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A clean sheet can be daunting when you go about establishing a culture for the very first time. Brand new hospitality brand, Kinsfolk & Co is preparing for its debut first hotel, The Newman, opening in the capital this summer. Alongside getting that ready, Ninoska Leppard, Director of People & Culture has announced plans to establish their people-first culture, REAL People™ to ensure an outstanding customer service powered through happy staff. HR Grapevine spoke to them to find out more.
The Newman will sit on its namesake Newman Street in Fitzrovia, a place where the culture of Bloomsbury meets the style of Soho. The contemporary hotel will have 81 rooms and suites, European brasserie, cocktail bar, and wellness floor.
As part of REAL People™ The Newman has partnered with Saira Hospitality, a non-profit organisation transforming how hotels connect with local communities through education. This collaboration marks the organisation’s first pop-up hospitality school for a new London hotel with 10 out of the 40 graduates retained as part of The Newman team, with other local businesses encouraged to employ the remaining graduates, showing support for nearby hospitality operators looking for skilled workers.
Leppard explains how the REAL People™ initiative will be unveiled.
How do you establish a people-first culture?
At Kinsfolk & Co, we believe that authentic, genuine and unforgettable guest experiences can best be delivered when our people feel empowered, trusted and valued. A true hospitality mindset begins with creating an environment where every team member feels they are making a meaningful difference.
Our culture thrives on storytelling and real learning opportunities. We offer hands-on learning, career development programs, and immersive training sessions designed to engage and inspire
Our leadership team genuinely believe that our people are at the heart of everything we do. It is also true that behaviour breeds behaviour so to establish a people-first culture, we prioritise fostering a leadership team that role models the values and behaviours which are embedded within our REAL People philosophy.
What's the ethos behind the partnership with Saira Hospitality?
Saira Hospitality partners with hotels to create pop up schools that provide opportunities for local communities to build a career in hospitality. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to positively influence the hospitality industry through real initiatives and actions. At the heart of this partnership is our REAL People™ value of being Local, which champions diversity, inclusivity and community. Through this collaboration with Saira Hospitality, we can support our local community in Fitzrovia right from the start, offering opportunities to those who might not have previously considered a career in hospitality.
Ninoska Leppard
Director of People & Culture
How did you establish the four values of the people culture?
With our vision to champion positive, sustainable change in hospitality, we began by identifying the key characteristics we wanted our REAL People™ to embody. These included being thoughtful, positive, friendly, open-minded, authentic, innovative, and community minded. From these qualities, we developed our four core values: Responsible, Energised, Approachable and Local. To bring these values to life, our next step is to attract and retain individuals who naturally align with these qualities. These REAL People™ are central to the Kinsfolk & Co culture.
