London, 1 May 2019 – Mrs Beatrice (Bea) Tollman, President and Founder of the family-run, award-winning boutique Red Carnation Hotel Collection, was inducted in to the prestigious British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame this week at a spectacular dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane in London.
In a career spanning more than 60 years, Bea Tollman has built a unique collection of international five and four star boutique hotels in the UK, Ireland, Geneva, Florida and South Africa. Each hotel is a landmark of history and tradition, with a reputation for generous hospitality, highly personalized service and exquisite cuisine. Jewels in the collection include the magnificent Ashford Castle in the West of Ireland (voted Best Hotel in World by Virtuoso), the iconic Oyster Box Hotel in South Africa (the Best Hotel in South Africa according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice), London’s Hotel 41 (the UK’s number one hotel also according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice) and the newly five-star rated Rubens at the Palace overlooking the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace. In 2018 the collection was recognized by Travel & Leisure as the number two hotel brand in the world.
Widely acclaimed for her momentous contribution to the hospitality industry, Bea Tollman’s numerous accolades already include the European Hospitality Awards Hotelier of the Year, a Catey Lifetime Achievement Award and The Leading Hotels of the World’s Leading Legend award.
She is passionately involved in every aspect of the business, from listening and personally responding to guest feedback, to overseeing every aspect of design and working with her team of chefs on every menu, showcasing her signature dishes in each hotel.
Always putting her teams at the forefront of everything she does, Bea Tollman motivates her staff to deliver the very best service, resulting in guests coming back time and time again. She works tirelessly to make all of her staff members feel valued and cared for, and operates an award-winning training program, holds an Annual Staff Appreciation Party (the Oscars of Red Carnation) and personally selects year-end holiday gifts for the more than 2,000 employees across the business.
Her service ethos – “no request is too large, no detail is too small” – is highly credited for Red Carnation Hotels’ numerous awards and accolades, and as the reason that the properties are among the top rated hotels on TripAdvisor.
Each year, the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame event honors the highest achievers in travel, hospitality, tourism and leisure, each having led their businesses to remarkable success while inspiring and shaping the industry as a whole.
Bea Tollman joins an illustrious list of industry visionaries including Sir Richard Branson; Raymond Blanc; Thomas Cook; the Co-founder of TripAdvisor, Stephen Kaufer; and Bea’s husband, Stanley Tollman, Chairman of The Travel Corporation’s family of award-winning brands, who was himself inducted in to the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Receiving the award, Bea Tollman said:
“This wonderful award means the world to me, it’s quite overwhelming and I’m so appreciative of the kind words. The hotel industry is very competitive and you can only be a success if you’ve got your staff and teams working with enthusiasm and passion, and I do try to inspire them and show that I am always there to help them in any way I can. Thank you to everyone, and in particular my husband, with whom I started on this journey together over 60 years ago. He is as passionate about this business as I am, and is my constant inspiration and guide.”
Anita Mendiratta, Founder and Managing Director of award sponsor Cachet Consulting, introduced Bea Tollman by saying:
“Across my entire career, no one has had more influence on me personally than Bea Tollman. She is my definition of excellence, dignity, class and integrity.”
Clive Jacobs, Chairman and Founder of the Jacobs Media Group, described Bea Tollman as “without doubt one of the most inspirational individuals in our industry.” He added:
“The most crucial ingredient in the success of her hotels is that the team is consistently happy and inspired. The camaraderie and the passion for the business among the team and above all the admiration for this truly remarkable lady is incredibly powerful to see. For the devotion to her team and the industry at large, for the outstanding levels of service she sets across her luxury hotels and for her natural ability to make the guest experience truly exceptional, I am delighted to welcome her the British Travel and Tourism Hall of Fame.”
ABOUT RED CARNATION HOTELS
Red Carnation Hotels is a collection of family-run, award-winning boutique hotels in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Switzerland and the USA. Each hotel is a landmark of history and tradition, with an exceptional reputation for exquisite fine dining, leading spas and sumptuous surroundings. Great pride is taken in delivering warm, thoughtful and highly personalized service.