The Caterer interview: Laurence Whittle, general manager, Yotel Manchester Deansgate

So tell me about Yotel Manchester

It's an exciting brand. It's still in its early days and finding its feet, but we're moving forward very rapidly now. There was a gap in the market for a fast-paced, lively brand and it is a great fit for a lot of people. In Manchester the location of the hotel, just off Deansgate, is absolutely brilliant. We focus on technology, so we have self check-in desks and guests can connect to their TVs to watch Netflix in their rooms. I think we offer something a bit different and Yotel has a lot to offer the city in Manchester.

How would you describe your target market?

It's 25- to 40-year-olds: millennial, fast-paced people who are looking for a good location and something with personality – bright and loud and fun.

And what's the split between domestic and inbound guests?

They're mostly domestic. Yotel is still trying to get its name known around the world – not necessarily in hospitality, as I think if you're in the industry, you're aware of Yotel, but to the average person there's ground to grow the brand. Outside the UK our main market is Holland and we also have a great presence in the US. Hopefully we'll reap the benefits from that, but mostly we have domestic, transient leisure.

You've said location is key – do you find that guests discover Yotel in one city and then book another for their onward travel?

If you look at the brand itself there are some fantastic locations. There are hotels in New York, just off Times Square; in Boston, right next to the site of the Boston Tea Party; and in Washington next to the White House. These are funky, fresh places and we'll start to see more of people bouncing between these major cities, looking for the same sort of vibrance they've been offered elsewhere.

There have been concerns that Brexit and the pandemic have led to a decrease in people hopping around Europe – what have you seen?

I don't think we're seeing the demand we had pre-Covid, as I don't think people have that full confidence back in that sort of travel, but I think that is starting to change. We have decent demand from Holland and Spain and I think over time, when the Chinese market starts to appear again, there will be more confidence in people popping from country to country.

How do you inject the personality you've spoken about into the hotel?

We're focusing a lot on our Motley food and beverage concept, where we offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, we well as events. We have a prime location and set-up, with great decor, and it's a little bit out of the box for the Manchester market. We're just off Spinningfields and we really want to be part of that vibe and offer something unique for the area.

What's your focus for the next 12 months?

We want to get a stronghold in the city and have people remember us. We're still a young brand in Manchester so we want to get the Yotel brand out there and have people realise what we offer. It's the same with Motley: get the name out into the city and have people realise we're fun, loud and colourful.

We drive that through the teams and our offering – our cocktails and food are quite outrageous with some very Mancunian elements, such as using Vimto in our Manchester tart dessert. We're trying to use these trends with our own twists to be fun, loud and Instagrammable – we want to be that place people remember. Motley means a mixture of colour and we try to bring that into every aspect of the business.

Where do you feel you sit in the market?

We don't see ourselves a budget brand. We are competing with the likes of Mama Shelter, the Hoxton, the Standard and Virgin hotels – and that's where we want to be. We are offering people in that bracket something different through our decor and our setup. It's not a case of regurgitating a chain, it is lively and loud and unique from city to city and Manchester is fitting that concept well.

How are the hotels individual to their location?

Hotels in places like Miami have rooftop bars and Boston has a famous one called the Deck, which is very popular. It's a concept that Yotel has, of every hotel having its own unique F&B offering.

How are you finding recruitment at the moment?

Issues with recruitment are obviously not new and as we go through the year we will continue to find new ways of employing and finding staff and preventing turnover, which has become a common trend within the industry. It's infuriating and frustrating. I think everybody in the industry needs to start thinking of new ways to operate in how we employ people and what our job skills are. The world has changed and we all have to appreciate that. Our pool of candidates is definitely shrinking so I think we have to find new ways of making the job appealing. We have to ensure that what we have to offer, as an employer, makes people want to come and work with us.

Giving people that working satisfaction means everything right now. People are driven by money but just focusing on that isn't going to help. We have to manage what we can and I think it's about having stability and strength as a unit in regards to our team. That's a massive focus for us, to make sure we offer something more.

And what about the other financial headwinds?

We all have to think outside the box. The cost of living is going up, our suppliers are asking for more and more money constantly and we've got to find new ways of doing things. We have to change direction whenever we need to. I don't think that means we offer a poorer product – it's about doing something different to manage it the best we can. We're focused on trying not to raise our prices and we work together with the team to make sure we are able to do that.

Motley menu

Small plates

• Korean fried chicken served with kimchi and sesame £8
• ‘Grandad's sausage' chipolatas – Manchester's local sausage company, served with a wholegrain mustard honey £7
• Manchester egg – our Scotch egg – local Bury black pudding, served with homemade piccalilli £7
• Hoi sin mushroom bao buns served with kimchi and Asian coleslaw £6

Large plates

• Northern classic suet pudding – braised ox cheek pudding with creamy mashed potato, crushed peas and gravy £18
• Chicken schnitzel – breaded chicken cutlet with spicy rice and katsu curry sauce £15
• Sweet potato and butterbean bunny chow – Mancunian twist on a South African classic, sweet potato and butterbean curry in a hollowed fresh loaf £15
• Trib3 workout salad – red and white quinoa, tenderstem broccoli, avocado, butternut squash, mixed leaves and pomegranate £15

Desserts

• Manchester tart with Vimto jam £6
• Chocolate brownie sundae with vanilla and chocolate ice-cream, brownie pieces, Chantilly cream and chocolate sauce £7
• Strawberry mousse with meringue and shortbread biscuits £8

Yotel Manchester Deansgate

• Location The corner of Deansgate and John Dalton Street, Manchester
• Room specifications VIP, First Class King, Premium King, King, Premium Twin, Compact
• General manager Laurence Whittle
• Food and beverage Motley
• Rooms 261
• Average daily rate £97
• Average length of stay 2.3 days