From Chaos to Clarity - Building a Hospitality Business from the Ground Up
Launching a hospitality business is rarely glamorous. It’s not Pinterest boards or mood lighting. It’s spreadsheets, scaffolding, sleepless nights - and a thousand decisions before the doors even open. But when you get it right, it’s transformative. For your guests, for your team, and for your bottom line.
Over the last two decades, I’ve led or supported the launch, turnaround or growth of dozens of businesses - from luxury hotels and spas to pubs, preschools, and multi-outlet estates. The Royal Apartments in Bournemouth is a recent example. When TLC (Tailored Leadership by Clitheroe) got involved, it was still a building site. Within 90 days, it became a fully trading, luxury extended-stay hotel. And not just open, but profitable.
We delivered everything from the operational management plan and PMS set-up to branding, website, photography, recruitment, training, contracts, and health and safety protocols. Now we’re supporting its future growth, from F&B strategy to planning consents. Why? Because launching something isn’t the hard part. Making it last is.
Here are three lessons I’ve learned that can help any owner or operator looking to go from chaos to clarity:
1. Your system and your story must grow together.
It’s tempting to think operations come first and branding follows - but in truth, they’re two sides of the same coin. Your story - the experience you want guests to have - should shape the systems you build. And your systems - how people book, how the team works, how you generate revenue - need to underpin that story.
Too often I see businesses focus solely on one or the other. They invest in beautiful branding and a great logo, but their guest journey is clunky and their booking engine looks like it’s from 2006. Or they have fantastic back-end systems, but the business lacks identity or emotional connection.
At TLC, we help clients develop both in parallel. We ask: who are you for? What does your guest feel when they stay with you? And how do your tech stack, pricing structure and team delivery make that happen consistently?
At the Royal Apartments, for example, we didn’t just launch the PMS and plug in a booking engine. We developed the brand identity and voice in tandem - making sure every guest interaction, from website to welcome email, told a cohesive story that was supported by robust systems behind the scenes.
Start thinking about both - your system and your story - as early as possible. That’s how you create a business that isn’t just functional, but unforgettable.
2. Agility isn’t a bonus - it’s survival.
I’ve worked across seasonal, multi-outlet, and hybrid businesses. If you’re not responding to demand trends in real-time, you’re leaving money on the table. Build your business model to allow for quick pivots. Introduce ‘critical intervention points’ in your calendar. Don’t wait for the phone to stop ringing before you act.
At TLC, we help clients develop seasonal sales plans, set lead indicators, and identify opportunity gaps before they become problems.
3. Your people are your product.
I’ve seen too many businesses fail because they forgot this simple truth. At the end of the day, your team delivers your guest experience. If they’re not aligned, trained, motivated and equipped - everything suffers. A luxury space with poor service won’t last. I’ve led teams with 100% staff retention and a pipeline of talent because we created a culture of ownership, development and celebration.
The most exciting part of my job now? Helping others replicate that. From leadership training to recruitment strategies and staff incentives, we build people-first systems that drive loyalty - and revenue.
So if you’re launching something new, reimagining something old, or stuck somewhere in between - let’s talk. At TLC, we’re more than consultants. We’re partners. We don’t just plan. We implement, manage, and deliver - alongside you.
Success in hospitality isn’t about what you open. It’s about what you sustain. And we know how to get you there.
