Hotel Cateys 2024: Hotel Restaurant Manager of the Year – Melissa Fergus, Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO

Melissa Fergus oversaw one of the biggest hotel restaurant openings in London in the past year and more than rose to the challenge. Judges were full of praise for her handling of the launch of Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at the OWO, with one describing her as “one of the most chic, sophisticated and approachable faces of the entire hotel”.

As well as overseeing the 46-cover Mauro Colagreco restaurant, she is also responsible for the 21-cover chef’s table dining room Mauro’s Table, as well as team training, financial management and acting as an ambassador for the restaurant and the hotel.

Fergus was described by judges as personifying the passion and dedication needed to run a successful hotel restaurant, and someone who consistently goes the extra mile for her team. Ahead of Mauro Colagreco’s opening, she prepared a book sharing the history of the OWO building, Raffles, chef Colagreco’s philosophy, and all aspects of technical and safety knowledge to set high standards for service.

Since opening, Fergus has built up a strong rapport with guests and stays in touch with regulars to ensure they are first to hear about a new dish or special menu, ensuring  returning customers are offered dishes they haven’t tried before – even if it means going off-menu.

This approach has proved inspiring to the team, which Fergus was involved in recruiting ahead of the opening. She continues to deliver both individual and group training each month and all staff are encouraged to constantly strive to be better. Fergus makes sure to understand the individual career goals of each team member and creates action plans to help achieve them.

Staff are encouraged to sign up for competitions including the Gold Service Scholarship and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) Annual Awards of Excellence, the latter of which one colleague achieved in 2024. This approach has resulted in a highly successful first year for the restaurant, with an 80% staff retention rate.

Fergus’s passion for the industry means her role extends beyond the restaurant. She put herself forward to be trained as a mental health first-aider, is a member of the RACA and judged both the Gold Service Scholarship and the RACA Annual Awards of Excellence.

Fergus has set the bar high on service standards and overseen a successful restaurant launch in a high-profile location, making her a worthy winner of Hotel Restaurant Manager of the Year.

What the judges said

“Melissa has undertaken a very prestigious new opening and has excelled. She clearly has a true passion for the product, her team and guests. A truly worthy winner of Hotel Restaurant Manager of the Year.”

Emma Hemy

“Melissa has successfully navigated one of the biggest hotel restaurant openings in 2023/24. She personifies passion, perfection and dedication to everything she does. She is one of the most chic, sophisticated and approachable faces of the entire hotel.”

Simon Girling