#237 - Hospitality Meets Chetan Bhanot- Hotels, Humour & Human Moments

This week, Phil sits down with Chetan Bhanot, Group General Manager of The Mandeville Hotel (https://www.mandeville.co.uk/) in Marylebone and Pendley Manor (https://www.pendley-manor.co.uk/) in Hertfordshire - two stunning properties he leads with equal parts humility, humour and impressive calm. Chetan’s story spans 32 years in hospitality, from hotel school in India, to Hilton and InterContinental, to JW Marriott Mumbai’s first-ever opening, to London’s NH Hotels, Harrington Hall, and now a dual-property leadership role he’s held for nearly a decade. It’s a journey filled with learning, pressure, kindness - and the occasional guest who forgets where they left their car. This episode is rich with leadership lessons, humanity, and proper belly laughs. In This Episode 1. Finding hospitality through a school friend in India, discovering the power of people and team sports, and starting a career that now spans over 30 years Chetan Bhanot 2. The power of environment — why even the most talented people struggle in broken systems, and how the team–self–ownership triangle must align for success 3. Hotel school → Hilton → InterContinental → JW Marriott — the early years that shaped his entire leadership philosophy 4. Moving to the UK and rising through NH Hotels to Director of Hotels UK, with senior leaders who “held the ladder” so others could climb 5. COVID chaos: losing full kitchen teams, reopening four times in two years, housekeeping stepping in to help the kitchen, and how the team “kept smiling through it all” Chetan Bhanot 6. The 2011 London riots — the scariest moment of his career, locking down the hotel, protecting guests, and hotels banding together to keep each other safe 7. Work-life balance vs. balance — and why hospitality now can offer both 8. Paying it forward — why leaders must give others the same opportunities they were given, and why career growth comes when you stop chasing titles and start enjoying the work 9. Huge expansion plans at both The Mandeville and Pendley Manor, from new bedrooms to new ballrooms to full refurbishments And the Funny Story You Have to Hear… A guest storms into reception convinced his car has been stolen from the hotel. Police nearly called. Panic everywhere. Then CCTV... I'll let you tune in to hear Stand-Out Quotes “You’re not what happens to you — you are how you choose to rebuild” “During COVID, we didn’t open once — we opened four times. And every time, the team stood together” “Failure is a negative word. Replace it with ‘learning’ — it changes everything” “A team works when ego and job titles are left at the door” “People held the ladder for me. Now it’s my turn to hold it for others” Why Listen This episode is a masterclass in: 1. Building and leading high-performing teams 2. The real emotional cost of COVID and how hospitality survived it 3. Dealing with pressure, failure, and adversity 4. Why kindness, support and opportunity matter more than titles 5. How hotels come together in crisis 6. What great service really looks like Chetan’s story is proof that leadership isn’t taught — it’s lived, experienced, and shaped through humanity, humour and hard days. A proper hospitality heart-warmer. Show Partners A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud (https://rotacloud.com/phil/) , the people management platform for shift-based teams. RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app. It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones. Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy