Firmdale Hotels wins fourth Queen's Award for Enterprise
Firmdale Hotels has been awarded with the Queen's Award for Enterprise for the fourth time in recognition of the company's outstanding achievement in international trade.
The group of 10 hotels (eight in London and two in New York)) previously won the award in 2000, 2006 and 2009, and is the only hotel company to be a recipient of the accolade in the international trade category.
Firmdale was founded in 1985 by husband and wife team Tim and Kit Kemp, who last week were together ranked at number 35 on The Caterer Top 100 list of the most powerful people in hospitality. Renowned for its unique and distinct design, the company has been a major inspiration on other operators, both in the UK and overseas.
As well as running beautifully curated properties, the Kemps are also known for creating people-focused businesses which in turn has resulted in strong performance. Revenue for the eight London hotels increased by 5.3% year on year to £97.4m for the year to 31 January 2017.
Kit Kemp, who is creative director of Firmdale, said: "We are proud to receive the prestigious Queen's Award. We love to push the boundaries. Our hotels are elegant, colourful and most of all comfortable. It looks easy but the design detail, technical infrastructure and software is state of the art and constantly renewed. It's an honour to be recognised."
Firmdale will celebrate its award at a royal reception in the summer.
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