THE CURIOUS HOTELIERSIMON TEMPLE-BENNETT FRSA
SIMON TEMPLE-BENNETT FRSA
ABOUT THE CURIOUS HOTELIER
As a journalist and hotelier I can shape your story by thinking like you and share your story by thinking like a journalist. Don't let anyone tell you that words are dead. A picture may be worth a thousand words but those words increasingly tell the all important story behind the picture
I have tackled all manner of subjects in a way that engages people, using the power of words to lift the story from the page (or screen) but creativity is rarely at its best in solitude. A successful hotel or tourism business is always a collaborative effort and promoting it no less so. I work with social media experts, web designers, graphic designers, photographers and a network of journalists, bloggers and influencers to get your message out there
Whether you need press releases, press visits, managing social media, content for websites or brochures, blogging, developing a marketing plan or even a sounding board for a crazy new idea, I and my associates can help
do you want to reach a curious audience?
The Curious Hotelier blog currently reaches 10,000 subscribers by email.
If you have a place to stay, a product or service to sell which is different from the norm, we can help you reach an audience curious about what's different in the world and eager to find out about you
Are you thinking of creating a new website or refreshing an old one?
We can help with everything from copy and photography to a full design
do you want to make your words count?
The Curious Hotelier team can turn whatever it is you want to say into entertaining, engaging and innovative copy that will make your social media and website jump off the page and capture the attention of influencers - journalists and bloggers - and, of course, customers
Do you need help with your tourism business?
I have nearly thirty years' experience in the hospitality industry from international five star hotel management to turning around a Mayfair restaurant to building an award winning hotel from scratch in a near derelict castle. I and my associates can help with everything from branding, image management, social media strategy and PR to business planning, HR planning, mystery shopping and award submissions
do you have a story to tell?
The Curious Hotelier team can help you put your thoughts into words, write your story to bring it to life and turn it into a resource that will help build your business or brand
Do you need a speaker?
If you are putting together a training event, in need of a motivational key-note speaker or someone to entertain your guests at an event I have something to say which should fit the bill
my story
It was at the age of eleven I learnt the power of words. I had written a piece at school which made my English teacher cry.
Words have been my companion ever since.
I was born in London and my family relocated to the West Country three years later - it was all my fault, a story for another time - but I have always considered myself a Londoner at heart.
I went to a very fine public school and then chose a university based on the quality of the nearby beach.
An exciting spell in international hotel management took me around the world from Jersey to Jakarta via Sydney, Perth, Singapore and eventually back to London.
After completing a post graduate diploma in journalism I spent several carefree years reporting on everything from dog shows to murder trials on a series of evening newspapers and then, quite inexplicable, bought a share of a West End restaurant with my new wife, Wendy.
Eighteen months later, even more inexplicably, we bought an empty, near derelict castle at the foot of the Pennine fells in Northern England; a decision even more puzzling for the fact that our dream was to move to southern France.
The rest is history and the inspiration of my first novel Undressed For Dinner.
Today I run the castle as a successful hotel and wedding venue along side a writing career which has morphed from print journalism in the 1990s to blogging and content writing in the 21st century. I have contributed to travel sites including The Good Hotel Guide, Sawday's Special Places and Best Loved Hotels.
My blog - The Curious Hotelier goes to 10,000 subscribers every month.
As well as running a successful hotel I work as a PR consultant for other small businesses, a hotel reviewer and often entertain as a speaker for training and motivational events and after dinner. I have been a school governor for fifteen years and a director of Cumbria Tourism, one of the UK's leading destination marketing organisations.
I am a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, believing that through enlightenment comes progress.
