MARTIN BARLOW

An Outstanding hotelier

We meet Martin Barlow, recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award at this year’s CTAs.

Back in June 2000, Martin Barlow took the up reins of Budock Vean (BV) from his mother and father after their 13 years at the helm. All sorts of lovely things were planned for 2020 to mark Martin’s 20th anniversary last year … they’re just quietly on the backburner until the time is right to celebrate. And much there is to celebrate.

Deep into lockdown #1, some members of BV’s team were squirreling away in secret nominating Martin for Business Leader of the Year in the Cornwall Tourism Awards. Now, going behind your boss’ back really isn’t the done thing, but on this occasion it seemed the only thing to do as Martin is most definitely not one to draw the spotlight in his direction. The gamble paid off and at this year’s virtual award ceremony, the hotel scooped two prizes. Silver in the Large Hotel of the Year category and the annual special judges’ choice for the Outstanding Contribution to Cornish Tourism went to Martin Barlow.

In subsequent radio interviews, Martin insists that this award is probably due to age, but the judges were clear; Martin’s commitment to the wider sector, his innovations and his long-term success won him the accolade.

Outside of his duties at the hotel, Martin is on a number of boards, including the Children’s Sailing Trust, where he is playing an active role in the development of Trevassack Lake, a fully accessible site dedicated to watersports and sailing activities for young people; he champions and fundraises for the Cornwall Community Foundation (the hotel has donated close to £10k to date); he is a regular supporter of the local arts and artists, and is involved in projects to protect the local environment.

“We’ve always been focused on our community, and our place within that community is really important to us,” he says. Martin, who was quite literally born into Cornwall’s tourism industry (he was born in the basement flat of the family’s hotel in Newquay!), is the third generation of his family to lead in the sector. His grandparents were hoteliers in the 1950s and his parents owned The Treglos Hotel where Martin cut his teeth tackling all sorts of jobs from pot wash to night portering and counting

the weekly wages. You could say he was keen to be involved, as at just eight years old he would dress in his smart shirt, complete with a little tie, and help restock bar shelves before guests arrived for dinner, often giving him a playful ruffle of hair on their way past! After a successful 14 years working in the City, Martin returned in 2000 and the rest, as they say, is history. Just before lockdown, Martin was leading on several innovative projects at the hotel. There was the introduction of a resident poet, he had reignited a conversation around the BV apples (a unique apple which offers lots of opportunities) and had completed a major, and very beautiful, overhaul of the hotel’s much-loved restaurant. Of course, innovation goes back a lot further. Under Martin’s guidance BV was one of the first hotels to gain gold accreditation for The Green Tourism Business Scheme and the hotel twice won at The Cornwall Sustainability Awards. The drive to be environmentally responsible and sustainable is still at the heart of the business, with several projects in the pipeline. Listening to the customers and the team has been at the heart of the family’s 34-year history with BV. It’s the reason so many people are invested. Some customers have been returning for 40plus years and others have just made their first visit, attracted by the new array of facilities and activities on offer. Whether via post-stay feedback forms or direct conversations, Martin is always interested in listening to customers and makes a point of speaking to guests every day … and of course, taking care of his team is central to his everyday life. Under his guidance the hotel has many structures and procedures in place to take care of staff. Family, in its broadest sense, is at the heart of everything that BV does. Martin really walks the walk, so the integration of vision and values is pretty seamless. His open door policy underlines these values and at the annual all team AGM, everyone gets on board with the year ahead … even if it turns out to be a really weird one. He says: “I am delighted to receive this award. We don’t achieve things on our own in this business and so this is for the whole team at BV. They are a fantastic, dedicated team, many of whom have been at BV as long as I have, some longer. Thank you to Robin Barker and his team for all their determination in organising these awards, despite the challenging circumstances, and giving us all the opportunity to showcase the rich variety and quality of Cornwall’s hospitality businesses. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists.

“Good luck to everyone for the coming season.”

We’ve always been focused on our community, and our place within that community is really important to us.