Episode
#260 - Hospitality Meets John Badley - Make the Mistake
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3925
- Processing state
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- https://www.hospitalitymeets.co.uk/
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Summary
What do a kitchen porter, a Swedish adventure, a hotel fire, a freezing swimming pool, and the CEO of one of Britain's most iconic hotel groups have in common? This week's guest is John Badley, CEO of Andrew Brownsword Hotels . Today, John oversees a collection of some of the UK's most beautiful and historic hotels. But his story starts somewhere much humbler. A teenage job sweeping a car park for £10, a desperate desire to escape the cold, and a sister who eventually gave in and let him become a kitchen porter. The rest, as they say, is history. In this episode we chat about: 🧽 How a car park sweeping job became a lifelong hospitality career 🍽️ Starting as a KP and working his way through the kitchen ranks ⭐ The pursuit of rosettes and the lessons learned in fine dining 🇸🇪 Why a move to Sweden changed his perspective forever 👨🍳 The unusual role that saw him wearing chef whites and a three-piece suit at the same time 📈 The leadership lesson that came from being rejected for promotion 🔥 Managing one of hospitality's most devastating crises when a hotel was destroyed by fire 🏊 The infamous swimming pool experiment that taught a painful lesson about guest perception 🧭 Why every leader needs a North Star 🤝 The impact of mentors, including hospitality legend David Guile 💡 Why curiosity remains one of the most underrated leadership skills 🚀 How Andrew Brownsword Hotels is building for the future whilst protecting its remarkable heritage Along the way we explore leadership, resilience, commerciality, culture, curiosity, and the extraordinary opportunities hospitality can provide for those willing to keep learning. One of my favourite moments came when John shared the lesson that transformed his career. After being repeatedly overlooked for promotion, he was finally told the…