any affected stakeholders,
Section 283 of the Companies Act 2006 allows us to change “the rule book” and so on 23rd February we did just that. The “rules” state as long as there is a legitimate reason for making such a change and it is passed by all members then change away! Putting people and planet on the same level of importance as profit sure is reason enough to make a change.
(b) the interests of the company’s employees,
The important bit: (1) The objects of the company are to promote the success of the company; hotelierscharter.org.uk
(a) for the benefit of its members as a whole; and (b) through its business and operations, to have a material positive impact on (a) society and (b) the environment, (2) A Director must act in the way he or she considers, in good faith, most likely to promote the success of the Company in achieving the objects set out in paragraph (1) above, and in doing so shall have regard (amongst other matters) to:
(c) the need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others, (d) the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment and on affected stakeholders, (e) the desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct and the impact this has on affected stakeholders, and (f) the need to act fairly as between members of the company, (together, the matters referred to above shall be defined for the purposes of this Article as the “Stakeholder Interests” and each “Stakeholder Interest”).
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November 2021 marks the move to the real Living Wage along with an annual salary review every April. If we want to live our mission of ‘creating happiness in amazing places’ we need to secure our biggest happiness inducing asset, our employees.
Numbers behind the journey PAGE ——6
Christine Davies – our Finance Director who thinks bigger picture and knows that numbers only tell a part of the story!
Christine Davies Group Finance Director
2019/2020 was an exciting year with the long-awaited Spa at South Lodge finally open, our rebrand from Exclusive Hotels & Venues to Exclusive Collection launched mid-way through the year and our sights firmly set on several initiatives to enhance the experience of our teams and customers alike. We ended the year +4.5% up on revenues compared to the year prior and near on par in terms of profits. Over 50% of our properties exceeded their individual revenue targets and collectively the team delivered a great year. 2020/2021 was certainly a “different” year, a tough year some would say but one we as a Collection can be proud of as we were able to both batten down the hatches as a company, but also as an industry to survive and at times flourish in the face of adversity. Revenues were back by 53.8% compared to the year prior which, despite being closed for over half the year, limited events taking place but counter-balanced with strong staycation demand was a good result.
The support provided by the government to the industry enabled us to break even in comparison to the previous year which meant we were able to keep redundancies to a minimum, get our teams back to work as soon as possible and invest in the properties to ensure the product was moving forwards for both our teams and customers alike. When we look at the first 5 months of this finanical year the future is certainly starting to look a little brighter with a strong recruitment drive, pay increases in August and November, real Living Wage guaranteed for all employees and a number of investment projects for both teams and customers underway. All of this on the back of year-to-date revenues up by 15.8% on last year and profits up by 65.5%. We are still on the road to recovery and look forward to reporting back in 12-months’ time on the actions our people are putting into practice to implement our new focus around sustainable profits.
How did we do? Our B Corp Score
Setting a new benchmark across the business
Workers
Environment
Customers
Community
This year’s biggest change was to become recognised as a certified B Corporation. For this we had to deliver a score of more than 80 and whilst it is great to see that we have been formally recognised we know that this is a stepping stone onto a long and exciting journey. Over the next 12 months, we will be working hard on initiatives in all areas so that when we come to update you on what we have been up to, we will be able to put some ambitious and stretching targets against the following areas of measurement.
80.3
*
3 16.
21.2
bcorporation.net/directory/exclusive-collection
22.9
4.4
15. 3
This upcoming year is all about “the little things” that we can do as individuals and as a community to make a difference. Naturally we will also throw a couple of big initiatives in too: Go big or go home, right?!
* B Corp can award additional points for impact business model. It’s the way that a business is set up and any special areas of the business that may receive additional points for higher standards of environmental and social performance.
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Governance
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Our goals Our aspirations
Where we’ll start
The B Corp accreditation process has ignited a fire across the company to be even more ambitious in our commitments to the people and planet around us.
Working with both external experts and our own internal ambassadors, we are going to get laser focused to establish a robust roadmap of activity and quick wins around these goals, so we can continue to drive our company in a positive direction for people and the planet.
The nature of our business goes beyond solely guest bedrooms. Many of our hotels have spas, some have golf and outdoor pursuits. Many are known for weddings and business events, and all have standout restaurants and even a cookery school. We’ve a lot to consider and many areas to include in our improvements. Over the next 12-months we will formalise some bolder steps and goals that will be measured and reported on in our annual impact report.
If you’re interested in the policies and commitments we already have in place take a look here: exclusive.co.uk/policies
These are the top five areas we will be addressing over the next 12 months: 1
Reduce, reuse, recycle
2
Supply chain management
3
Giving back to the community
4
Diversity, equity and inclusion
5
Carbon road map to net zero
We also see our businesses exemplifying the good, albeit small steps, that can be replicated at home by our guests too. At the end of the day, it’s about little changes coming together to make a bigger difference.
