There’s something special about bringing hoteliers together in the room. For this third Roundtable Roadshow, we headed to The Headland Hotel in Cornwall. What followed was a series of honest, practical conversations about what it really takes to keep an independent hotel thriving.

From ownership and reinvestment to digital performance, IT infrastructure and the next generation of talent, this episode pulls together key moments from across the morning. You’ll hear from the team behind The Headland, their technology partners, and a young hospitality professional who started here at 14 and never left.

Those who feature include Veryan Palmer family director and Simon IT Manager and Charlie and young hospitlaity recruit at The Headland Hotel, James Cavanagh-Shaddock from Cornwall Hospitality Collective, Sharon Cowley of Net Affinity, Katrina Blunden from 80 Days, Sam McCabe and Eli Rous from Focus on Hospitality, and Paul Wells from Studio Moren.

What You’ll Discover

- Legacy Meets Leadership: Why reinvesting profits, protecting core standards and staying curious has delivered The Headland’s strongest revenue year yet.

- Data, AI and Infrastructure in Practice: From 6,000 monthly AI searches to cybersecurity, connectivity and proactive IT partnerships that keep operations resilient.

- Building the Future Workforce: How the Cornwall Hospitality Collective is rallying 45 members, engaging schools and turning students into hospitality professionals.

You’ll also hear from Net Affinity, 80 Days, and Focus on Hospitality, all working closely with The Headland to align brand, performance and physical experience. The message is clear. Success is not one initiative. It is collaboration, clarity and constant evolution.

Our sponsors also include Biteluxe, Studio Moren and Hospitality Action.

If you are an independent hotelier wondering how to balance heritage with innovation, or how to future-proof your operation without losing your identity, this conversation is for you.

Hoteliers' Voice is one of FeedSpot's top Hospitality Podcasts and is produced by Urban Podcasts.

Coming live from the UK Hotelier Roundtable Roadshow - this conversation comes from Whittlebury Park, with our hotel host Bradley Spillman, Senior Digital and Marketing Manager, alongside and a panel of experts. We look into how a family-run estate is using data, design and technology without losing that human, hospitality feel.

Featuring David Ohanjanian from Up Hotel Agency, Sharon Cowler of Netaffinity, Prem Jethwa-Odedra from Biteluxe, Alessandra Leoni from Focus on Hospitality, Scot Turner from Auden Hospitality

What We Explore

- Personalisation & Story: How Whittlebury Park is using small, specific touches and guest data to move beyond generic messaging and create stays that feel remembered, not just recorded.

- Websites & Conversion: Why a clear brief, flexible design and a shorter booking journey turned Whittlebury’s website into both a brand window and a serious revenue driver.

- Tech & Human Balance: How booking engines, WhatsApp, on-site data capture and smarter F&B and spatial design can support direct bookings and guest satisfaction without losing the heart of hospitality.

What stayed with me from this roundtable is how hoteliers challenges are shared, whether running a vast estate or opening a single independent hotel. The tools are there, but the real work is choosing the right ones, aligning owners and teams, and keeping the guest’s reality at the centre. Sometimes - tech is not the answer.

Hoteliers' Voice is one of FeedSpot's top Hospitality Podcasts and is produced by Urban Podcasts.

I always enjoy getting out to properties like Whittlebury Park, discovering what they have to offer across an expansive multi amenity resort and how they package it up. This conversation with Bradley Spillman, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, gave me a real behind-the-scenes look at how they juggle three very different businesses under one roof.

In a tour of their impressive golf, spa, and conference facilities, we talk about their approach to digital marketing, the smart investments they're making in tech and data, and how they're getting to know their audiences better while chasing new ones like the family segment.

What We Explore

- Three Businesses, One Property: Creates seamless experiences for completely different crowds across golf, spa, and conferences

- Digital Marketing Smarts: The tools and strategies the team uses to boost visibility, understand guest needs, and target fresh markets without losing the core appeal.

- Guest-First Innovation: Why investing in data and tech is all about delivering what people really want and how that's opening doors to new demographics.

Bradley’s insights reminded me why places like Whittlebury thrive: it's not just about the amenities, it's about knowing your guests and evolving with them. If you're in hospitality and wondering how to blend tradition with tech, this conversation will give you plenty to think about and maybe even steal a few ideas.

Thanks for listening to Hoteliers Voice. If it sparked something, share with a colleague or drop me a note. More episodes coming soon where we learn from the best in the industry.

Hoteliers' Voice is one of FeedSpot's top Hospitality Podcasts and is produced by Urban Podcasts.