The General Manager of Manchester’s iconic Lowry Hotel, Adrian Ellis, has announced his imminent retirement from a 40-year career spanning roles both here in the UK and abroad. He retires in early summer in order to focus more on a pioneering Hotels and Schools project that has now been in place for the last three years.
Since completing his Hospitality degree in 1982, Ellis has garnered an impressive career in hospitality which reaches across the globe. Having worked in Singapore, Warsaw, Budapest, Baku and Bali, he returned home in 2015 and has been General Manager at The Lowry Hotel ever since.
His retirement comes off the back of the recent expansion of the ‘Hospitality Connect’ programme, an initiative that links Manchester’s hotel network with School leavers from over 30 Schools in the region. The idea being that the Hotels in the city, create interesting and informative activities such as cookery classes, bed-making competitions and afternoon tea service, all aimed at inspiring School students to take up a career in hospitality. This has worked so well, that with funding from the Savoy Education Trust, Ellis has been able to expand this around the country and over 12 regions/cities now taking up this project in their areas. As part of his retirement plan, Ellis plans to take a more permanent and substantial role in the programme, specifically focusing on its wider development and roll-out across the UK.
Ellis comments that “The Hotel and Schools programme is in a pivotal position to expand around the country with the aim that this programme inspires the next generation of talent for the Hospitality industry”.
Ellis, who is also the Chair of the Manchester Hoteliers Association (MHA), a collection of Manchester’s Hotels and Apart Hotels, will also step down from his role in June and hand over the reins to his successor, who is yet to be unveiled.
Adrian has cultivated the development and growth of the MHA during his eight years in post, introducing many new initiatives around commercial actions, sustainability, education and charitable initiatives. These include a long-standing mentorship programme, training for future leaders and a well-established Schools programme. Alongside this, he has facilitated a range of fundraising initiatives which have been led by the Association, resulting in more than £40K per annum being raised for nominated local charities.
On his retirement, Adrian said: “My departure from The Lowry Hotel, and subsequently Manchester Hoteliers Association, comes at a time in my career where I have achieved all I set out to do, travelling across the globe to deliver a high quality of service to all hotels I have worked at. I was also very proud to receive the Catey Award for ‘Hotelier of the Year ‘in 2022.”
“Whilst this decision did not come lightly, I am ready to take a step back from my position to focus on my personal life, whilst still playing a significant role in the growth of our fantastic ‘Hospitality Connect’ programme. I am passionate about raising awareness for the longevity on offer with a career in this industry and will use my own tenure as living proof of this.
“My time as Chair of the MHA has given me a wealth of wonderful experiences in Manchester, connecting with changemakers in the hospitality industry and showcasing all that the city region’s hotelier’s scene has to offer here. I know I am handing over to very capable hands and have no doubt that the incoming Chair will do a fantastic job.”
Manchester Hoteliers Association is yet to announce a new successor, but the position will be filled by one of its existing members in June.
