Family values: the hotel owners bringing a personal touch

What makes a hotel memorable? Comfort, of course, a sense of place and inspirational design and impeccable service but perhaps the most memorable quality is the personal touch, something the best family-run hotels can certainly supply. 

Here, three close-knit family units – the Rocco Fortes, Firmdale Hotels owners Kit and Tim Kemp, and The Pig Hotels’ Judy and Robin Hutson – reflect on what it means to work with loved ones. 

A partnership of distinctive styles

Sir Rocco Forte and Lady Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte Hotels 

Family, says Sir Rocco Forte, is “a powerful force in any business”. He is owner of one of hospitality’s most celebrated surnames; a third-generation entrepreneur who, with his sister Lady Olga Polizzi, co-founded Rocco Forte Hotels in 1996. Hospitality is threaded through the gene pool, with Rocco’s three children and Olga’s daughter, Alex Polizzi – aka Channel 4’s The Hotel Inspector – all in the industry. 

“We all share a passion for hospitality,” says Lady Olga, Rocco Forte Hotels’ Director of Design. “Now the younger generation have come in, I’m finding we have something fresh to offer.” 

In January 2024, the group launched Rocco Forte Private Villas at its Verdura Resort, Sicily’s first branded residences, for sale through Knight Frank. Projects in the pipeline to add to their 15 European hotels include Rocco Forte House Milan, a restored 19th century palazzo, and five-star hotels in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Milan and Naples.  

How has the family’s working relationship changed as they’ve shaped their portfolio? “We’ve always had a clear idea of what we want to do, but each have our own distinctive style,” says Sir Rocco. “My enduring focus is to drive the business forward, while Olga’s goal has always been to create the best physical product for guests.” 

Rocco’s son, Charles, has his eye firmly on the future as the company’s Director of Development. “Our mission is quality growth,” says Charles. “Choosing the destination is easy – the challenge comes in finding locations that meet our standards, buildings that offer history and intrigue as well as convenience and luxury”. 

Autonomous working, instinctive trust

Kit and Tim Kemp, Firmdale Hotels 

Kit and Tim Kemp met in the 1990s when she was working in graphic design and he organised London accommodation for American students. When his property in Dorset Square required updating, they set out to create a boutique hotel and their colourful style was born.  

This year they opened their eleventh property, The Warren Street Hotel in New York and saw two others, Crosby Street Hotel and The Whitby Hotel, awarded three Michelin Keys in their first-ever list of ‘outstanding’ US hotels, two of only four to achieve this highest rating in NYC. 

The couple work autonomously with distinct specialisms; Tim focusing on property and finance, and Kit on interiors, furniture design, art installations and commissions. Kit believes collaboration is key, whether with Tim, two of their three daughters, Willow and Minnie, who work with them, or with their wider team and the craftspeople she commissions. 

“There’s something unique about working with family,” says Kit. “It comes down to trust. We have shared goals for the business and trust each other way beyond any typical working relationship to make decisions in our own areas of expertise. I don’t ask Tim about design, but if he says he doesn’t like something I listen as he usually has a point. We’re a bit like Sumo wrestlers circling around and occasionally coming in for the skirmish. We have lines of demarcation and unwritten guidelines. It’s an intuitive style of working together. We work in separate buildings now but talk continually about so many aspects of our industry and roles.” 

Hospitality is an ever-changing business in an ever-changing world, says Kit, and every day, like every room she designs, is different. Some things however, never change. “I like the dynamic of a working and living relationship,” she says. “I can’t imagine having created what we have with anyone else. We’re still talking, arguing and loving what we do.” 

Compartmentalised collaboration

Judy and Robin Hutson, The Pig Hotels 

“A hotel is like a mistress,” says Judy Hutson, one half of the husband-and-wife team that shape The Pig Hotels. “It requires constant attention. If we didn’t work together, we wouldn’t see much of each other.”  

Judy has worked with her husband, Robin, for 30 years as he established some of England’s most highly rated hotels, first the Hotel du Vin group, then Lime Wood in the New Forest and, since 2011, The Pig Hotels. The group’s latest acquisition is Barnsley House, a 17th century Cotswolds hotel with gardens designed by Rosemary Verey. 

“Compartmentalised collaboration,” is how the Hutsons describe their working life. “I don’t get involved in the business side but we do come together on design and development projects,” says Judy, whose title is Creative Designer. Robin focuses on the more architectural aspects – “hard surfaces and furniture” – while Judy leads on colour schemes, fabrics and soft furnishings. 

“We can’t avoid working together because, more often than not, fabric samples are everywhere at home,” says Robin. “Last week I cooked a meal for friends, but every surface in the kitchen, even the floor, was covered with fabrics.”  

The couple celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this year and while their relationship is at the heart of their success, Judy insists that they are complementary partners more like Yin and Yang – she the more pedantic one while Robin is generally easy-going, happy to “wing it”. “We’ve created 20-odd hotels, so know what works and what doesn’t,” he says. 

“I couldn’t imagine working with anyone else,” says Robin. 

To book a stay, visit roccofortehotels.com, firmdalehotels.com or thepighotel.com