The people team at The Grand Brighton needed a custom solution.
The Grand Brighton’s people team understood that a one-size-fits-all approach to rewards wouldn’t resonate with their diverse workforce. Instead, they prioritised custom rewards that catered to individual preferences while reinforcing a sense of belonging to the brand.
Key to the programme’s success was offering experiences, rather than traditional cash or voucher-based rewards. Many of the most popular rewards were sourced from the hotel itself, creating a unique and personal connection between employees and the brand.
“The most used experiences are those in the hotel. And that makes me really happy! That someone would take the vouchers we’ve given them and choose to come here for dinner.”
Andi Fletcher Former Group People Director
This innovative approach emphasised pride in the workplace and a sense of community, as employees chose to enjoy their rewards within the very organisation they contribute to daily.
What led The Grand Brighton Hotel to Mo?
The Grand Brighton Hotel’s engagement goals were clear:
- They wanted a one-point reward and recognition platform for their employees.
- A place where they could celebrate work-related wins.
- To make their people feel appreciated in meaningful ways.
Mo is an award-winning culture platform that supports custom awards. We also have an in-house Customer Success team, led by Kim and Tahera, to support the team throughout their onboarding and beyond.
According to Andi Fletcher, her employees at The Grand Brighton were looking for three things in the workplace: a trusted and supported environment, somebody at work that cares about me and somewhere where I feel I can belong.
The hotel industry faces chronic retention challenges. So how did Andi and her team transform their employee retention rates?
“We focus a lot of our time as a leadership team understanding performance, not results. If we focus on delivering performance, the results will follow.”
Andi Fletcher Former Group People Director, The Grand Brighton Hotel
Background: The state of the hotel industry.
Hospitality struggles with low engagement and high employee turnover. Adding in a pandemic didn’t help. To stabilise their business, The Grand Brighton needed to lower attrition rates without increasing salaries – a tactic that was unaffordable due to the Employee National Insurance rises.
Andi realised that traditional methods of measuring employee engagement, such as large-scale survey models, were both costly and disconnected from the practical realities of single-site operations. Surveys costing upwards of £12,000 to £20,000 provided general insights but often lacked action.
The Grand Brighton’s leadership found that standard benefit packages, while appreciated, were not driving meaningful engagement or retention.
“Mo worked for us in Brighton because it was a massive motivator… it was the first thing that people talked about when they kind of went back into their department.”
Andi Fletcher
Today: The Grand Brighton has seen a lasting impact with Mo.
The Grand Brighton’s custom reward and recognition programme yielded impressive outcomes, even with their already high expectations:
- 70% employee retention rate, demonstrating the scheme’s impact on loyalty and satisfaction.
- Recognition as an industry leader with three major awards in 2019, including Best Employer, Team of the Year, and Best Employee Engagement Programme.
- An expanding range of rewards, including annual cinema tickets, National Trust memberships, gym memberships, and exclusive dining experiences within the hotel.
The growing popularity of in-hotel rewards underscored the deep connection employees felt to the brand. Choosing to return to the hotel for lunch or cocktails reflected their pride and engagement. We couldn’t be more delighted with the outcome and will be popping in for a cocktail ourselves in the future.
The Grand Brighton’s partnership with Mo highlights the power of personalised, experience-based rewards in turbo-charging employee engagement. By aligning their recognition programme with their values and the unique preferences of their team, they created a culture of pride, belonging and high performance.
See how Mo could work for your team
Book a call with one of our experts to understand how Mo could help you reach your culture goals.