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It’s brilliant to see how the focus to better ourselves is being played out in many of the team’s home routines too.
Meet some of the family When we say ‘Our business is people and people are our business’ we mean it. PAGE ——8
We couldn’t be the company we are without the guests who come and spend time with us. And we wouldn’t have those guests coming back time and time again if we didn’t have a brilliant bunch of people around us. Carmen Hill Head of People & Learning
Our people are ultimately our biggest asset and while we do have amazing places and standout settings, it’s the warmth of spirit and that welcoming sense of belonging that knocks the stuffing out of any 5-star stuffiness.
Long service
Our longest standing family member is Andy Mackenzie who has worked for the company since 1986. We reckon if he meets 20 guests a day, that’s give or take just over 250,000 ‘hello and how are yous?’ Those who have served with us for 2 years or more have an average length of service of 10.8 years, equating to just over 2,000 years of service between them. That’s a legacy in service standards!
Here are a few words from our family of long serving heroes:
Andy Mackenzie Executive Chef for the Exclusive Chefs’ Academy 35 years’ Exclusive Collection service
After several years working in London hotels, I began working at Lainston House Hotel in 1986 taking up the position of Pastry Chef. My plan had been to stay at Lainston for one year and then move to France to pursue my career. But I found I was able to express my culinary skills in the role and was given the opportunity to exploit my love of local and British ingredients.
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Andy Mackenzie
Building these relationships allowed me to seek out and utilise superb, quality ingredients which we headlined on our menus. In hindsight we were well ahead of the game in showcasing the provenance, seasonality and sustainability of our Hampshire ingredients on the menus! As Head Chef I was also responsible for bringing new talent into Lainston’s kitchens, an area that I’ve gone on to focus on as I have conceived and now lead the group’s Chefs’ Academy. The company wide programme brings talented young foodies to learn, develop and experience life in all areas of the kitchen. The programme goes beyond taste and techniques and delves deep into the life cycle on the farm and the artisan methods that makers and bakers still use. To see our chefs gain confidence and develop their own style is fantastic and when they graduate into their first full time role within the company my pride is unmistakable!
I also endorse Hampshire Farmers Market with many of their activities that showcase the responsibility of the local artisans and makers. I’m very engrained in the local foodie community and have proudly earned the nickname ‘Mr Hampshire’. It really is an honour to be part of such a vibrant county, amazing food scene and a company that genuinely seeks to develop and nurture new talent.
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Over the years I progressed through the kitchen ranks and in 2000 I became Head Chef. It was only a matter of months before we achieved our third AA Rosette for the great food we were producing. In 2006 I became the Executive Chef which allowed me more time to meet the region’s producers and growers.
I remain a huge supporter of the suppliers that Hampshire has on its doorstep, and I’ve been on the board of Hampshire Fare; a community interest company focused on promoting the region’s suppliers to the wider community, for more than 20 years.
Shiju Raju Restaurant and Bar Manager at Hillfield at Pennyhill Park 5 years’ Exclusive Collection service
I joined Exclusive Collection in June 2016 as Brasserie Assistant Restaurant and Bar Manager at Pennyhill Park, as I was drawn to the company’s values and visions, particularly its mission to ‘create happiness in amazing places’. On my first day, I immediately felt like one of the family. At Exclusive Collection we always impart the warmth, comfort and care for each other; among staff, to the customers and towards our planet, and this to me is Exclusive Collection’s most impeccable and supreme value.
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I was promoted to Brasserie Manager in January 2018 and this role paved the way to my current position as Restaurant and Bar Manager at Hillfield, Pennyhill Park’s new hyperlocal restaurant, which celebrates and showcases the very best of Surrey’s finest produce as well as produce from the surrounding areas.
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Shiju Raju Hillfield at Pennyhill Park
In the last five years Exclusive Collection has changed a great deal and what I’ve appreciated the most is how the company allows staff the opportunity to input their thoughts and ideas to implement change for the better. Danny always encourages us to challenge the status quo for the betterment of both staff and guests, our Exclusive family. The pandemic was undoubtedly the most challenging time during my career at Exclusive, but the company stood strong alongside each other and the wider community and worked through the situation with a smile on their faces. It is truly the most rewarding feeling to be part of this team and organisation, which has survived and triumphed in the face of adversity.
Learning and development We focus our people practices of encouragement and education around our four key goals: high performance, planet, innovation, and wellbeing. We actively encourage new faces into the business of hospitality and have created sought after schemes that are building blocks for aspiring chefs and managers.
Chefs’ Academy Chefs’ Academy is now in its 7th year and offers a 24-month training scheme learning from in-house AA Rosette and Michelin award winning chefs. We have proudly put over 62 aspiring chefs through the academy with a further 18 currently starting their journey. Our aspiration is to grow the intake to 20 in 2022.
