Dorchester Collection CEO: ‘The potential and opportunity of this industry is endless’

The chief executive of the Dorchester Collection hotel group has encouraged young hospitality professionals to embrace the “endless” opportunities promised by the industry.

Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Gold Service Scholarship on Monday, Eugenio Pirri said: “There are so many different avenues you can go down. An average hotel has 25 different departments in it. If you’re not sure, you don’t have to think hospitality isn’t for me. There’s marketing, sales, real estate, investment, finance… The paths are endless.”

Pirri shared his own journey into the industry, confessing “hospitality wasn’t the original dream – I wanted to be a dentist”.

But he said working as a room attendant at a Holiday Inn Express aged 18 was a transformative experience that led him to work in 18 different hotel departments across seven countries over the course of his career.

He worked at the likes of Fairmont, Pan Pacific and Starwood before joining Dorchester Collection in 2011.

“This is what makes the hospitality industry so amazing. It’s an industry where you can come in and make something yourself. The potential and opportunity is endless. The path is your choosing,” he said.

The Gold Scholarship recognises the highest level of front of house service, which Pirri said was key to attracting guests.

“Hospitality has to be an obsession. Those people have chosen you in an industry with so much. Since Covid, there have been 14 new hotel brands, and we’ve been around for a long time. We’re dealing with competition we never thought we had to, so it’s all about delivering on those experiences,” he said.

Mark Socker, co-chief executive of Maybourne Hotel Group, told the event that service could help luxury hotels stand out from the competition.

Socker added: “I think it’s publicly known we’ve spent a significant amount of money on our hotels, but  people don’t talk about the product. In luxury, there is an expectation for the best products, but what you can’t guarantee is service, and that’s where you win. Trying to provide the best possible service."

Gold Service Scholarship applications open

Other speakers at the launch event, which was attended by nearly 200 members of the industry, included chefs Tom Kerridge and Clare Smyth, as well as restaurant critics Fay Maschler and Tom Parker-Bowles.

The session ended with a Q&A with Jesse Burgess, one half of social media sensation Topjaw.

Applications to the Gold Service Scholarship 2025 have now opened to those aged between 22 and 28 working full-time in the UK in front-of-house food and beverage service.

Those who make it to the quarter and semi-finals will be invited to attend professional development workshops, while the winning finalists will take part in an educational trip to the EHL Hospitality Business School in Switzerland, as well as a study trip to Porto and the Douro Valley.

The competition was launched in 2012 and boasts a network of 90 ‘Team Gold’ alumni. Mentors and trustees include Alastair Storey, founder and chair of WSH; Edward Griffiths, former deputy master of the Royal Household; and Lydia Forte of Rocco Forte Hotels.

Applications will close on 1 October 2024. The final will take place at the Corinthia London in January 2025, followed by an announcement of the 2025 Scholar at Claridge’s hotel in London.

Applications can be made by following this link.