Acorn Awards 2024: Marieluise Muhlhamer, 26, assistant food & beverage operations manager, Cliveden House

Age 26

Position Assistant food and beverage operations manager, Cliveden House Hotel & Spa, Iconic Luxury Hotels, Taplow, Berkshire

Nominator Francisco Macedo, group operations director, Iconic Luxury Hotels and Cliveden House general manager

In a few short hops, Marieluise Muhlhamer has risen from being a waitress at Iconic Luxury Hotel’s Chewton Glen in 2017 to her current role in the group’s flagship property, which she stepped into last year, managing 44 staff, including five managers.

She has already significantly improved operations efficiency, leading to a gross operating profit in 2023 of 39.7%, and she has helped to increase average spend in food and beverage by 12% year-on-year.

Most significantly, Muhlhamer has boosted F&B team retention to more than 80% through supporting her team in career development and training. She has, for instance, given them opportunities to increase their skills through attending college courses and by taking part in the assistant heads of department programme, which was so successful for her own career path.

She also encourages the team to attend Wine & Spirit Education Trust events and to step outside of their comfort zones by cross-training in other hotel departments. This helps them to gain an understanding of both hotel operations and the opportunities available.

In her role as a mentor, she adopts an open-door approach and maintains regular contact with everyone through coffee chats. As well as acting on feedback from the team by making appropriate changes to systems and procedures, she attended the Mental Health First Aid course to learn how to better support colleagues who may be struggling.

Somehow, she manages to clear her schedule to work with local colleges, hosting six work-experience candidates over the past six months.

Who has been your biggest champion in the industry?

"Francisco Macedo, my current group operations director, who mentored me with great patience, guidance, understanding and trust. And while he will always deny it, I couldn’t have got where I am today without his continuous support, mentoring and encouragement."

How do you get the best out of your team?

"I gain an understanding of each team member to find out their priorities and how I can get the best out of them – even if it means adapting my own communication style. Ultimately, I ensure that people know they belong and that they are my priority."

What excites you most about the future of your role?

"Progressing further within the industry through self-development and meeting future challenges. I am surrounded by great leaders and they have taught me that the sky is the limit."