Lizzie Bastable Junior Sous Chef The Manor House 6 years’ Exclusive Collection service
I heard about the company when they were scouting for chefs to be part of The Chefs’ Academy. 6 years on and I’ve been taught and gained amazing experience that’s led to me working in a Michelin star kitchen. My career is now very focused on developing my skillset and creativity in the pastry section.
The Graduate Management Programme, now on intake 5, is a bedrock of best practice and personal development for tomorrow’s managerial talent.
Robert Fairbairn Senior Outlets Manager Royal Berkshire
Since 2018 we have taken on 12 graduate managers and with interest mounting, we have expanded to 18 on the programme in 2021 with ambitions to nurture even more graduates in the upcoming years. Over the years we’ve seen great successes from our graduate managers, both in and out of the company. Robert Fairbairn, a graduate with us in 2017-2019 is now Senior Outlets Manager at Royal Berkshire and shares his story:
4 years’ Exclusive Collection service
As soon as I started my first placement in the organisation, I was overawed at the passion and single-mindedness by all to give amazing service to guests. It was fairly instantaneous that I knew that, once my graduate learning had finished, I would want to stay with the company to further develop my skills. For someone stepping out on their career it was fantastic to realise how much Danny and the company care about development and retention. You feel as if you are part of a family, working together to create happiness in amazing places. It has been over a year
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Lizzie Bastable Robert Fairbairn
now since I completed my programme and I still feel the exact same way. This graduate programme gave me the opportunity to work in every department of a hotel, helping me expand my knowledge on running a successful business as well as helping me widen my network and experience of different situations. Having had the opportunity to learn new skills in all aspects of the roles and departments of a hotel, has supported me into becoming the manager I am today and sights set on being an Operations Manager one day. I have learnt the importance of organisation, communication, planning and, most of all, how to work as part of a family to achieve our goals.
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Some of those in the academy have developed their careers and moved to exciting new personal challenges and others have remained and been retained in the family. One example of many is Lizzie at The Manor House.
All the way through my journey the company has been immensely supportive of my professional development as well as creating an environment that’s fun and that has great perks to counter the occasional long hours! Even during the pandemic, there was support and regular contact to keep us all motivated and engaged. Without doubt the company understands the value of its people.
Apprenticeships We are in the process of expanding the number of apprenticeships across the Collection. Recently we have welcomed chefs, therapists, gardeners and greenkeepers and we look forward to sharing more news on our apprenticeships in 2022
Getting ahead
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Cloud 9 is our Level 3 team leader and supervisory programme designed to give managers and leaders the skills and knowledge to be great at what they do. The programme spans 12 months and exposes candidates to all areas of the business and leadership to give them actionable and practical skills. The programme is led by long term friend of the family, the brilliant Hilary Cooke in partnership with Remit Training and us! Since it began in 2017 the programme has seen 37 team leaders and aspiring leaders complete the programme. Shiju, Restaurant and Bar Manager at Hillfield at Pennyhill Park , was a candidate back in 2017 and the journey he has shared with us is just one example.
Awards (High Performance and Innovation)
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Exclusive Collection, Catey Award Our award winning Spa at South Lodge Rachael Stevens, Front of House Manager at Pennyhill Park
We’re never prouder than when one of the team or a department is recognised by their peers with an industry accolade. From the highly respected Cateys, the influential 30 under 30 Acorns to the focused Craft Guild of Chefs which recognise culinary heroes, we champion our people in pushing their own boundaries and perspectives. We’ve also been praised for our own people practices with technology that was instrumental in unifying our people while the lights were dimmed in the hotels during the pandemic. Dec 2019 – Catey for Best Use of Technology Exclusive Collection’s team was successful at the Hotel Cateys following a companywide initiative to connect, inform, and enhance engagement among the multisite, frontline workforce.
Exclusive Collection introduced Hubbub to its team in April 2018 and saw employee engagement start to rise almost immediately. Since implementing Hubbub, Exclusive Collection has achieved: — high adoption rate of over 90%! — 40 – 50 posts are added to the platform daily — 600+ messages between colleagues are sent each day — Labour turnover has dropped by almost 20% — Overall employee satisfaction has risen by 11% July 2021 – Acorn Awards, celebrating 30 under 30 Awarded to Rachael Stevens, Front of House Manager, Pennyhill Park. Leading a team of 14, Rachael is on the fast-track to senior leadership with the vision to stepping up to rooms division manager at the 124-bedroom resort. In her time with the company, she has achieved promotions due to her work in maximising guest experience and championing new ways of working. Achievements to date include: — The highest guest service score (92.6%) across the portfolio of six hotels in 2018-19 — She devised initiatives such as personalised welcome letters, courtesy call upsells and increased communications via in-room tablets — Her ‘extend your stay’ initiative drove occupancy rates 10.3% year on year.
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Benefits, Reward and Recognition RewardGateway Since 2017 Exclusive Collection has provided team members with access to RewardGateway; an online employee benefit platform. RewardGateway helps us to inspire, reward and celebrate with our teams and individuals through experiences, value adds, discounts as well as online help with financial awareness, health and well being, fitness classes and recipes. Never one to sit on our laurels, we will be launching more innovative employee engagement plans in 2022.
