Published by Neil ThompsonThe Mercure Manchester Piccadilly hotel team won the Aimbridge Hospitality's ‘Whale of a Win’ Award 2024 – a 4ft soft cuddly whale named Amy, which honours “AMY-zing results”.
The recognition followed the announcement that the hotel's meeting and booking revenue has grown by 55% in the year to April, following a £3million refurbishment project of 280 bedrooms and reception area, plus a major investment in people.
This focus on employees featured an extensive recruitment drive to hire 53 conference, events, and hotel staff locally. The appointment of two leadership positions has been key to the business making significant strides in its commitment to excellence in events, hospitality, and service. Stephen Cox has been appointed Conference & Events Operations Manager, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. Within a few months, Stephen has already overhauled the hotel’s conference and events offering for organisers and delegates, and VenueVerdict scores are now consistently achieving 9/10.
Dhiraj Kumar has also been hired as Head Chef. With more than two decades of experience working with major hotel brands, Dhiraj brings a wealth of culinary knowledge and creativity.
“Our teams have achieved a phenomenal uplift in the M&E segment, fuelled by a standout performance in February. Our events and hotel teams have shown exceptional foresight, strategic planning, tenacity, and commitment to client satisfaction and retention. We are delighted to have our hard work and achievements recognised with this fun Aimbridge Award for April.”
Aziza Yessi, Sales Director, Mercure Manchester Piccadilly
This is the second Aimbridge award for Mercure Manchester Piccadilly this year. In January, the business won the Aimbridge Hospitality Award for the most improved Accor hotel in EMEA, with a 12.7% increase in performance and guest reputation.
