Chester, Cheshire, UK

I just wanted to thank you for such an amazing day on Saturday, it was nothing short of awesome. All the hard work you put in really shows, we had a truly wonderful time. My whole family we're blown away by it all, we've not stopped talking about it. Please can you pass on my appreciation and praise to Eric and his team, who looked after us all day. Nothing was too much trouble for them they really went above and beyond for us, they're an asset to the hospitality at Chester and I mean that. Sincerely, Ascot could do with the same training as your guys knock spots off them.

Eric is a well versed and versatile leader in hospitality. Eric has a superb manner in handling staff and brings out the best in his teams, who go on to be the face of any organisation in the service sector. Attention to detail is excellent and Eric constantly puts in the extra mile to ensure that all requirements have been met and exceed expectations. Interpersonal skills are one of Eric’s key strengths as all customers are made to feel special and attended to, a sure factor to gain repeat business. From handling large scale conference functions, to ensuring intimate details are delivered, I cannot recommend Eric highly enough to potential future opportunities which may present. Jane Fellows.

Collectively as a team we nominated Eric Jones our Conference & Events Manager, here are a few reasons why we believe him to be a worthy winner. Eric joined the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly team around 1 year ago, His unique personality and focused determination shines through in a way never experienced before. He really is one of a kind. Eric runs events with military precision and focus, his infamous speeches before the team start an event are funny but also focused inspiring and well…. legendary, and always guaranteed to end with a round of applause from his staff. He very much focuses on ownership for every individual person to be proud of their part in a particular job or event. In a hotel of this size, it’s so easy to get lost and for people to not value or understand the importance of a task that might first appear so simple, he creates a proudness in tasks, which you can visibly see the difference in. Eric’s dedication is unwavering and he certainly goes above and beyond what is expected on various levels, due to him living in Chester quite often he will stay at the hotel, this means he is living in for 5- 6 days at a time running multiple conferences & events each and every day. His wider team rally around him, ensuring he has lunch and a coffee break – you literally need to make him stop! Despite days off sometimes being in short supply, he will never take the day before a large event off, for him to run each event smoothly and efficiently he likes to personally lead his team in the preparation, he leaves absolutely nothing to chance! Having spent more direct time with Eric recently running the HBAA event, I witnessed first-hand his forward thinking. In his team’s quiet moments, he will be preparing for an event that’s happening in three days from now, or prepping for evening meal service having just served morning break. In hotels, in hospitality there will always be curve balls and unexpected challenges, however Eric’s ability to cope, adapt and morph when needing to get the job done is a credit to him. He will not take short cuts, utilise the easy way or ever say that’s not my job. It’s his job to facilitate and oversee the running of all large conferences & events and every day you can be sure that he will give the hotel, his team 100% dedication in that. Eric is the quirkiest person in the hotel, he has a very individual style and way of doing things, on first glance you might laugh or smile at the way he approaches things, but quite soon after you get to see the magic. For the MHA to recognise what he does for his team, the hotel and the industry would be a massive and well deserved accolade for him.

I would like to officially thank Eric and his well drilled team very much for the top quality service they delivered on Saturday last for the Greater Manchester Police Federation Annual Charity Dinner Dance. During the preparation build up nothing was too much trouble, excellent attention to detail and the time schedule was spot on, in addition, I personally received many compliments about the high standard of the food served as well as the imaginative presentation aspect.

Eric along with the rest of the staff were incredibly accommodating, friendly, helpful, and very determined to make sure the meeting went off without a hitch. It clearly showed as the guests arrived and then departed. Their assistance was incredibly valuable to me, especially considering some of the stress that I was under.

Always a pleasure to see Eric return to Shareholders each meeting at Chester Racecourse, he’s built an excellent rapport with his clients and receives excellent feedback on a regular basis. Known Eric for over 4 years from a Conference and Event perspective in a variety of different venues. Very passionate about training his teams to a high standard and always tries to incorporate a very in-depth briefing. He’s reliable and deals with any issues which arise effectively. Always very dependable, reliable, knowledgeable and very customer focused.

A personal thank you to Eric and his team for an amazing event. The food, drink and especially the service were exceptional, I appreciate that Sally said it would be good however ‘good’ is an underestimation. The attention to detail was superb and all the staff appeared to well organised and efficient.