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Staff Treat Days We’ve a couple of mantras, “we are one team and we depend on each other” and “generosity” towards each other. Throughout the year a programme of activities takes place to surprise and delight. In August we carried out more than 30 treat days across the Collection ranging from lunch provided by our friends in the local community, family fun days and vouchers for some of our favourite stores.
Employee Engagement Kicking off B Corp in style Through the month of August we carried out a dozen B Corp kick off meetings across the Collection. The meetings sparked new ideas and reiterated just how keen everyone is in the organisation to embrace B Corp. Having joined the B Corp family, we also learned how supportive our new business brothers and sisters are. Innocent, Divine Chocolate and Circular&Co all provided us with products and goodies to share with our teams to help onboard and spread the word.
It’s the little things
Examples: Collecting all water from the half used bottles in bedrooms and meeting rooms and transfer to the water butts to use around the estates. Changing order ticket systems so that multiple orders are not sent to all areas of the kitchen resulting in reduction of paper used.
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Kitchen Garden at Lainston House Hillfield at Pennyhill Park Our bee hives at Pennyhill Park Staff Treat Days
Guests to sign for orders on a tablet vs docket system currently in place.
We have also sought the input of our graduate managers to research and voice their solutions around: — B Corp We Care Reducing Food Waste — The Guardians of Exclusive Plastic Free by 2023 As the future leaders in business, we feel it’s key that they are given the opportunity to use their knowledge and appreciation of the environment and society to work towards finding resolutions.
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We’re on a journey of doing lots of ‘little things’ better. Our business encompasses so many different fields and touches the public in so many ways, these collective small steps will set us on a path of improvement. We encourage everyone to be involved in this cultural shift and have already seen huge engagement through our internal platform Hubbub.
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Our extended family Ian Waddington Group Purchasing Manager
For some time, we’ve found suppliers and partners with the same philosophy as us to work with. We look for collaborators who are responsible in their actions and who also seek to minimise their impact on the planet from how they package, reduce, and recycle their products, to how they are delivered to our businesses. We work to a 50-mile radius where we can and source from local British suppliers, makers, growers and artisans so that we can cut down on carbon emission and curtail senseless food miles. And when it comes to food, our chefs adapt to the changing harvest and seasons using ingredients that are bountiful and readily available.
Tamara Roberts Chief Executive Officer Ridgeview ridgeview.co.uk
It was clear that Danny and his team wanted a relationship that went beyond a transactional supplier relationship, and this was a great attraction for us. With both our businesses being family owned and managed, we share many of the same values, particularly in terms of how we value and nurture our people, focus on quality and our focus on long term decision making rather than short term gains.
We are now about to collaborate even further in the planting of a vineyard at South Lodge with the long-term aim of producing an exclusive sparkling wine from this vineyard for the Collection – a very fitting marriage between the families.
Ian Jones Hill House Farm Supplier at Pennyhill Park hill-house-farm.com
It’s a bold decision for a hotelier to go hyperlocal but being bold is what Exclusive are known for. As a primary producer we fully endorse nose to tail eating which ultimately calls for chefs to compromise and to work with the best of what we have available. Creating menus in this way minimises food waste and means they are genuinely in line with seasonality - it also keeps chefs thinking and the dishes constantly evolving. We breed, raise, feed and slaughter our own pigs and sheep and are also mindful of our own farm and the impact we are having on our environment. We even ensure that we share journeys to the hotel with other local producers to safeguard unnecessary food miles and emissions. Our own ethos echoes that of the chefs and the teams at Exclusive Collection with whom it is a privilege to partner with.
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We became even more aligned as we came out of the pandemic, discovering we had both put the future sustainability of our businesses and the planet at the top of our agenda and started on the journey to become B Corp accredited. We are therefore thrilled and inspired that Exclusive Collection have been accredited and are even more determined to join them and the other forward-thinking companies who have achieved this status.
Tracy Nash Commercial Manager Hampshire Fare C.I.C. hampshirefare.co.uk
Liam Jones OLIO Partner of Pennyhill Park (first of many!) olioex.com
Hampshire Fare has a well-established relationship with the Exclusive Collection through Lainston House and Chefs Phil Yeomans and Andy Mackenzie, who sits on Hampshire Fare’s Board.
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We are a community interest company that has championed local for 30 years and today represents nearly 400 members. Key to Hampshire Fare’s role is facilitating valuable connections between producers, retailers and hospitality that strengthen local supply chains and support the local and rural economies. Most of these independent, local businesses have green values at their heart. These encompass initiatives such as supporting biodiversity, being plastic free, working towards net zero etc. The similarities between Hampshire Fare and Exclusive Collection are far reaching and we are very excited to hear that Exclusive Collection has been awarded B Corp Certification as it complements our own purpose and function as a notfor-profit, people focused organisation.
