Hospitality ‘Oscar’ for Bath hotel manager

By Anita Jaynes on 6 July, 2017

On Tuesday July 4, at a spectacularly glamorous awards ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel in London, a Bath hotel manager was crowned Manager of the Year at this year’s Cateys.

The Catey awards run by the catering industry magazine, the Caterer puts the spotlight on the industry’s highest flyers, strongest performers and hottest brands. The Cateys are the awards everyone would love to win, which is why they’re often referred to as the hospitality industry’s Oscars night.

General manager of the Abbey Hotel, Andrew Foulkes took home the title of Manager of the Year alongside some of the industries top names, with Tom Kerridge winning the award for Best Chef and Nathan Outlaw taking home the Restaurateur of the Year – Independent award.

Ian Taylor, owner of Bath’s Abbey Hotel said: “Andrew is people focused, committed to developing and mentoring future talent, incredibly forward thinking and continually stretches the boundaries of creativity, and then delivers it on a daily basis. We all had our fingers firmly crossed and were thrilled and so proud to see him win such a prestigious award.”

Andrew Foulkes was appointed general manager at the Abbey Hotel in September 2014. Previously general manager at The Bath Priory and Gidleigh Park in Devon, Andrew has established himself as a brilliant leader who brings an infectious enthusiasm to the Abbey Hotel. Having started his career in the kitchen – working under Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, and later with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons – Andrew knows hotels inside out and is regarded as a true master of hospitality.

He’s big on building local community networks and working with local charities and pushing himself both professionally and personally is at the heart of everything he does.

On winning the award Andrew said: “I’m completely elated to win and so overwhelmed by all the messages of support, from people I’ve worked with throughout my career. It means so much to me and my family, both at home and at the hotel. It’s people who make the industry and I just want to make a significant contribution.”

Andrew Foulkes on collection of his Catey award. Photo by Simon Harvey.