As the year draws to a close, we are delighted to share with you the latest staff news from our 9 hotels within the Brend Collection. It has been a year filled with exciting developments for our dedicated team members. From well-deserved promotions to joyous personal announcements.
We have featured only a small portion of staff news within the Brend Collection, for the latest staff news you can always check out our social media pages for each hotel, restaurant and spa.
PersonalAnnouncements
In joyful family news, Matilda, Receptionist at The Duchy Hotel, welcomed baby boy Freddie in September. Topaz, Head Housekeeper at Saunton Sands Hotel, welcomed a beautiful baby in November. Ronnie, General Assistant at The Barnstaple Hotel, welcomed a beautiful baby girl in June.
Love is in the air across our collection. Charmaine, Senior Receptionist at The Park Hotel, got engaged to her lovely fiancé. Bethany, Receptionist at The Royal Duchy, tied the knot in September - a huge congratulations to them both!
Apprenticeships
Our Brend Training Academy saw lots of wonderful achievements over the last few months. The Imperial Hotel saw Ethan complete his Level 2 Commis Chef, Junior Sous Chef Corey completed his Level 3 Chef De Partie apprenticeship, Alisha completed her Level 2 Hospitality Team Member apprenticeship, and Brennon from the Arlington Restaurant completed his Level 2 Food & Beverage Service.
The Carlyon Bay Hotel saw Jamie complete his Level 2 Commis Chef Apprenticeship and Josh complete his Level 4 Hospitality Management Apprenticeship. At The Barnstaple Hotel, Emily completed her Chef De Partie qualification with distinctions across the board!
Special Recognition
Head Porter Sean at The Carlyon Bay Hotel won the incredible Porter of the Year at the Hotel Housekeeping Honours 2025. What makes this award so special is that it wasn’t put forward by the hotel; it came directly from our guests’ nominations. Their recognition says everything about the warmth, professionalism, and lasting impression he leaves on our guests and why we’re so incredibly proud of him.
Promotions & Change of Job Roles
At The Barnstaple Hotel, we saw some well-deserved promotions in the Management team, with Jeven being promoted to Deputy Hotel Manager and Ryan being promoted to Senior Assistant Manager. Plus, Katrina’s hard work saw her being promoted to Senior Health & Leisure Assistant, as well as Kiera to Senior Housekeeper.
The Carlyon Bay Hotel saw 6 promotions over the last 6 months. James took a well-deserved promotion to General Assistant, and Dianne to Restaurant Supervisor. The Carlyon Bay management team saw Holly promoted to Deputy Hotel Manager and Marta to Hotel Manager, both hugely deserved. Lastly, Ali at The Carlyon Bay became Area Manager for both The Carlyon Bay and The Royal Duchy Hotel.
Saunton Sands Hotel saw Katie become Restaurant Manager and Shahadat become Junior Sous Chef. Promotions at The Park Hotel saw Jake & Kyle both be promoted to Assistant Managers, Destiny to Bar Manager, Lesie to Sous Chef and Adam to Head Chef. At The Imperial Hotel, Jade and Viktorija were promoted to Housekeeping Supervisor and Ben to General Assistant.
More promotions at The Belmont Hotel saw Connor promoted from Head Waiter to Restaurant Manager. Verity and Isla, previously part-time Station Heads, have now joined full-time and been promoted to Head Waitresses. Monika has also moved from her role as Full-Time Restaurant Station Head to join Stuart in the Bar as Deputy Bar Manager.
Long Service Awards
We celebrated more amazing milestones across the collection. Justyna from the Imperial, Ania from the Barnstaple and Jacek and Liam from Saunton Sands Hotel all celebrated a decade of dedication.
Housekeeper Pam celebrated 20 years of hard work at The Imperial Hotel. Neil at The Carlyon Bay Hotel celebrated an amazing 30 years of hard work and passion for The Carlyon Bay Hotel, an incredible achievement!
