Robert Richardson FIH MI

CEO of @IoH_Online. Expert Panel Member for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modernising Employment. Visiting Professor @UlsterUni. Charity Trustee.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

In the UK, a pint of beer carries both 20% VAT and around 56p in alcohol duty.

In Switzerland, the same pint carries 8.1% VAT and around 13p in alcohol duty.

Switzerland treats hospitality as a national economic asset, with the profession enjoying formal recognition and policy support from government bodies. In return, Swiss hospitality employs 4% of the national workforce, contributes up to 6% of GDP, creates community hubs, develops its people, and plays a central role in strengthening the economy.

It’s a Wednesday evening in Lucerne, Switzerland, and every restaurant and bar is full, no businesses are closed, the atmosphere is joyous, and the welcome and service are both first-class.

And it's a real-world example of how balanced taxation and government recognition can drive economic growth, skills development, and thriving communities.

#HospitalityFamily #HospitalityMatters #TaxReform #GlobalHospitality #Switzerland #LearningFromOthers #InspireMotivateLearn #imin

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

One of the highlights of the year is welcoming the new Master Innholders at Innholders’ Hall, and this year was no different.

It was also a pleasure to spend time with our Institute of Hospitality President, The Rt Hon The Viscount Thurso PC FIH MI, and Miles Pooley FIH MI, who kindly hosted me at the magnificent RAF Club in Piccadilly.

Congratulations to all those beginning their journey as Master Innholders.

#MeetingOurMembers #IMIN #HospitalityFamily

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

Our vital UK hospitality sector is currently facing the highest levels of taxation in its history, and when businesses are under sustained financial pressure, investment in people is always the first area to suffer. Recruitment, professional development, and pathways into meaningful careers are now at risk.

We are already seeing the consequences reflected in national employment figures, particularly among those seeking their first opportunity in the workplace. Hospitality has long been one of the UK's most important entry points into employment, providing people from all backgrounds with the opportunity to gain skills, experience and rewarding long-term careers. However, when the cost of doing business continues to rise, the ability of employers to invest in recruitment, training and career development is inevitably reduced.

Yet hospitality remains one of the United Kingdom's most important economic and social contributors. It supports communities, creates opportunities for social mobility, provides rewarding careers, and helps millions of people develop valuable skills for life.

I am grateful to @RosieDuffield1 MP for bringing together hospitality operators, industry leaders, including @Sacha_Lord FIH, former Night Time Economy Adviser to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and parliamentarians in Parliament this week to discuss the case for aligning hospitality VAT with our European counterparts. A more competitive VAT rate would not simply support businesses, it would help unlock investment in people, skills and jobs, delivering significant economic and social benefits for communities across the United Kingdom.

#HospitalityFamily #VATSTheProblem #StrongerTogether

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@hmurray9 @MichelinGuideUK Another day, another hardworking hospitality businesses closed. My heart goes out to everyone who is loosing their livelihoods, businesses and homes. Many of these are IoH members, so we are hearing how devastating things are, first hand.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

Absolutely shocking, the whole rates revaluation is ambiguous at best, and has resulted in a huge amount of closures. @Sacha_Lord @MickKill and I were discussing today just how bad this is for our sector, and how this is another reason why we have the highest rate of Hospitality businesses closures in history.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@KeithPenelope3 This needs speeding up. It's 2026.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

Thank you, I do understand where they are coming from, health and hygiene requirements are absolute and essential, and not to be ignored, however there needs to be support to enable businesses to continue to trade in difficult times, not just warning letters.
I will raise this when I meet @RosieDuffield1

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

It was a pleasure to meet Ben Fletcher, candidate to become the first Mayor of the new Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, at the Abode Hotel in Chester today.

Hospitality is a cornerstone of the Cheshire economy, and in these challenging times, it was encouraging to hear Ben’s commitment to ensuring our sector receives the support it needs should he be elected. I was particularly pleased by his recognition that hospitality must sit at the heart of any future skills agenda under the Mayor’s office, especially in light of today’s deeply concerning news regarding a potential “lost generation” in employment, education and training.

Now more than ever, creating opportunities for young people must be central to any legislative agenda, because hospitality remains one of the very best platforms for the next generation to grow, develop and thrive.

#StrongerTogether #HospitalityFamily #InspireMotivateLearn #Cheshire

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@KeithPenelope3 @julesserkin @canterburycc @sewateruk @businessbunker Followed.

[Institute of Hospitality @IoH_Online]

It's our 88th birthday! 🎉

We are proud to be the world's leading professional body for the hospitality industry and to have been at the heart of global hospitality for 88 years.

Find out more about why our members have said #imin to the Institute of Hospitality for 88 years.
https://t.co/LRLRPC8Oaz
#88thBirthday #88Years #IoH #InstituteofHospitality
@RBWR

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@KeithPenelope3 @julesserkin @canterburycc @sewateruk @businessbunker Many thanks. And I'm very sorry to hear that.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@julesserkin @KeithPenelope3 @canterburycc @sewateruk @businessbunker Can I see a copy of this notice?

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@RosieDuffield1 @julesserkin @canterburycc Likewise Rosie, I live in Canterbury but work internationally, the current volume of challenges hospitality has in the UK - and Canterbury - is obscene.

I've forwarded a document to your office via Cerys Bear, and look forward to speaking with you next week.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@BeatriceCloake @IoH_Online @wlv_uni Thank you!

