Oddfellows

Renowned city hotelier, Jonathan Slater, has been awarded the prestigious Outstanding Achievement award from the industry publication Caterer’s Hotel Catey awards.

Jonathan owns Oddfellows Management Company which operates successful boutique hotel collection Oddfellows Hotels. Oddfellows Hotels consists of the 18-bedroomed Georgian city-centre Chester hotel and the 22-bedroomed Oddfellows On The Park, in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. Both hotels hold destination restaurants within them, Cultivated at Chester and The Galloping Major set in the Cheadle hotel’s old ball room.

He was honoured for the three decades he spent heading up one of the north west’s most iconic hotels, The Chester Grosvenor. From masterminding the landmark hotel’s reinvention in the 1980’s, he enjoyed continued success throughout his time at the helm, including gaining and holding a Michelin Star for over 26 years of his time there. His time championing the Cheshire and north west region abroad was noted as was his commitment to the hospitality industry.

Ultimately, he was recognised in the awards as a hotelier who had reinvented himself in later life, when he created a very different hotel proposition in 2012 with design-led boutique collection Oddfellows. Oddfellows Hotels prides themselves on creating a collection of branded hotels that are in no way cookie cutters of each other. Each hotel has been carefully restored in beautiful historical buildings with a playful design reference to the history and narratives of the building itself and the neighbourhood it sits within.

A gathering of over 600 guests at the Hotel Cateys presentation dinner, held at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, gave Slater a standing ovation as he was presented with the accolade, sponsored by the AA. The award sits as a ‘who’s who’ of the hospitality industry, with previous winners including Robin Hutson of Hotel Du Vin and Pig fame and David Morgan Hewitt, managing director of the prestigious Goring hotel.


 

Jonathan Slater said: ‘This award is a true honour. I’m so grateful to the team at the Hotel Cateys for the recognition and also to the team of people who have sat beside me on this 40-year journey. Hospitality is an industry in which you are only as good as the team around you and I’ve enjoyed working with some brilliant people throughout my career. With The Chester Grosvenor, I had the opportunity to protect and refine one of the country’s most prestigious hotel institutions and with Oddfellows, I now have the greatest pleasure in creating a new one.’

‘I’m enjoying the challenges of creating a boutique hotel brand that is like no other in the world. Guests are looking for a different hotel proposition than they were 30 years ago with each travel experience needing to hold some sort of difference or adventure. With Oddfellows, we offer that with whimsical, eccentric interiors, beautiful restorations of our buildings, excellent food and beverage offerings and a service standard that proves an informal charm and professionalism can sit hand in hand.’