Acorn Awards 2024: Sam Cotton, 25, food and beverage manager, De Vere Tortworth Court

Age 25

Position Food and beverage manager, De Vere Tortworth Court, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire

Nominator Raphael Herzog, general manager, De Vere Tortworth Court

As food and beverage manager Sam Cotton is responsible for four outlets at De Vere Tortworth Court, including opening the 80-cover Tipi restaurant in 2023.

Cotton joined the property eight years ago as a hospitality assistant, working his way up the ranks to bar supervisor. He so impressed management that in 2021 they created a new role for him: bars and cellars manager. After his role change, Tortworth scooped the top beverage revenue across the De Vere group three years running, with Cotton managing all beverage stock for the hotel and delivering a 77% beverage gross profit against a budget of 73%.

His ideas have included transforming the hotel’s terrace into the 140-seat Terrace Bar, spawning the launch of the locally sponsored the Terrace by 6 O’Clock Gin. Both concepts led to a significant increase in revenue.

Since moving into the role of food and beverage manager in April 2023, Cotton leads a team of 80 and has developed several of them into senior positions. For example, he helped the bar floor manager meet his potential, resulting in them being named Assistant Manager of the Year.

Cotton is described as approachable and someone who inspires and motivates his team daily. The evidence that he is a capable, well-respected manager is that his team achieved a 94% score on an employee engagement survey.

In addition to becoming a mentor, Cotton was also picked to run an Emerging Leader Workshop. Since then, four of the seven Emerging Leaders have asked for a six-month placement under his guidance.

Who has been your biggest champion in the industry?

"Richard Robbins and Raphael Herzog at De Vere Tortworth Court. They have helped develop me over the past four years and have understood my vision within food and beverage, as well as mentoring me on a professional and personal level. Their knowledge is endless and I’m lucky enough to work with that knowledge every day. I wouldn’t be where I am without them."

How do you go about getting the best out of your team?

"The team is the best part of what I do. The motivation already lives in them. I like to set clear visions for the departments so they all know what achievement looks like. We have developed unbelievably over the past two years and it’s because of the work ethic."