Alumni
Alumni profile cprew
Alumni e-Newsletter Spring Edition
Alumni Profile: Charles Prew FIH & CEO Barceló UK (Class of ’68)
The CEO of Barceló Hotels UK and also a 1968 alum of Ealing Hotel School (now the London School of Hospitality and Tourism), Charles Prew, was recently conferred an Honorary Professorship at University of West London in recognition of his outstanding achievements within the hospitality industry and his untiring service to various Government and professional bodies.
David Foskett, the head of the School said 'Charles Prew is an outstanding representative of everything we seek to emulate and one of the icons of the hospitality profession. He is working at the highest levels of the business world and he is playing a significant role in shaping the future of training and education in hospitality.'
University of West London Alumni spoke to Charles about his education at Ealing and his career so far:
University of West London ALUMNI: Why did you first choose to study the Hotel School in Ealing?
CP: I really had no choice. Westminster would not consider me because I had failed English Language at 'O' level but Victor Ceserani at Ealing said if I were to go and pass the exam he would take me in 1964. I suffered in those days from what was known as ‘word blindness’ which of course is now called dyslexia and as a result of this I found English very difficult. So I left school in July 1963 and spent a year with private tuition which got me through the exam. During that year I worked at The White Hart Hotel, Windsor on a part time basis as a kitchen porter and hall porter.
University of West London ALUMNI: What was the most important or significant thing you learnt during your time there
CP: It is very difficult to pick out one important or significant thing I learnt so let me tell you about a number of things. I learnt that you had to work hard at your studies to really get on. I learnt that by showing willingness to learn, to help in the college and to show that you had the qualities for the industry you would be picked out and given the best chance to get on. The fact that I was given the placement at the Savoy, along with another student to work in their kitchen, was a good result for me and then, when I was chosen to have the only placement at Claridges in reception, I was delighted. I also learnt that the practical side of our business was a vital part of getting to understand the industry. To this day the knife control and the cooking I learnt have stood me in good stead. I can talk to chefs about food because I know about food; I can cook crepe suzette in the restaurant, which as CEO of Barceló I do as my party piece when we entertain our major customers at The Lygon Arms. But above all I learnt you had to spend time in the library reading and learning, which for me was difficult, but I had a student friend, Tom Hegarty, who would spend every Saturday in the library with me.
University of West London ALUMNI: What or who is your most abiding memory of your time at the School?
CP: On the learning front, my abiding memory during 1964 to 1968 was that we were blessed with really committed, passionate and inspiring tutors. It was a pleasure to go to college and learn from these very experienced people. On the more practical front, it was being given the opportunity to cook and serve a 12 course meal for a famous director of Lygon, Louis Lowenthal, at his home on New Year’s Eve for three consecutive years. He wrote restaurant reviews for the Evening News and each year he would write about the students from Ealing who came to look after his family on New Years Eve. That got Ealing College and me a lot of outside catering work which was great experience for many of us. I guess that wouldn’t be allowed today.
University of West London ALUMNI: How did you make the step from being a Hospitality graduate to actually working in the field?
CP: When I left College I went to America with Tom Hegarty and Jacqui Newton and we worked in Stouffers in Philadelphia. On our return in September I went to France to work as a waiter and cook at the Prince de Galles in Paris. During this time I learnt I had won a number of awards; the Sir Francis Towle Gold medal for obtaining the highest marks in the world for the final of the MHCI exam, I won the Grand Metropolitan Hotels Thesis award, I won the best student of the year award and I also won the Boston Statler Hilton award. As a result of this I was approached by the CEO of Grand Met, Eric Bernard to join Grand Met. So in June 1969 I joined as a receptionist at The Britannia Hotel, Grosvenor Square, which had just opened. In November 1969, a few months later, I was on duty one night in reception when I received a call from Heathrow Airport asking for around 200 rooms for the night as there was fog and the airport was closed. I spent the next hours filling all the rooms in our 21 hotels and also other hotels in London; I recall I negotiated a commission for our group from our competitors. The next day Maxwell Joseph who was Chairman of Grand Met and Eric Bernard called me to their office. They asked me why I had done what I did. I answered them by asking them if they would have done the same. Of course they both said they would have done. So they told me that as result of the initiative I had shown they were moving me on the following Monday to the Londoner Hotel, Welbeck Street as an assistant manager. And since then I have never looked back. I spent 12 wonderful years at Grand Met and I was well on my way.
University of West London ALUMNI: What impact has your experience at the Hotel School had on your career and life?
CP: It has made me understand the importance of people in our industry and resulted in me always wanting to talk to everyone who works for me on an approachable and understanding level. I care about everyone who works with me and that enables me to get them to want to play for me. It is rather like being a football manager (coach) you must get your team to want to play for you because if you don’t, you just don’t achieve success. I really learnt this when I was on my placement at the Grosvenor House, and my thesis was all about getting more out of your team by showing they have an important role to play and showing that what they do counts.
University of West London ALUMNI: What does your Honorary Professorship mean to you?
CP: I have never received an award for my work in the industry since I left College so the Honorary Professorship is a recognition to me that I have, during the last 50 years, played my part in helping not only the businesses I have worked for but the people I have worked with to enjoy what they do and to achieve success. But above all, as I watch my daughters received their degrees, I can say to myself - you might have not got your Honorary Professorship by exam but I know I have got it through hard work, commitment, enthusiasm, passion and a deep love for the industry I am enjoying working in and will do so for many years to come.
