On a recent trip to Jersey the team were delighted to visit The Moorings Hotel for a tour and interview. Overlooking the serene coastline of Gorey Harbour, The Moorings Hotel in Jersey is a charming boutique escape that blends seaside elegance with a warm, personal touch. It was great to learn more about the hotel’s beautifully appointed rooms, locally inspired cuisine, and relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. In this interview, we speak with the power couple Iselin and Matthew about their journey within hospitality and how they brought their vision for The Moorings to life.   

Tell us about yourselves and your experience in the hospitality industry. 

Matthew: I've always been in hospitality. My parents ran a ceramics business, Jersey Pottery, which was started by my grandparents after the war and became a tourist attraction, and eventually branched into restaurants as well. I started working there when I was 13.

I went on to study hotel management at Westminster, then travelled and worked for two years abroad. After that, I returned to the family business and worked at the restaurant, where I stayed for the next 25 years.

During that time, we expanded and ended up with five other restaurants on the island, an outside catering arm catering for all the big events in the island, and a number of cafes. Just before COVID, Iselin and I were talking about the future and decided it was time for me to move on from the family business. We really wanted to do something together and I had been the youngest brother for long enough!

Iselin: I think one of our strengths is that we come from very different backgrounds. I was a journalist and worked in PR and local TV for many years. Then, when we had children, I branched out, did a law conversion, and spent a couple of years working in law.

For me, the communication and legal experience have been incredibly useful in running the business. Journalism is all about people, and that’s a huge part of what we do now. People often ask if I miss journalism, and honestly, I don’t, partly because I haven’t got the time, but also because that same curiosity and interest in people is satisfied through what we do day to day now. Every person who walks in through our door is a story. I now don’t share it anymore, but I enjoy learning it just as much!

What led you into hospitality, and what’s been the most surprising part of the journey?  

Matthew: How things unfolded was a bit serendipitous. During Covid I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back into hospitality. I was considering all options. Then one day, we were driving past The Moorings one day, and I said to Iselin, “The one place that would get me back into hospitality is The Moorings” It’s been a hotel since 1851 and has so much history, but had been in a bit of a slumber for the last ten years. Two weeks later, I got a text saying the lease on The Moorings was up. It felt like fate. When we came for the viewing, we couldn’t believe the state it was in.

But we went for it. It was a huge decision. We wanted to create something fully independent, separate from my old family business, and do it all ourselves. That was a big part of the appeal, but also quite daunting at the time.

Iselin: Coming from a completely different background, the most surprising part has been the steep learning curve. I’ve always loved studying, that’s been a constant in my life, but this has been a whole new kind of learning.

When I started, I knew nothing about hospitality other than what I’d learned from ten years with Matthew. What really surprised me is the sheer complexity behind the scenes. I had never appreciated the logistics involved, and I think most people don’t. I’d never thought about the impact of turning up late for my booking, or the impact even of cancelling late in the day. I just didn’t really think about my impact as a customer. Now it’s all I think about!

Can you tell us the story behind The Moorings Hotel? 

Matthew: The pier and Gorey as an area have a long and fascinating history. The building of the castle above was started in 1204. Gorey later became most famous for oyster farming, though that industry died out in the 1700s due to overfishing.

After the oyster industry collapsed, shipbuilding took over. Then the pier itself was developed, along with the row of houses along it, in around 1850. The first recorded mention of The Moorings as a hotel was in the 1851 census, when it was called The British Hotel. Over the next century, it went through a few different names – British Hotel, Lestang’s British Hotel, and others, with one owner even coming from Carteret, just across the water in France.

In 1950, it officially became The Moorings. So, in one form or another, this place has been welcoming visitors since at least 1851. We like to say we’re just the current custodians of it, and it’s been a real privilege to bring it back to life.

Iselin: It really is lovely, knowing the history of the place. That was part of the challenge for us, we knew The Moorings had been in a real slumber for the last 10 years before we took it on, and it needed a proper reinjection of life.

