She adds: “He creates trends and experiences that tap into a new mindset… after noticing what was missing from the mainstream market.”
Last year, trade magazine The Caterer ranked Robin as the UK’s second most powerful hotelier. , external
Looking forward, the publication’s editor Chris Gamm says that Robin and other hotel owners may face recruitment difficulties due to Brexit.
“A major challenge the industry is currently facing is recruiting and retaining enough staff, which will be especially hard for Robin as he’s in the process of opening new hotels,” says Mr Gamm.
Robin agrees that Brexit is a worry. “Everyone in the hospitality industry is concerned how staffing will tighten up,” he says.
“In the industry we generally rely on a lot of labour from outside the UK. About 25% of our 700 staff are non-Brits.”
As to his plans for the future of The Pig chain, and his other hotel business – Lime Wood Group – he is keeping his aspirations in check. “I have no ambition to grow a 50-strong hotel chain,” he says.
“It’s not my thing,” says Robin, who in December rode a motorcycle 7,000 km (4,350 miles) across Chile and Argentina. “I don’t know how many more I’ll open. It’s got to be the right property and right location.”