Exclusive Collection is the first hotel group we’ve collaborated with, and this partnership represents an incredible opportunity for us to increase our presence in this sector. Food waste is the single most important issue that needs to be tackled to stave off the worst of the climate crisis and it’s fantastic to see organisations such as Exclusive Collection recognising this and taking proactive steps to address it. The premise behind OLIO is to connect neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. We currently collect from over 9,000 business locations each week with 35,000 trained volunteers who help us re-distribute surplus food. Pennyhill Park’s Executive Chef David Atkinson has been instrumental in the set up and successful running of the initiative at Pennyhill Park and Exclusive’s long-term intention is to implement OLIO across each of its sites. By doing this, we can help the Collection ensure any surplus from their restaurants is never wasted and is instead re-distributed to those most in need in the local area. As a certified B Corporation, Exclusive Collection is leading the way when it comes to a shift away from the notion of CSR and just trying to ‘show’ you can do ‘good things’ to a model where you are actively balancing people, profit, and planet. It’s great to be working with a company that has these priorities and it’s created the perfect basis for a productive partnership as we know Exclusive and its people genuinely care about issues such as food waste and are as invested as we are in creating and joining initiatives that will not only help those in need in the community but will help protect the future of our planet.
Will Windsor South Downs Water Supplier to Exclusive Collection southdownswater.co.uk
We are delighted that Exclusive Collection are a Certified B Corporation. Building a more sustainable and inclusive economy is of paramount importance to us. Exclusive Collection share these values and there is a wonderful synergy between our two companies. We are both working together and taking the lead on making a change for workers, communities, and the environment through our actions and decisions. At South Downs Water we see ourselves as industry leaders in sustainability and innovation. We were the first Natural Mineral Water in the UK to use 100% recycled bottles for our 500ml range and we are the first to can Natural Mineral Water at source in the UK. We are continuing to work with our clients including Exclusive Collection to move towards a closed loop system (capturing waste from end user and returning to manufacturers for re-use), through education and recycling initiatives. We feel it is our duty and responsibility to make these changes for the good of future generations. We all need to do our best to make positive changes on our people and planet and we, like Exclusive Collection, are committed to this in everything we do.
Tracy Brasenell [comfort zone] Supplier at Pennyhill Park and South Lodge world.comfortzoneskin.com
It is so exciting for us to be working with Exclusive Collection, the first hotel group to achieve certified B Corporation status. As a B Corp organisation ourselves that is committed to choosing high-quality ingredients which respect both the skin and the planet, our intentions to reduce our carbon footprint in the industry are closely aligned. As B Corporations we can tangibly prove what we are doing within our industry for the powers of good.
As a family-owned business, our founder Davide Bollati and Danny share many similarities including an Italian heritage, but most notably it is their personal passion for the environment, people and wellness. Our luxurious, results-driven skincare brand has not been created at the expense of nature. Instead, we have created a carbon negative head office in Italy, our lines are made with renewable resources, we choose recyclable packaging, and in our Scientific Garden we study the living plants to discover botanical molecules for our innovations, in order to provide full traceability from the initial ingredients to the finished product. Helping spas become more sustainable is a key focus for us, and our partnership with Exclusive Collection, a fellow B Corp, is a massive step on this journey. Together we can get our partners and consumers involved in little initiatives that can collectively make a big difference.
Davide Bollati founder of [comfort zone] world.comfortzoneskin.com
We are happy to welcome Exclusive Collection in the B Corp community! Davines Group is a B Corp since 2016 and a passionate advocate for the B-model, and it is always a special moment when a client, a partner, or a supplier decide to start this path and enter the (larger and larger) B Corp family: we believe that only through this common commitment and only through virtuous partnerships we can truly accelerate the transition to a regenerative socioeconomic model, which has become urgent and essential. This is a brave step for a hotel group, which I hope will be able to influence many others in the spa and hospitality sector. As Davines Group, we not only take pride of being a B Corp, but also of disseminating the B Corp values and practices and bringing so many of our partners on the same path, which is the only possible one for a sustainable future.
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We have initially partnered with the Collection to provide luxury, experiential, face, body, and wellness treatments to the spas at Pennyhill Park and South Lodge and are looking forward to developing this relationship and collaborating together on initiatives that can have a big impact on the industry and the consumers that use the Collection’s spas and hotels.
Charity
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Friends of the Family
Chestnut Tree House South Lodge All profits from South Lodge’s annual big band tickets are donated to the charity along with other initiatives including raffles and prizes on the day. It is estimated that South Lodge have donated in excess of £100,000 to Chestnut Tree House through, not only events such as the big band, but other annual events, silent auctions and use of the facilities at the hotel. chestnut-tree-house.org.uk
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David Connell, General Manager, South Lodge presenting £14,011.27 to Chestnut Tree House – partner charity since 2009.