We didn’t just want to revive it; we wanted to give it a future. We wanted to bring it back in a way that gave it longevity again, and to re-establish the brand as something meaningful and lasting. We knew that to do that we had to bring along the existing customers whilst creating something that was attractive to an entirely new market too. It meant preserving the best of the old, but doing it in a way that blended in with a lighter, brighter, younger, more modern feel. And we had to focus first and foremost on our local market, because we always knew they would be our year round bread and butter.

One of the amazing early moments was when Tamara Lohan from Mr & Mrs Smith happened to walk through the door, completely by chance, just after we’d opened the restaurant. The rooms weren’t even finished, and we had no idea she was coming. The next Monday we had a call with the curator who told us we’d been preapproved by Tamara Lohan, we hadn’t even dared to dream in that stratosphere! In February 2022 we launched the rooms with them, becoming the first and only Jersey hotel listed with Mr & Mrs Smith. That was a real boost and an incredible validation of our efforts, and the direction we were going in.

How would you describe the hotel in three words?  

Live like locals or honest, warm and personal.

How do you see the future of independent hospitality evolving - especially in destinations like Jersey? 

Matthew: I think independent hotels are more unique, and there's real value in that. Jersey, now, is lacking in branded hotels. I believe that if we had a few more of those, particularly around St Helier and the surrounding areas, it would help the independent sector.

We’re a 14-bedroom hotel, completely unique, and there really isn’t anywhere else quite like it on the island. But I do think that for independents to survive, and ideally flourish, you need the presence of larger hotel brands. They help raise the profile of the destination and create a market that independents can build on.

Iselin: I’ve also got a bit of experience in PR, and I’ve always believed that if you don’t do your own PR, no one’s going to do it for you.

I think we've come in as a bit of a trailblazer. Others in the industry are keeping an eye on what we’re doing because, in many ways, we’ve bucked the trend. We face the same ups and downs as everyone else, but we’re constantly reinventing. That is the key to staying relevant and making our offering attractive.

When we started, we deliberately set out to offer something fresh and different, targeting a new demographic and bringing a different audience to Jersey. Mr & Mrs Smith played a huge part in that. They helped us reach people who would never have considered Jersey otherwise - travellers browsing for somewhere maybe just half an hour from London, and suddenly Jersey became an option for them. We hear time and time again from people who’ve never been here before that this should become their “new” Cornwall alternative. It’s easier to get to, less overrun with tourists, but offers so much of the same- beautiful scenery, great restaurants, it ticks so many boxes. We really need to harness that. Because the market is there.

What’s one operational challenge you’ve turned into an opportunity? 

Iselin: Two years in, we completely redid our restaurant Maddie’s next door. Initially, we’d set it up as a café, it worked well for breakfast, but it wasn’t generating much evening trade.

We revamped it, turning it into a more evening-focused space with a cool cocktail bar vibe and small plates. Then, last November, we invested in a proper pizza oven and launched a pizza menu, which completely transformed the place. It’s been a real success and sits as a great informal alternative to the a la carte restuarant.

Matthew: People were quite surprised when we initially said we’d serve pizza. But we approached it with the same mindset as everything else we do keep it simple, focus on fantastic quality, and do it well. It fits perfectly into this environment.

Now, we have guests who stay with us and eat in every night because they’ve got real variety, they can have a sourdough pizza one evening, something more refined the next or go all out with a full tasting menu.

What does a great customer experience at The Moorings like at your hotel, and what makes it unique? 

Iselin: I think what makes the experience special here is the personal welcome and the sense of familiarity, it’s about being known. At the heart of it, everything goes back to the idea of living like a local.

There’s a real emphasis on making people feel at home, knowing every member of staff by their first name, feeling relaxed, warm, and genuinely welcomed. That kind of connection makes all the difference.

We’ve got one guest who’s the perfect example, he comes two or three times a week, sometimes just for a pizza, other times for lunch with his girlfriend. He’s not just visiting, he’s using the place as part of his everyday life, and that’s exactly what we love to see.

