‘It's time to do something new’: Adrian Ellis to retire after 40 years in hospitality

Adrian Ellis, general manager of the Lowry hotel in Manchester, has announced he will retire this June after a “very fulfilling” 40 years in the industry.

Ellis, who won the coveted Hotelier of the Year title in 2022, completed his hospitality degree in 1982 and spent his early years as a trainee with Commonwealth Holiday Inns of Canada, moving around different departments across Holiday Inn properties in London, Glasgow and Newcastle.

He then held a food and beverage role at the Olde Bell in Hurley, Berkshire, which was followed by a front office assistant manager position at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.

Having spent 15 years abroad working in Singapore, Warsaw, Budapest, Baku and Bali, he returned to the UK in 2015 and has been general manager of the Lowry ever since. During his time at the hotel, he oversaw a full-scale refurbishment and tackled the challenges of the pandemic.

He also introduced the UK’s first city visitor charge under his eight-year-long chairmanship of the Manchester Hotel Association (MHA).

Although he will retire from both full-time roles at the Lowry and the MHA this summer, Ellis will remain a director of the Lowry’s owning company to consult on special projects.

Ellis will also continue to support the industry through his involvement with the Hotels and Schools project, which he created to educate 14-to-16-year-olds about hospitality.

He told The Caterer: “The labour of love for me will be the schools project. We’ve currently got 32 hotels working with 32 schools in Manchester to try and get school leavers interested in a career in hospitality, either by taking on part-time roles or signing up to college courses, which is what’s happening across the country.

“We’re in our third year now and with the benefits of Savoy Educational Trust funding, I’ve recruited somebody else to launch Hospitality Connect.

"We’ve now got 12 regions in the country, including Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Chester and London, so several cities are doing the same projects as Manchester, but I still think this has some mileage in it.”

Ellis hopes the wider UK scheme will result in hundreds of schools up and down the country becoming hospitality's "future pipeline of talent”.

He added: “I’m 61 this year. There’s never a great time to retire, but it feels like [I'm at] the top of my game, having just got the Hotelier of the Year in 2022. I was very proud to receive that and it just felt like the right time to spend a bit more time with family and friends and see a bit more of the world as best as I can, but still keep my hat in the ring.”

Over the years, he says he has been “blessed with international travel”, which had been an “eye-opener” on a personal and professional level.

“All my jobs in hospitality, from the first I had when I was 26 managing a hotel to my last position at the Lowry, have been varied, interesting and very fulfilling. It’s time to say goodbye to a life of full-on operations, so I’m bowing out gracefully.

He added: “I had a really great career and loved every minute of it, but it is time to do something new. I’m retiring, but I’m not disappearing!”

The Lowry is currently in the process of hiring Ellis’ successor.