Acorn Awards 2024: Tom Fraser, 28, front of house manager, the Rubens at the Palace, Red Carnation Hotels

Age 28

Position Front of house manager, the Rubens at the Palace, Red Carnation Hotels, London

Nominator Charlie Banks, rooms division manager, the Rubens at the Palace

This Acorn Award winner sees every new challenge as an opportunity to learn and build towards his goal to become a general manager of a five-star hotel by the age of 35.

Tom Fraser’s journey began in 2018. Having returned from an internship in the US at the prestigious Greenwich Country Club, he won a place on Red Carnation Hotels’ management programme – one of just 12 graduates selected from 500 applicants. His contribution during the pandemic saw him awarded Graduate Manager of the Year in 2021-2022.

He was further rewarded in 2023, when Red Carnation Hotels made him front of house manager at its five-star, 161-bedroom Rubens at the Palace, overseeing a team of 38. It’s a role that has allowed him to showcase his talent in forging corporate relationships to help drive business, with corporate room nights increasing 20% in 2023.

Fraser acted as a link with sales to boost business, converting 2,461 room nights (worth £1.1m) of Middle Eastern sales in the past year. He also secured a single booking worth £30,000 for the Milestone Hotel and Residences in London, with the hotel reporting an increase of more than 2,600 room nights on 2022.

Fraser also offers bitesize training courses to his team, with one stand-out session focusing on how to convert discretionary service charge, resulting in an 85% conversion for December last year, 15% higher than previous months.

As a diligent mentor, he is putting team members forward for this year’s AICR World’s Best Receptionist competition and has coached two degree apprentices to roles as reception manager and guest services manager.

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

"Ensuring open and honest communication and setting clear and achievable objectives while also empowering the team to be involved in decision-making at all levels. This promotes trust and uses the talents of everybody. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing each team member develop their confidence in this way."

What excites you most about the future of your role?

"The hospitality industry is constantly evolving and I am excited to help mentor and develop the next generation of talent and promote the industry."