May I also say how wonderful Eric was to work with. I understand he had a very busy week and he worked almost single headedly all day to get us ready. He looked extremely tired but literally did anything he could to help us. I hope you congratulate your team on a seamless delivery and ensure Eric gets the recognition he deserves.

I have had the privilege of working with Eric at Chester Racecourse for many years, where he has run a restaurant holding up to 120 people on racedays. Watching his training of his staff for the day prior to service, shows his knowledge and experience of his position. Eric rightly receives many compliments from his clients, many of whom are regular visitors, returning on numerous occasions throughout the season and his attention to detail is much appreciated by them all. Eric builds relationships with the longstanding clients and is therefore able to provide the very best for them as individuals – an excellent quality for someone in his position.

I have worked with and for Eric over the last two years. His knowledge and attention to detail is excellent. He takes time to understand what the customer requires then explains to them what is going to take place. He then puts the plan into practice by leading his team by showing them what he wants to achieve and explaining to them how to undertake the task. His enthusiasm is infectious and helps to make the event an enjoyable time for all.

I have known Eric Jones for a number of years. Our contact has been through the Chester Racecourse Company and specifically the operation of its Pavilion Suite function facility. I have been both a guest when the suite has been used as a restaurant and the organiser of several large private events. Much of my business career, spanning forty years, has included operating an hotel with three restaurants capable of accommodating upto five hundred guests. I have been able to observe Eric from the comfort of my dinning table and working with him on events I have helped to organise. As with all good restaurant managers Eric has a constant eye on his staff and guests. In many instances, because of the nature of the business, he has to rely on agency staff with varying degrees of competence and often having a complete lack of familiarity with the venue. I particularly admire his quiet reassuring approach to directing his staff whilst maintaining an energetic hands-on approach to the service. Eric is always welcoming, with a ready smile and has a remarkable memory of guests even when they may not have seen him for some time. He is modest and a little shy which might inhibit to promote his own professional skills. I have no hesitation in recommending Eric, equally at home running a busy restaurant with all its varied customers or a large scale private function, for any catering post requiring an experienced, approachable dedicated and loyal manager. If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

And finally I need you to pass on a thousand thanks to Eric. What a man! What a legend! What he and his team managed to do in such a short space of time was nothing short of astounding and he did it all as if it wasn’t a big deal at all which is even more amazing. I think we need to bring him to every event we have in the future – we’ve never got everyone through to dinner so quickly and I’m 100% sure that is down to his call to dinner. I saw him that night, moving a thousand bags from one of the meeting rooms and I saw him the next afternoon, still working away, he is an absolute machine and a credit to you.

Mr Eric Jones is a high class well mannered man who excellent at his job as a Restaurant Manager. He is welcoming, organised and leads his team in delivering exceptional service. He is good at training his team and raising standards wherever he works. He has good judgment and anticipates our needs very well. My family and guests always are pleased when Eric is looking after us.

I’ve worked alongside Eric over the past few years both at high level outdoor events and in four star hotels. His knowledge and professional service is second to none not only first class but world class

Eric was a fantastic support throughout the day and did look a bit jaded by the end of the evening and deserves recognition for his professionalism and excellent customer service.

I would just like to say a massive thank you for hard work and organisation skills on running Back of House at Tattenham Marquee last week. It was a great two days catering for 980 covers daily and by no mean an easy task. I certainly look forward to working with you again soon, and will be in touch when a Back of House Manager is required at any event.

Eric has always been our personal choice when asked who we would like to attend to us during any function. He is conscientious, dependable, personable and attentive and ensures always that the people under his charge behave similarly. He is always anxious to predict the needs of the customer before being asked and will endeavor always to resolve problems before they become issues. I would have no hesitation in making him my first choice to manage and run any event.

Eric is one of the most dependable, personable and organised people I know, his total commitment to the clients experience at an event is obvious to all. He has the ability to resolve problems before they become issues and his management of both his staff and the event cannot be faulted. If you are looking for someone to manage an event with attention to detail and customer focus, with a winning personality then I can heartily recommend that you put Eric at the top of your list.