Strand Palace hotel offers staff £500 cost of living payment

London's Strand Palace hotel is to give staff a £500 payment to help with the rising cost of living.

Over 200 full and part-time team members will receive the bonus, which the hotel said was to help amid "difficult times".

Strand Palace, which is owned by property investment company L&R, also plans to refurbish its back of house areas for staff to include a new restaurant and a ‘wellbeing zone' as part of a wider support package.

Matthew Beard, cluster managing director at Strand Palace, said: "Our hard-working team is the absolute backbone of our hotel, and a happy, healthy workforce is something we must continue to invest in, especially during difficult times.

"Whilst a fast cash injection will be a welcome addition before the festive period and very well deserved based on recent hotel performance, our approach goes far beyond this to improve the day-to-day life of our team on a longer-term basis."

Strand Palace opened in 1909 and completed a multi-million-pound refurbishment of its public spaces, façade and 788 bedrooms in 2020.

Last month contract caterer Green & Fortune said it would give staff payments of up to £600 to help with the rising cost of living while Compass Group is offering grants to its 50,000 team members to help with emergency expenses.

Restaurant chains including Pret A Manger and Itsu have also raised wages in a bid to help staff cope with rising costs.

L&R also owns Cliveden House in Berkshire and Chewton Glen in Hampshire under its Iconic Luxury Hotels portfolio.