Matthew: It’s about giving something of yourself. People are often genuinely surprised when you reach out to shake their hand and introduce yourself as they walk through the door. But for us, it's like welcoming someone into your home. It may not technically be our home, but it certainly feels that way.

It’s about putting true hospitality back at the centre, a genuine, warm welcome that immediately puts people at ease.

Is there a guest experience or piece of feedback that has really stuck with you? 

Iselin: About a year ago, a family came to check in, and they had a little boy. He stood in reception, looking around, and then turned to his mum and said, "Mummy, this isn’t a hotel, it’s a house."

I just thought, oh my goodness, that is exactly how we want people to feel. We want it to feel like you’re coming into our home: warm, cosy, and welcoming. For a child to capture that feeling so instinctively, I just loved it. I think it’s brilliant.

Matthew: A similar moment that really stuck with us was when Damien Molony, who’s starring in the new Bergerac, came to stay with his family. He came with his wife and children, and when they left, the kids were actually crying - they didn’t want to go, mostly because of Seth, our House Manager who’s just amazing with children, but they felt at home. He’s since shared that story with the media and press, which means a lot.

How do you balance the professional and personal aspects of your relationship? 

Matthew: We really understand each other's strengths and weaknesses, though we’re still learning more about them every day. But we don’t generally step on each other’s toes because we do different things, we have different areas of expertise. We’ll ask each other’s advise of course, but we are generally very clear on what areas of responsibility belong to the other. Even when we do have the occasional disagreement, it’s never anything major. If there’s a flare-up, we always reflect on it. We take each other’s points on board, and by the next day, we’ll sit down, talk it through, and learn from it. And we always agree on the big things. Especially people!

Iselin: One thing that's important to us, especially with having two children, is maintaining some consistency at home. It’s not always easy, but from day one, we’ve always done school drop-off and pick-up together. Everyone knows that about us. So, around 2:30 or 3:30, depending on when they finish, that’s our cut-off. We always make sure we’re there even though we may go back in the evening. But drop off and pick up times belong to us as a family.

What advice would you give a couple who are looking to start a business together? 

Matthew: Part of being successful has meant being willing to get stuck into every aspect of the business ourselves, at least to begin with. Once we fully understand something and reach the point where we’re no longer enjoying it or it’s not the best use of our time, then we look to outsource.

There are so many moving parts in a hospitality business, from food waste to operational threats and it’s easy to lose track of things that can quickly derail everything if you’re not careful. It’s a complex, layered environment, and having a hands-on approach at the start helps you stay in control.

Iselin: One of the challenges, and one of the real surprises for me, has been that even when you start outsourcing, the responsibility ultimately still falls to you. We began by doing everything ourselves, then gradually handed things over, but the buck never really leaves your desk, because it’s only ever really you who fully understands your business. You can’t outsource that.

One thing your guests always take a photo of at The Moorings? 

Iselin: There's the castle, which is an obvious one. But when it comes to the hotel itself, the thing guests always photograph is our Moorings madeleines.

We bake and serve them in scallop shells, and they’re not only delicious but also photogenic. They're simple, but there's something about them, the shells are beautiful, and people are always surprised by the presentation. And they inspired the names of both our dog (Maddie!) and our pizza restaurant (Maddie’s), so we have a lot to thank them for!

Favourite hidden gem on the island you always send guests to? 

Matthew: When people first arrive, we often ask, "Do you like sea swimming?" Even if they don't, it's still worth going down to the end of the pier. You can't quite see it from the hotel, but just 100 metres away, there are a few steps over the back wall, and suddenly you're in this hidden little spot, it’s beautiful.

The sun rises in that direction, so it’s a stunning place in the morning. There’s a small pontoon you can walk out onto, and you can swim at any time of day, whatever the tide.

Iselin: It’s a true locals’s spot. And that to us is one of the unique things about Gorey, about The Moorings. It’s like coming home.

We are looking forward to bringing the community together again at Independent Hotel Show 2025 on 6-7 October, add the dates to your diary and join us there.