Hospitality Action The Manor House and associate hotels
The initiative called “To Hell and Back” saw teams across the UK aiming to cover 30,693 miles; the distance between towns called Hell in California, Michigan and Norway; and Hell Creek in Montana, to raise funds for Hospitality Action. The aptly named challenge underlined the resilience and tenacity of the UK hospitality industry. The Manor House worked with local Cotswold partner hoteliers and businesses to cover a 575-mile route and to raise £1,230 by the hotel’s team. hospitalityaction.org.uk
As hospitality sits at the heart of so many communities our hotels are a good starting point to drive a more conscious agenda and wider realisation that we can all play a part, however big or small.
Flock, Exclusive Collection’s peer-to-peer network, migrated to become an online community in 2020, with the launch of Flock ‘Go the Distance’, a 12-week engagement programme exploring the theme of ‘endurance’. Running concurrently with the expert learnings from endurance specialists, was a challenge for everyone to ‘Everest’ using online cycling platform Zwift. The challenge required teams to climb 8,848m (the height of Everest) on their bikes linked to Zwift, in order to test their own endurance and raise money for a charity of their choice. Flock participants raised more than £22,000 for charity with £10,000 going to Hospitality Action.
Walk for CALM South Lodge With its roots embedded in promoting wellbeing, fresh air and mental health, CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably charity and is a leading movement against suicide. Now in its second year, the Walk for Calm promotes better mental health and raises funds for Hospitality Action and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). A 5-strong team from South Lodge took up the gauntlet with their efforts fittingly commencing on 10th September, World Suicide Prevention Day. The team, including 1-year old Harrison, walked 20km over the local South Downs and raised £500 for Hospitality Action and CALM. thecalmzone.net
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In June 2020 Hospitality Action put the call out for hospitality workers to get involved and to raise funds for their colleagues, who had been displaced and disillusioned from the sector which was largely decimated by the pandemic.
Hospitality Action and other charities Flock ‘Go the Distance’
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Kitchen Garden at Lainston House Just one example of many plant to plate initiatives taking place across the collection
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When it comes to food, we’ve a big focus on growing our own produce on the 683-acres that surround the hotels. Many of our hotels have kitchen gardens enabling our chefs to pick to order and to grow beautiful heirloom vegetables and fruits. Where we can, and if we aren’t able to eat root to flower, we compost any vegetable peelings and return them back to the soil helping renew and rejuvenate the ground. A virtuous circle that gives back the best flavours! Recently we created a new all day dining concept at Pennyhill Park which draws on the history of the property dating back to 1609.
Overseeing the ‘Farm to Fork – Nose to Tail’ philosophy is Lewis Russell who is responsible for developing hyperlocal relationships with the lively Surrey grower and producer community, with over 80% of our suppliers within 30 miles on Pennyhill Park. We appreciate that our business customers need to pay due diligence on the venues and spaces they choose for their events. Hence, we’ve looked at what delegates really need in their meetings and rather than plying the tables with unnecessary pads, pens, wrapped boiled sweets and cordials, we’ve paired things back. We use sustainable suppliers, and the items are on a need to have basis; we see it rather like the event itself, quality over quantity! One of our biggest steps is to implement OLIO, the food sharing app. Currently in place at Pennyhill Park, OLIO is helping to tackle food waste by ensuring any surplus from our restaurants are given away and not thrown away. Our spa at South Lodge was conceived and built to be sustainable and it’s not only the stunning design that’s been recognised. Only last year the spa won top place at the Good Spa Awards having been recognised for its exceptional credentials and deeply engrained policies in all areas of the operation. Additionally, we’ve partnered with sustainable skincare company, Comfort Zone, who are providing face, body and massage treatments at Pennyhill Park and South Lodge.
Environment
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We’ve initiatives in their droves across the business and becoming a certified B Corp moves our journey and sustainable development practices on by one step more.
The re-imagined space showcases the best of Surrey’s produce with a particular focus on working with farmers who preserve and enhance the landscape with a commitment to high welfare and sustainability.
Customers
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Friends of the Family If there is one thing that the pandemic taught us it’s the value of people and relationships. We worked hard to maintain contact and connections with our members, guests and suppliers through the months that the curtains were drawn, and the lights were dimmed in the hotels. Many of our activities are underwritten by industry benchmarks that signal quality and assurance and are driven by impartial guest feedback. Our hotel residents are versed in ReviewPro which consolidates and crunches all guest intelligence into one platform to create an industrystandard online reputation score, while delegates and event planners use BDRC which measures quality of service while attending an event. The feedback is unbiased and enables us to modify and create even better experiences. We created Flock, our peer-to-peer network, in 2019 to build relationships with key stakeholders across industry sectors. Friends of Flock gain access to insights from sporting elites and relevant thought leaders along with proven commercial benefits of becoming a member with many new business relationships formed and ideas formulated.
