Beverly Payne - General Manager Conrad London St. James

For our second Spotlight Interview, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the fantastic Beverly Payne, the General Manager of the Conrad London St. James Hotel.

Beverly is a renowned hotelier with a career spanning more than four decades. A career that saw her managing and developing iconic hotels, such as the extraordinary Malmaison Hotel Chain, working as a business advisor and producing hotel assessments on behalf of banks and other funding organisations. There is no aspect of the industry that Beverly does not have a wealth of knowledge in.

She is, without a doubt, a force in the industry with an immense passion for people and uses her knowledge and experience to nurture talent and encourage creativity.

When you meet Beverly, the first thing that strikes you is her big smile, and you immediately feel that you have in front of you a happy and content person. You can also almost instantly see that she is a sincere, no-nonsense, but at the same time warm person. Nothing escapes her eye for detail, and her dedication to delivering the best service is visible in the way she is mindful of her guests' needs and wants.

As you talk to Beverly, you feel like you are given a Masterclass in Hospitality. She built a fantastic career for herself, and she has no intention of stopping any time soon. By her admission, she is constantly learning and progressing, and you can see she has that sense of wonder about the industry, that love for creating new outlets, services and teams. You feel engulfed in her energy, and her passion and drive are both inspirational and contagious.

Beverly Payne was never going to do anything else in her life, as she reveals in the interview. Hospitality was her choice, and she was destined for it. Looking back at her remarkable career and seeing her talk about the projects that she is spearheading for the Conrad London St. James Hotel, you can definitely say that the industry is richer because Beverly chose to work in it.

The interview will premiere Thursday the 24th of June at 5 Star Service life.