Leading hoteliers go Back to the Floor

Hospitality Action’s biennial fundraising dinner is back to challenge hoteliers to brush up on skills in service and impress their guests

Sneak back of house in any of the country’s most iconic hotels in the coming weeks and listen carefully, and you’re likely to hear the clatter of forks and spoons coupled with sotto voce cursing.

That’s the sound of eminent hoteliers brushing up their rusty silver service skills in advance of Back to the Floor, Hospitality Action’s biennial fundraising dinner, which this year takes place on Friday 5 April at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.

Back to the Floor challenges participating hoteliers to don their white gloves and bow ties, roll back the years and wait at table. The more they impress their guests with their silky service skills, the more tips they earn. No one takes themselves too seriously at Back to the Floor – and that’s the unique appeal of the event. Previous dinners have seen the Goring’s Jeremy Goring stood on a chair frisbeeing desserts across the room, and the Berkeley’s Knut Wylde using a vacuum cleaner to decrumb his tables.

There’s also a competitive undercurrent to the evening, and some good-natured sabotage – none of the hoteliers taking part wants to leave with the dubious honour of being named worst-tipped waiter or sommelier. But there’s an important message behind the mayhem. Hospitality Action offers life lines to people who work or have worked in hospitality and find themselves in difficulty or crisis. The charity helps people through physical and mental health issues, poverty, addiction, relationship breakdown, domestic abuse, bereavement and the challenges that can affect us all.

The team at Hospitality Action continues to receive unprecedented calls for financial aid. The surge in demand for support which started in March 2020 continues to intensify, as thousands of hospitality operators and their employees struggle to cope with the ongoing cost of living crisis. The rising costs of accommodation, food and fuel are placing more hospitality families in danger of homelessness, and many businesses are at risk of failure, putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy.

Hospitality Action chief executive Mark Lewis said: “I’m indebted to everyone who helps make Back to the Floor events such magnificent showstoppers. Applications for support in January were the highest the charity has ever received (excluding April 2020); and we expect 2024 to be another tough year for the sector we serve. For many hospitality workers, feeding their families, keeping the heating on and a roof over their heads is a daily challenge.

“Back to the Floor is set to be another night to remember and I would urge everyone to be as generous as possible when tipping waiters and sommeliers, before and during the night.

“Heartfelt thanks are due to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London and to event sponsors American Express, Caterer.com, Exclusive Collection, Farncombe Estate, Hand Picked Hotels and Umbrella Training for making the event possible.”

The last Back to the Floor, in 2022, raised a record-breaking £260,000, the most ever raised at a single event in the charity's 187-year history.

This year, the event organisers, led by Exclusive Collection managing director Danny Pecorelli (who co-founded Back to the Floor with Philip Newman-Hall), and general manager of the host hotel, James Clarke, are determined to raise even more.

Pecorelli said: “The thought and planning that goes into Back to the Floor takes over two years, as we aim to top the incredible achievements of previous events. To date, the Back to the Floor series has raised over £550,000 and I am grateful to everyone who has made this possible, from sponsors and suppliers to our esteemed waiting team and guests. This year’s event will be our best yet. We are in safe hands at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London and I know that our 80-strong service team of industry luminaries will work hard to outdo themselves again. Please be generous when tipping our waiters and sommeliers, even if they do spill wine on your best outfit!”

In a departure from previous Back to the Floor dinners, this year all participants will be armed with QR codes well ahead of the event, enabling them to reach out to their networks and maximise their tips. You can find all these codes here.

And, if you’d like to support the auction by donating a prize, email Sophie Kent at skent@hospitalityaction.org.uk.

For further information, go to: www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/events/2024/april/back-to-the-floor/