Flock brings the company’s four pillars of high performance, planet, innovation and wellbeing to life through curated events and headline speakers. People are our business and the relationships we uphold with our members, guests, suppliers and the wider hospitality sector is an important part of our far-reaching family. We’d be fibbing if we didn’t admit to enjoying a pat on the back from our customers! The past year has put us in the spotlight through wins and commendations of our service levels at the Conference & Incentive Travel Awards, The Cateys and M&IT Awards too.
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Nick Hollis recording for Flock on the subject of ‘Human Endurance’
2020 changed the world for us all and we were quick off the mark to help our clients navigate uncharted territories: – Meetings were the first area of our business to fall victim to Covid-19, however, we knew every action sparks a reaction and by diligent and considered communications, we retained more than 80% of our client’s meetings across the Collection. – We were able to work with a number of sporting teams over the duration which evidenced to our corporate clients the due diligence we had put in place and gave them confidence in how we would approach the safe hosting of their events. Networking 2.0 was born.
To find out more about Networking 2.0 please read this article in Issue 2 of Flock: issuu.com/exclusivehotels/docs/flock_ article_-_networking_2.0
Here is what one of our loyal clients had to say about our response...
The way Exclusive responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and looked after us as a client was outstanding. The understanding and flexibility they offered during such an uncertain period was remarkable. It is always a pleasure to work with Exclusive; they provide the highest level of service with a unique personal touch, and this was demonstrated even more so over the past 18 months.
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Covid Response
Customers
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Additions to the family If there’s one thing we love as a business, it’s the joy and celebration that a wedding brings. We love to socialise, we love good food and wine, we love to celebrate, and we especially love a happily ever after!
The last 18-months saw many wedding plans scuppered, reduced and replanned; not the dream days many couples had envisaged at their engagement. Despite this we’ve provided support, a familiar and friendly relationship, along with realistic guidance so that couples could tie the knot. It’s meant that, despite the numerous lockdowns and restrictions in place, we’ve staged and managed more than 92% of all our pre-booked weddings across the Collection.
We ended up having to move the date again due to the length of the lockdown and once again South Lodge was extremely understanding and moved it again. They made what should have been an extremely stressful time for us, one where we felt extremely lucky to have booked a wedding venue so determined to make our day special. It must have been a terrifying time for the hospitality industry, but they were 100% customer focused and the customer service was exemplary. When our special day finally arrived, it was better than we could have ever expected. The service and staff were amazing, and it was a great atmosphere all day. We had so many guests go out of their way to say how good the food was. South Lodge was the perfect venue, with perfect staff for our perfect day.
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We booked our wedding day for June 2020 as we have loved the hotel for years. When the pandemic hit, we were obviously concerned, and we’d started to hear stories reported around the country about weddings being cancelled and venues being very awkward. South Lodge was the complete opposite, they got in contact with us straight away and asked whether we wanted to move our special day and they were more than happy to accommodate us.
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Even the smallest life hacks can make a difference. We asked some friends and family for their Top Tips that can make an easy and effective impact at home...
From our home to yours!
Sarah Duncan Author The Ethical Business Book sleepingliononline.com/sarah-duncan
Understanding your own personal impact on the planet really helps put everything into perspective. Try using tools like WWF’s Carbon Footprint calculator or the Earth Overshoot Day calculator to get individual conversations going at work and at home.
Get out and about in the fresh air for a wellness walk to re-energise body and mind. And while you are there do a bit of foraging too and make my amazing homemade Nettle Soup! It’s great for using up a few veggies past their best.
Saasha Celestial-One Co-founder OLIO
ellaskitchen.co.uk
olioex.com
Investigate what your pension is invested in. Most of us are investing in companies that do not fit with our values. If we all put our pensions into a proper ESG fund we would change the world. It is the most powerful thing any of us could do to protect the planet.
Create an ‘Eat Me’ box in your fridge and put it at eye level front and centre anything nearing the end of its shelf life should be put in the box so that it’s not forgotten about! Familiarise yourself with the Zero Waste Hierarchy - at the top is ‘Refuse’ refusing what you don’t need (whether it’s free snacks on an airplane, or bottles of shampoo at a hotel) can help to stop waste at the source. Your freezer is your friend! Bread, milk, berries - anything you’re not going to eat in time, freeze. Also, I batch cook on the weekends, and freeze single portion servings of veggie chilli, minestrone etc. so that during the week I can just grab a tub and have soup and salad for lunch!
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Danny Pecorelli Managing Director Exclusive Collection
Mark Cuddigan CEO Ella’s Kitchen
Phil Yeomans Banana Cake Perfect for those “narnas” on the turn.