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@henal1973 @IoH_Online @wlv_uni Thank you Henal, that's very kind.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

Only in Manchester would I meet an astrophysicist who retrained to join the vibrant hospitality scene offered by this great city.

That was just one of many takeaways from this week’s Institute of Hospitality networking event, where we asked the question: “What drives hospitality success in the North?”

Thank you to my panellists, Sacha Lord FIH, Laura Green, Stewart Morrell MIH, and Jonathan Baillie, for such a valuable discussion covering the incredible diversity of talent, passion, and opportunity that continues to shape hospitality across the region, alongside the excitement surrounding Andy Burnham’s vision for not just the city, but the country.

Following the event, it was a pleasure to catch up with our Chair, Martin Traynor OBE FIH, and @Sacha_Lord over dinner, discussing exciting future plans for our global #HospitalityFamily.

Manchester is such a vital part of the UK’s hospitality and tourism industry, and it is always a huge pleasure to spend time with our members in this vibrant city. Thank you to my colleagues Aymen Fetouak MIH and Emma Ellis MIH, for managing this latest opportunity to meet our members in the North.

#imin #MeetingOurMembers #Manchester #StrongerTogether

[Institute of Hospitality @IoH_Online]

We are proud to announce that our CEO, Robert Richardson FIH MI, is to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Hospitality by the @wlv_uni, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the global hospitality profession, leadership of the Institute of Hospitality, and commitment to advancing professional standards, education and inclusion across the sector.

The honorary doctorate will be awarded by the University during its summer graduation ceremonies in late July.

Congratulations from all the IoH Team and global #HospitalityFamily on this remarkable achievement! 🎉

To read the full story, please follow the link below.
https://t.co/udFMqfewu9

#UniversityofWolverhampton #HospitalityLeadership #IoH #imin

[Institute of Hospitality @IoH_Online]

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Institute of Hospitality’s 2027 Annual Charity Golf Day, in collaboration with @TheBelfryHotel and our strategic partners, @ntiaofficial.

📅 Date: Thursday, 13 May 2027
⛳️ Location: The Belfry Hotel & Resort, near Birmingham

This event promises to be more than just a golf tournament, hosted at one of the UK’s most renowned golf resorts.

🌟18 holes of championship golf
🌟On-course competitions
🌟Evening garden party with BBQ and music
🌟Spa day package options
🌟Networking

The proceeds will support the charitable work of the Institute’s Youth Council and Night Time Industries Association, which aids businesses across the UK’s vibrant night-time economy.

Find out more https://t.co/oHa7JpnHlO
#IoHGolfDay2027 #NTIA #HospitalityFamily #TheBelfry
@RBWR

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

A pleasure to join Chair Stefan Micevski MBA FIH, the Hospitality Association York, Institute of Hospitality members, and the CEOs of UKHospitality and Hospitality Action, Allen Simpson and Mark Lewis FIH, alongside Institute of Hospitality Chair Martin Traynor OBE, FIH, MIoD, for the Hospitality Association York annual social.

#HospitalityFamily #imin #MeetingOurMembers

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

@JRbooboo No argument from me Jane.

[Robert Richardson FIH MI @RBWR]

Full disclosure, for the majority of my career I’ve been an operator, and I know what it feels like to go to bed hoping tomorrow’s cash flow will enable you to pay tomorrow’s bills. My heart goes out to anyone experiencing the sleepless nights that come with running a business and being responsible for the livelihoods of their teams, and their families.

This weekend held one ambition, dinner out at a restaurant that had been on the radar for a while. A restaurant that opened in 2016, and one that was only months away from celebrating its tenth anniversary.

Ten years is a huge achievement for any business, let alone one operating under some of the highest cost burdens in Europe.

Then, just two days before the booking, the restaurant closed with immediate effect. The rising costs associated with running a business in 2026 were, in the owner’s own words, the “cause of death”.

Whilst patrons, myself included, are obviously saddened by the news, for the owners this is the end of a dream. For the team, it means livelihoods lost at a time when UK unemployment is at its highest level in years, with approximately 1.78 million people currently unemployed across the country.

The owners are now filing for bankruptcy, their dream, shattered.

As tragic, and arguably avoidable, as this story is, it is by no means unique. Across the UK, hospitality businesses are closing at an alarming rate, which pushes up our obscene unemployment rates each and every day.

Last week’s local election results delivered an unambiguous message from voters, reflecting growing frustration around the rising cost of living, taxation, and economic uncertainty facing both individuals and businesses alike.

Now, against this backdrop, a backdrop of a profession that feels its voice simply is not being heard despite being one of the UK’s greatest economic and social assets, we wait to see where government takes us next.

It is a fact that hospitality is a force for good. It is an economic driver, a creator of opportunity, and one of the few professions where any person, from any background, can grow, develop, and thrive.

When hospitality succeeds, communities succeed. When hospitality is supported, the wider economy benefits too.

The organisation I lead has more members than some countries have populations, so I speak with authority when I say that even in difficult times, I remain optimistic about the resilience, determination, and spirit of our hospitality family.

This profession of ours has faced enormous challenges before, and yet it continues to innovate, adapt, and inspire.

As long as we are left able to do so.

Hospitality matters, deeply, and it deserves not only to survive, but to thrive.

#Hospitality #HospitalityFamily #HospitalityMatters #ChesterHospitality