Tim graduated from IMHI in 1989 and is now the co-owner with his wife of the Hotel Vara, a boutique hotel in Truro (UK) and they also own a hospitality consultancy business via www.thebrocklebankpartnership.com.

AAIMHI:

What do you remember from your time at IMHI?

Tim:

Well, that I was the baby of the group… As a matter of fact I was on probation in my first term. Before admission, when I had to do the GMAT, I was asked whether I wanted to take it in English or French and in my young naivety I said, “give it to me in French”. 

I probably didn't do very well and Mr Beal, who was very strict, said, “you know, we're not sure about you, Tim. We're going to put you on probation during the first term”. 

I think we all remember that Mr Beale's Finance course was tough. We were given huge volumes to read, hundreds of pages from one night to the next to absorb, and that was quite a challenge. 

But I had a Norwegian girlfriend at the time who was far brighter than me, and she helped me through that time…

AAIMHI:

Usually, alumni mention the parties back then…

Tim:

Wednesday nights were famous thanks to Eric Vincent!

During the first term as I was in probation, I kept a low profile, but the Wednesday night was a night not to be missed. In the second year I was voted to be the President of the IMHI BDE, managed an interview with the Minister of Tourism when organizing the congress, all in French. Volvo sponsored us with a car for the event which came in very handy.  The ESSEC Gala in 1989 was held at the Opera and was a stunning event.

AAIMHI:

Once you graduated, you went quite quickly into building up your own business, didn’t you?

Tim:

Through the IMHI connection with Cornell I was able to work for the Ritz Carlton Company in the US, which was a fabulous experience, especially at that time. The training was great, and I was quite excited to be in America. I worked in Boston through their Management Training Program and then they transferred me to Cleveland, which wasn’t quite so much fun. There was the option to apply for a visa, but I ended up coming back to the UK to work for Chef Raymond Blanc at the Le Manoir aux Quat’saisons in Oxfordshire as his Hotel Manager.

And then, after a couple of years with him I met my wife and we decided to open our own business together, back in 1996, so only 7 years after graduating. What can I say, I am not really a corporate guy, I tend to challenge authority so our own business seemed the best option.

We started with a 70 cover restaurant in a Cornish fishing village and then we got involved in several hotel businesses and purchased shares where we could. At one stage we had a restaurant on the north coast a hotel on the south coast and then a baby arrived ! In 2007 we bought a hotel overlooking a beach in Cornwall and sold it again in 2016, it was a profitable operation and the asset increased in value substantially . Operations, Food & Beverage and finance have always been my strengths, my wife looks after the strategy and branding, marketing and design so we combine well.

I hope the students and younger graduates see all the different options they have. While it is very important to take time to learn in a corporation, it is a great opportunity to become an entrepreneur and be in charge of your own destiny.

At my time, IMHI was focused on larger international hospitality companies and graduates were moving into positions of General management of larger firms. Some students left the program, probably expecting the group to be more experienced. Also, the transition from Mr Beals to Mr Guibillato certainly had some impact, going from a Cornell Dean to a French lead, though very ably supported by Mr Nowlis.

IMHI has always been a very international program and half of the students during my years were from all over the world. Most of the professors were from Harvard or Cornell in the US, or from Universities in Canada, coming for a sabbatical with their spouses and partners to do several courses. That was a huge benefit, giving it an American emphasis. 

AAIMHI

What is the biggest achievement you are proud of in your career?

Tim:

Naturally I am proud of opening my own properties. But I really enjoyed the training at the Ritz Carlton Company in the US, because these trainings create your skillset and develop your personality. You hear a lot of people say negative things about America, but what I really appreciate is their can-do attitude, nothing seems to be a problem but an opportunity. It is an enthusiastic, driven way that I really enjoyed. It prepared me for a strong work ethics to be able to open my own businesses. You know that it can be hard, that you must be tough and push through all those barriers and challenges, stay on top of the situations that are thrown at you.

AAIMHI:

What advice would you give the young IMHI graduates?

Tim:

Perseverance, energy, and enthusiasm is something that is really needed in our industry. Learn how to say yes and figure things out later. That is what the customer wants, what they expect. 

Then nurturing contacts is an important thing throughout your career. I believe IMHI alumni are the crème de la crème, top students, IMHI has a reputation all around the world and has alumni everywhere. Already back then, in 1989, IMHI had built up a great reputation, only 6 years after it started. 

AAIMHI:

Do you currently find it difficult to hire people?

Tim:

It is challenging but it looks like I found great people, I have a wonderful little team. I look for the little stars, it means spending a lot of time recruiting. I look for people that talk the same language, have a great attitude, demeanour and work ethic as the skills we can easily teach. 

AAIMHI

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us Tim!