Alumni Profile: Charles Prew FIH & CEO Barceló UK (Class of ’68)
The CEO of Barceló Hotels UK and also a 1968 alum of Ealing Hotel School (now the London School of Hospitality and Tourism), Charles Prew, was recently conferred an Honorary Professorship at University of West London in recognition of his outstanding achievements within the hospitality industry and his untiring service to various Government and professional bodies.
David Foskett, the head of the School said 'Charles Prew is an outstanding representative of everything we seek to emulate and one of the icons of the hospitality profession. He is working at the highest levels of the business world and he is playing a significant role in shaping the future of training and education in hospitality.'
University of West London Alumni spoke to Charles about his education at Ealing and his career so far:
University of West London ALUMNI: Why did you first choose to study the Hotel School in Ealing?
CP: I really had no choice. Westminster would not consider me because I had failed English Language at 'O' level but Victor Ceserani at Ealing said if I were to go and pass the exam he would take me in 1964. I suffered in those days from what was known as ‘word blindness’ which of course is now called dyslexia and as a result of this I found English very difficult. So I left school in July 1963 and spent a year with private tuition which got me through the exam. During that year I worked at The White Hart Hotel, Windsor on a part time basis as a kitchen porter and hall porter.
University of West London ALUMNI: What was the most important or significant thing you learnt during your time there
CP: It is very difficult to pick out one important or significant thing I learnt so let me tell you about a number of things. I learnt that you had to work hard at your studies to really get on. I learnt that by showing willingness to learn, to help in the college and to show that you had the qualities for the industry you would be picked out and given the best chance to get on. The fact that I was given the placement at the Savoy, along with another student to work in their kitchen, was a good result for me and then, when I was chosen to have the only placement at Claridges in reception, I was delighted. I also learnt that the practical side of our business was a vital part of getting to understand the industry. To this day the knife control and the cooking I learnt have stood me in good stead. I can talk to chefs about food because I know about food; I can cook crepe suzette in the restaurant, which as CEO of Barceló I do as my party piece when we entertain our major customers at The Lygon Arms. But above all I learnt you had to spend time in the library reading and learning, which for me was difficult, but I had a student friend, Tom Hegarty, who would spend every Saturday in the library with me.
University of West London ALUMNI: What or who is your most abiding memory of your time at the School?
CP: On the learning front, my abiding memory during 1964 to 1968 was that we were blessed with really committed, passionate and inspiring tutors. It was a pleasure to go to college and learn from these very experienced people. On the more practical front, it was being given the opportunity to cook and serve a 12 course meal for a famous director of Lygon, Louis Lowenthal, at his home on New Year’s Eve for three consecutive years. He wrote restaurant reviews for the Evening News and each year he would write about the students from Ealing who came to look after his family on New Years Eve. That got Ealing College and me a lot of outside catering work which was great experience for many of us. I guess that wouldn’t be allowed today.
University of West London ALUMNI: How did you make the step from being a Hospitality graduate to actually working in the field?
CP: When I left College I went to America with Tom Hegarty and Jacqui Newton and we worked in Stouffers in Philadelphia. On our return in September I went to France to work as a waiter and cook at the Prince de Galles in Paris. During this time I learnt I had won a number of awards; the Sir Francis Towle Gold medal for obtaining the highest marks in the world for the final of the MHCI exam, I won the Grand Metropolitan Hotels Thesis award, I won the best student of the year award and I also won the Boston Statler Hilton award. As a result of this I was approached by the CEO of Grand Met, Eric Bernard to join Grand Met. So in June 1969 I joined as a receptionist at The Britannia Hotel, Grosvenor Square, which had just opened. In November 1969, a few months later, I was on duty one night in reception when I received a call from Heathrow Airport asking for around 200 rooms for the night as there was fog and the airport was closed. I spent the next hours filling all the rooms in our 21 hotels and also other hotels in London; I recall I negotiated a commission for our group from our competitors. The next day Maxwell Joseph who was Chairman of Grand Met and Eric Bernard called me to their office. They asked me why I had done what I did. I answered them by asking them if they would have done the same. Of course they both said they would have done. So they told me that as result of the initiative I had shown they were moving me on the following Monday to the Londoner Hotel, Welbeck Street as an assistant manager. And since then I have never looked back. I spent 12 wonderful years at Grand Met and I was well on my way.
University of West London ALUMNI: What impact has your experience at the Hotel School had on your career and life?
CP: It has made me understand the importance of people in our industry and resulted in me always wanting to talk to everyone who works for me on an approachable and understanding level. I care about everyone who works with me and that enables me to get them to want to play for me. It is rather like being a football manager (coach) you must get your team to want to play for you because if you don’t, you just don’t achieve success. I really learnt this when I was on my placement at the Grosvenor House, and my thesis was all about getting more out of your team by showing they have an important role to play and showing that what they do counts.
University of West London ALUMNI: What does your Honorary Professorship mean to you?
CP: I have never received an award for my work in the industry since I left College so the Honorary Professorship is a recognition to me that I have, during the last 50 years, played my part in helping not only the businesses I have worked for but the people I have worked with to enjoy what they do and to achieve success. But above all, as I watch my daughters received their degrees, I can say to myself - you might have not got your Honorary Professorship by exam but I know I have got it through hard work, commitment, enthusiasm, passion and a deep love for the industry I am enjoying working in and will do so for many years to come.
Charles Prew
Alumni
