London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.
Interview with Dawn Thomas of The Mercer Street Hotel.
Dawn Thomas, the Hotel Manager at The Mercer Street Hotel, talked to us about how to run a boutique hotel in Covent Garden and about the role of women in hospitality
Our tongue-in-cheek review of the “women only” service at the Duke’s and tips for hoteliers on what women want caused a fair amount of buzz. So we were excited to meet Dawn Thomas, the Hotel Manager at the Mercer Street Hotel, to discuss some of the challenges of her job.
LHI: Dawn, thank you for having us today! Can you please tell us a little bit about why you chose to build a career in the hotel business?
Dawn: I always had a clear goal about wanting to work in the “people business”, so hospitality seemed like a natural choice. I started on the bottom rung in housekeeping and at reception, and have always enjoyed customer-facing roles: this has helped me understand how a hotel is run at all levels and to see our service from a guest perspective. I first started working in hotels in Edinburgh, then gradually moved south to Leeds until coming down to Heathrow and finally central London.
LHI: Did you continue to work in customer-facing roles when you moved to the capital?
Dawn: Yes. My first London job was at the Royal Garden Hotel, where I worked as Front Office Manager (and also met my husband!). I was later employed at the former Mayfair Intercontinental, bought by Radisson Edwardian in 2003 and transformed into the luxury May Fair Hotel. I had in-depth knowledge of that particular hotel so was retained after the takeover and involved in its reincarnation as one of the top 5 star hotels in Mayfair.
LHI: Did you then begin to find a specialist niche in your hospitality career?
Dawn: Having experienced a hotel refurbishment, I was transferred to Radisson Edwardian Hampshire in 2004 as Hotel Manager to build the business and reinforce standards during the refurbishment of the hotel’s public areas. Then in 2008 I came to the Mountbatten Hotel to oversee the major £15 million renovation completed on May 10th 2011 – at that point its name was changed to The Mercer Street Hotel.
Book direct with Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street at best guaranteed rate
The Mercer Street Hotel offers luxury comfort without pretension
LHI: The Mercer Street Hotel presents itself as a boutique hotel in Covent Garden; but it seems the definition of the term “boutique hotel” varies greatly, even within the hotel industry. How do you define this term?”
Dawn: A boutique hotel must be comfortable, offer luxury without pretension and employ service-focused staff with a genuinely friendly attitude. At The Mercer Street Hotel we recruit people for their warm and friendly personality; you can’t give people a hospitable personality but you can teach them the technical side. This is fundamental to our hotel because people are key to having a truly boutique atmosphere.
Book direct with Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street at best guaranteed rate
The Mercer Street Hotel's location directly across from Seven Dials makes it the perfect central London luxury bolthole
LHI: What is your vision for The Mercer Street Hotel?
Dawn: My goal is to make The Mercer Street Hotel the leader among its competitors in Covent Garden. This is punching above our weight since we are taking on several well-established 5 star hotels in our neighbourhood… but we feel that we offer the same quality of service at a 4 star price. Currently we are in the top 50 London hotels on TripAdvisor - despite being less than one year old in our current incarnation.
Covent Garden offers something for everyone and is its own little village within central London. People don’t realise how quiet and peaceful it can be. But if you want the hustle and bustle of Soho, it’s just 5 minutes away.
LHI: Thank you Dawn for your time. Do you have any tips for ambitious women wanting to build a career in hospitality? There currently seem to be relatively few female executives heading up top London hotels.
Dawn: Join a hospitality company like Radisson Edwardian which really values the contribution of women. Not only was I granted 6 months of maternity leave mid-career, but was also offered the opportunity to return to the company in a fabulous role as Hotel Manager. The rules of success in hospitality are the same for everyone: stay focused on your end-goals, let your personality come through and communicate as openly as possible.
Book direct with Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street at best guaranteed rate
Photo credits: London Hotels Insight blogger Timea and Andrea, avail.
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