Hotelier Edit: Justin Sharp, Venue Director and Vince Parker, General Manager, Remenham Court
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The team were invited to Remenham Court, a beautiful venue located just thirty minutes from London in Henely-on-Thames. It was the perfect opportunity to view the newly refurbished house that sleeps 16, between the Main House and the Guest House, and can be rented out for private events and explore the grounds. We spoke with both the Venue Director and General Manager about the refurbishment, their experience within the industry and more.
Tell us about yourself and your experience within the hospitality industry.
Vince: My background is aviation, an industry that I worked in for 30 years. I did cabin crew for quite some time and left school early to travel the world and worked in hospitality in many different countries including Australia, America, Cambodia and Indonesia. I was then a pilot for a lot of my career and retired at 50 which is when I started helping a friend out running events, which is how I came across Remenham Court. He got too busy to continue running them here and asked if I wanted to take over the reins. The way they presented it to me is one of my favourite memories, as they suggested my initial role to be coming here every so often to change the light bulbs, of course that has progressed.
Justin: I have worked for the current Owner and his father before that for 16 years in a separate business. He asked if I would help on this one as they needed a new strategy, the previous one wasn’t proving very effective. Vince and I were up for the challenge of getting the house sorted.
What have you updated with this house to get it where it is today?
It is mainly the little things; the aesthetics of the house are what’s important. We had all the windows cleaned inside and out and just silly little things that weren’t done by the previous company that maintains the appearance.
What consumer trends are you seeing emerging within the industry?
People are tending to book a lot later than they used to. In the first year we would receive bookings a year in advance but now it is a couple of months if that. We are getting a lot of bookings though which is of course a great thing.
Tell us about the variety of events you host at Remenham Court?
It is mainly weddings; however, we are wanting to step more into the corporate world and with the cost of the maintaining the house we must choose events that drive revenue and help the house pay for itself.
What are some of the unique experiences or touches that Remenham Court offers its guests?
We are not a run of the mill venue and I believe we offer a lot more flexibility than most local venues. We allow the client to do what they want and view the house as a blank canvas, once they come through the gate, they can do whatever they want.
How do you approach creating your menus and sourcing food & drink suppliers to work with during your events?
We aim to keep everything as local as we possibly can, we have a preferred suppliers list that we would like all our guests to use. However, some do come with their own connections, and we are very open to working with new suppliers, whatever is best for the guest.
We have a built a great relationship with our local suppliers, they love us as we aim to bring in as much work for them as possible.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I think seeing how far we have brought the business and bookings grow is so rewarding, all arrows are pointing upwards. The people aspect is a challenge; however, I enjoy being with them and growing a relationship with the guest.
What piece of advice would you give someone looking to start a career in hospitality?
Don’t be too quick to want to be number one, grow your knowledge, experience all areas of the industry. I always say that cruise ships are the best place to grow your experience as you literally do everything on them. Take your time and everything will come when it is meant to.
Thank you to hannahmcclunephotography.com for capturing these beautiful images of the day. Find out more about Remenham Court by visiting their website today and don't miss any of our exclusive Hotelier Edit interviews by signing up for our newsletter here.