[T]he Lake District’s original country house hotel, Sharrow Bay, has announced that after four years’ service its Hotel Director, Oliver Smith, will be leaving.
Smith, known as one of the top ‘movers and shakers’ in the hospitality industry and who has just been shortlisted as ‘Hotel Manager of the Year’ by The Boutique Hotelier, will step down from his position at the renowned Ullswater hotel at the beginning of December.
Smith joined Sharrow Bay at a time of transition in 2014. Stepping in from his role at Amberley Castle, Smith restored the hotel back to its former glory by refurbishing its facilities and improving the standards of service and hospitality to what contemporary travellers expect, whilst still maintaining its country house feel.
Under the direction of Smith, Sharrow Bay has defied the odds, bouncing back from the winter floods in 2015 after taking nine months to rebuild the fabric of the building and restore utilities with minimal disruption to guests.
Also through Smith’s efforts, Sharrow Bay became the first hotel in Cumbria to be accredited for the quality of its training by Springboard’s Inspire Scheme – aimed at those entering the industry.
Most recently, Sharrow was shortlisted by The Food Awards for ‘Hotel Restaurant of the Year’; and the ‘Best Waterside Hotel’ in the 2018 Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence.
Smith says, “I have enjoyed being part of the Sharrow Bay family, and look forward to watching it grow further over the coming years. It will always hold a place in my heart and will never be just another place.”
Nick Romano, for Sharrow Bay, said, “Oliver has worked for me for 10 years and been a great loyal member of the team and will be sadly missed by all, having achieved many great highs at Sharrow and also weathering many great storms and floods along the way!”
For more information on Sharrow Bay please visit www.sharrowbay.co.uk.