510g over ripe bananas 380g vegetable oil 490g caster sugar 127g light brown sugar 255g whole egg 490g flour 3g ground cinnamon 10g baking powder 5g salt 90ml double cream
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Phil Yeomans, Executive Chef, Lainston House 1
Combine banana, oil and sugars into a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment 2
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Mix well and then add the eggs 3
Add the powders and finish with cream 4
Line a baking tray 5
Pour mixture into the tray 6
Cook at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, test with a skewer, if it comes out clean your cake is cooked
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Place the fish trimmings in a pan, add garlic and thyme, cover with milk and poach gently for 5 minutes 2
Place the crushed potato from a baked potato in to a bowl, melt the butter and add to the potato 3
Drain the fish from the milk and add to the potato 4
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Season with the salt and pepper 6
Shape in a ring into a cake the size you like, chill in the freezer for 1 hour 7
Place the flour in a tray, dust the cakes in the flour Fish cakes 250g fish trimmings 30g butter 1 tsp salt 500ml milk 1/2 tsp black pepper 400g crushed potatoes (baked potato) 1 garlic clove minced 4 spring onions
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Then pass the cakes through the mixed eggs 9
Once through the egg, place into the bread crumbs and cover evenly and place on a tray 10
Shallow fry the cakes on medium heat in some rapeseed oil until golden brown
1 red chilli seeded and finely diced ½ tbsp dried thyme ½ tbsp chopped coriander 1 lime Crumbing 1 cup flour 2 eggs lightly whisked 200g panko
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Cook through in the oven at 180 degrees for 5 minutes 12
Enjoy with some lime and tartare sauce
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Leftovers Fish Cakes We make these fish cakes using up all the trimmings left from when we prep our fish including smoked and cured fish.
Chop the spring onion add to the bowl with chilli, coriander and zest of a lime
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The soup A basket of stinging nettle tops, or fresh-looking larger leaves 100g butter 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped 2 litres vegetable stock 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 4 tablespoons crème fraîche A few drops of extra virgin olive oil
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Forage for the nettles – rubber gloves recommended! Avoid thick stalks or damaged leaves. Wash and drain. 2
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion and cook gently for 5-7 minutes until softened. 3
Top Tips! Replace some of the nettle leaves with wild garlic. Split the soup in two, serve and enjoy half, cool and freeze the rest for next time!
Add potatoes, carrots, nettles and stock, bring to a simmer and cook gently until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes. 4
Remove from the heat and let it cool a bit. Blend the soup to a purée and season with salt and pepper to taste. Warm up again. 5
Pour into bowls and for a touch of luxury float a teaspoonful of crème fraîche on top. As this melts, swirl in a few drops of extra virgin olive oil.
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Danny’s Nettle Soup Serves 8 or 4 for now and 4 for later! Takes 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
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Exclusive Chefs’ Academy Staff fitness class, Pennyhill Park Danny Pecorelli, Exclusive Collection Kitchen Garden at Lainston House Electric Car charging points
Our journey to becoming B Corp Certified has only just begun.
This certification is by no means a tick box and drum banging exercise for us. It’s the start of a new chapter and it gives us a platform for the good we’ve been doing for the last 40 years and a new measurement to ensure that we do things even better for the future. The process has also shone a light on areas we’ve not previously considered and to emphasise our commitment to being a socially conscious business, we’ve amended our Articles of Association at Companies House in line with our new certification. Wherever we look in the hotels there are considerations and decisions to be made on the suppliers we work with and the goods we provide. Becoming B Corp Certified doesn’t immediately stop some practices, it’s a case of little by little and harnessing the power of small wins. It is quite literally a process of elimination!
– We’ve changed our bathroom product supplier and have moved to bigger bottles which saves on significant single use plastic bottles
We recently brought some fellow B Corp Certified companies together to learn more as we start our journey. Companies such as Ella’s Kitchen and Innocent joined other organisations to share best practices around purpose, people, and planet. The resounding message from all organisations was that even the most marginal of gains can have a big impact on the environment, employees and communities in which we operate. We aren’t banging a drum and creating a solo din, we are joining others to create a thunderous beat of likeminded businesses who each exemplify their values and purpose and commitment to the planet. We are proud to be the first hotel group in the UK to become B Corp Certified and we hope many of our colleagues will follow suit and join the B Corp family.
– We do currently still have shower caps, yet the impact of fully removing and recycling these is greater than whittling them out of the business over a few months.
Danny
Flock
How to B a Better Business
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For example:
Our success is built upon the people who work as part of our family, while our outlooks are shared, everyone is an individual which we respect and celebrate. And now we’ve become B Corp Certified we join an even bigger family and larger voice on a bigger stage.
PENNYHILL PARK London Road Bagshot Surrey GU19 5EU
SOUTH LODGE Brighton Road Lower Beeding Horsham West Sussex RH13 6PS
THE MANOR HOUSE Castle Combe Chippenham Wiltshire SN14 7HX
LAINSTON HOUSE Woodman Lane Sparsholt Winchester Hampshire SO21 2LT
ROYAL BERKSHIRE London Road Sunninghill Ascot Berkshire SL5 0PP
FANHAMS HALL Fanhams Hall Road Ware Hertfordshire SG12 7PZ
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