Red Carnation Hotel Collection founder and president Beatrice Tollman was honoured with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the hotel industry ‘Oscars’.
The award was handed out at the Cateys, the official awards of leading hospitality industry publication and Travel Weekly sister title The Caterer, to mark her lifelong contribution to the hotel and restaurant sectors.
The Lifetime Achievement Award represents the biggest accolade with Tollman joining an esteemed list of previous recipients including Raymond Blanc, Egon Ronay, Anton Mosimann, Albert and Michel Roux, Elena Salvoni and Lord Forte of Ripley.
The Cateys, which took place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, are widely recognised as ‘The Oscars’ of the UK hospitality industry.
Tollman has built an award-winning collection of 17 five and four star boutique hotels over a career spanning six decades with properties in London, Dorset, Guernsey, Ireland, Geneva, Florida and South Africa.
She was responsible for what was one of the first truly boutique hotels in the world – The Hyde Park Hotel in Johannesburg – where famous guests of the day included Marlene Dietrich, George Peppard, Michael Caine and Trini Lopez.
Referring to her as a “truly remarkable lady”, Clive Jacobs, chairman and owner of the Jacobs Media Group of which The Caterer is part, said: “Her personal approach and obsessive attention to detail has always been central to her ethos in creating hotels where guests know they will consistently receive the very finest service.”
Tolman said: “I am so humbled and honoured to have been recognised for doing something that I love so much.
“When we first started out in this business with The Nugget Hotel in Johannesburg, I never imagined that 60 years later I would be standing here in recognition of the 17 hotels we now have in the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, every one of which I am immensely proud.
“My thanks go to The Cateys judges, the fantastic teams at all of our hotels and of course my wonderful family, many of whom are involved in the business too. Above all, I must thank my husband, who has been at my side every step of the way on this incredible journey.
“My driving passion is to make each stay memorable for every single guest, to make them feel truly welcomed and special, and I believe having this at the heart of everything we do is what keeps them coming back time and time again.”