The Liverpool Hospitality Association is excited to reveal the finalists for the People Awards for 2024.

The awards, in association with Saffron Vanilla, Liverpool ONE and Titanic Hotel & Rum Warehouse are a chance to celebrate the talented individuals at the heart of Liverpool’s bustling hospitality and retail industry. The event is a chance to shine a light on and honour the unsung heroes who demonstrate dedication, resilience, and commitment in an industry that has faced unprecedented challenges over the last few years.

Steven Hesketh, Vice-Chair of Liverpool Hospitality Association said: “This has been a fantastic year for the Awards with a bumper number of nominations which our panel of 17 awards judges have found to be a very inspirational read, with an extremely high standard demonstrated.  The People Awards give us a chance to highlight exceptional individuals and teams who fuel our industry’s resilience and innovation.  This year’s shortlist features 75 finalists and 45 businesses represented which is testament to our thriving hospitality and retail sector.

There are 16 categories this year including Rising Star, Front and Heart of House Awards, Chef of the Year, Top Team, and the new Retail Excellence Award.  Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 9th May 2024 at the Rum Warehouse, Titanic Hotel.  

Brian Connor, General Manager at the Titanic Hotel said: “We are so looking forward to hosting the prestigious Liverpool Hospitality People Awards again this year at the Titanic Hotel, Liverpool.  After receiving so many nominations, it has been a real struggle for our judges to choose our short-listed nominees. Congratulations to all who were  nominated, who have been put forward for being absolute shining stars within your businesses. We are also looking forward to welcoming our Retail Colleagues to the awards this year. We wish the very best of luck to all who have been short listed, and we look forward to welcoming you all to the Awards night which promises to be a truly magical evening.

Stephen Ramsden Director Saffron Vanilla commented  “Another year of Liverpool Hospitality Awards we have had so many high calibre entries, they all truly made the judges job very difficult to choose a shortlist. It is very encouraging to see the future of the Hospitality industry in the Greater Liverpool region at such a professional level. Congratulations to all the finalists. The future of hospitality in our region is created by the people who care for it, you are custodians of the future of Hospitality embrace it and run with it.



Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE said: “We extend our congratulations to all the shortlisted nominees at the Liverpool Hospitality People Awards. We are fortunate to live and work in a City Region known for its warm welcome and exceptional customer service, and look forward to joining in the celebrations at the awards ceremony in May as we put the spotlight on the remarkable talent that thrives within the sector.”

Rising Star Award, sponsored by Avrenim
Cameron Dodd, Happy Days Group
Daisy Cooper, Titanic Hotel, Liverpool
Ellie Stafford, The Municipal Hotel and Spa Liverpool – MGallery
Neve Sutton, Hosted by National Museums Liverpool
Poppi Thompson, The Liner Hotel Liverpool
Sophie Scott, Holiday Inn Express Liverpool Royal Albert Dock

Unsung Hero Award, sponsored by Titanic Hotel Liverpool
Chris Duffy, Hilton Liverpool City Centre
James Wood, Mercure Liverpool Hotel
John Douglas, GSG Hospitality
Liam McCauley, 30 James Street
Stuart Rimmer, Pullman Liverpool
Teeya Jackson, Arts Bar Ltd

Young Chef of the Year, sponsored by Hosted by NML
Conner Jago Woods, Titanic Hotel Liverpool
Daryl Jackson, Pullman Liverpool
Jose Rice, Strawberry Field

Chef of the Year, sponsored by Sugar & Lime
Ian Corkhill, Strawberry Field

John Fitzgerald, Hosted by National Museums Liverpool
Julius Abalos, Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village
Sharrad Davies, Pullman Liverpool
Vladimir Septak, Titanic Hotel Liverpool

Head Chef of the Year, sponsored by Saffron Vanilla
Daniel Heffy, NORD
Dave Rooney, Pullman Liverpool
Ferenc Haar, Titanic Hotel Liverpool
Kieran Maxwell, Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village



Barista of the Year, sponsored by Cool Breeze Agency & Nineteen
Carlos Perreira, Bold Street Coffee
Daisy Waring, Crosby Coffee
Harry Thomas, Crosby Coffee
Josh Harris, Bean Coffee
Paul Hunter, Bean Coffee

Bar Mixologist of The Year, sponsored by The Guide Liverpool
Adam Hughes, Manolo
Dominic Barnes, Nova Scotia
John Ennis, Manolo
Nick Thomas, Salt Dog Slims

Heart of House Award, sponsored by C&C Group
Aleksandra Denisova, Holiday Inn
Charlie Hughes, Titanic Hotel, Liverpool
Elaine Fearns, Staybridge Suites Liverpool
Gabriella Nosidlak, Hilton Liverpool City Centre
Hannah Condon, Leonardo Hotel Liverpool
Rebeckah Hird, Pullman Liverpool

Front of House Award, sponsored by Liverpool BID Company
Chris Klein, Pullman Liverpool
Felipe Corrales, Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village
Jack Randle, Leonardo Hotel Liverpool
Jonathan Joynson, The Liner Hotel Liverpool
Kinga Walsh, The Municipal Hotel and Spa Liverpool – MGallery
Michael Wilkes, INNSiDE by Melia, Liverpool

Excellence in Food Service Award, sponsored by Lanson
Crowne Plaza, Food & Beverage Team
Fay McCarthy, Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village
Ivana McCluskie, Malmaison Hotel
John Lewis Hospitality Team, Place to Eat
Josh McCafferty, Pullman Liverpool
Libby Starkey, Titanic Hotel Liverpool

Excellence in Retail Award, sponsored by Liverpool ONE
Faye Marsh, Marks and Spencer
Museum of Liverpool Shop
Red Run Ltd
Ruth Crawley, Penhaligons
Sasha Moore, Vincentius

Top Team Award, sponsored by PIB Insurance
Barfection, Training Team
Delifonseca, The Delifonseca Team
Hilton Liverpool City Centre, The Sales and Events Team
Hosted by NML Team
Liverpool Philharmonic, Food and Beverage Management Team
Sodexo Live! team at The ACC Liverpool Group
Spaces at the Spine, Venue Team

Sales and Revenue Star of the Year, sponsored by CanDo Payments & Elavon
Alfie Abbot, Hard Days Night
Gary Mills, Leonardo Hotel Liverpool
Helen Duffy, Malmaison Hotel
Marian Cotter, Staycity
Michelle Brunskill, Staybridge Suites Liverpool
Nikki Palmer, Holiday Inn

Manager of the Year, sponsored by MSP Global
Coleen Dewhurst, Titanic Hotel, Liverpool
Dean Boyd, Novotel Liverpool Paddington Village
Krystie Palmer, GSG Hospitality
Lisa Graham, Aloft Liverpool
Peter Affleck, Pullman Liverpool
Sue Abdul, Holiday Inn Express

There is no shortlist for the Judges’ Choice Award, sponsored by The Hospitality Hero and the Liverpool Hospitality Chairman’s Award, winners of both awards will be announced at the awards ceremony.

The awards for 2024 are supported by Saffron Vanilla, Liverpool ONE, Titanic Hotel and Rum Warehouse, Hospitality Hero, Liverpool BID Company, MSP Global, CanDo Payments & Elavon, PIB Insurance, Lanson, C&C Group, The Guide Liverpool, Nineteen Agency, Sugar & Lime, Hosted by NML, Avrenim, RW Photography, Think Wine, Red Events and Cool Breeze Agency.

For information contact katie@coolbreezeagency.com