Front of house at Wivenhoe House hotel in Colchester now has a face, with the appointment of Jennie Hirst, formerly of the award-winning Feversham Arms.

Wivenhoe House is the home of the Edge Hotel School, the UK’s first hotel school based entirely in a fully operational commercial hotel, where degree level students will learn by doing from academic and industry experts to become the hospitality leaders of the future.

Jennie worked at The Feversham Arms Hotel, Helmsley, Yorkshire, for three years serving as Reservations Manager until the end of last year. While she was there the hotel underwent a multimillion pound refurbishment and extension and was awarded its fourth AA Red star.

Wivenhoe House will welcome its first guests in August and Jennie, who has already started her new role as Front of House Manager, said: “The unique concept of combining theory with practice in a high quality commercial environment excites me. We are developing the future leaders of the hospitality industry, while ensuring our guests receive an intriguingly different experience with a high ratio of staff to guest.”

General Manager of Wivenhoe House, Stephen Mannock, said: “The calibre of staff applying to work at Wivenhoe House is incredibly high, and I’m delighted how quickly they have grasped what the hotel and hotel school are seeking to achieve.”
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Notes to editors
For press queries, or to obtain a photo of Jennie, please contact Jenny Grinter on 01206 873168, e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.

About Wivenhoe House: Once painted by Constable, the newly restored Grade II listed eighteenth century country house will include 16 bedrooms, most of them period suites, the dining room which will become the hotel’s signature restaurant, and elegant public rooms. The new garden wing will be home to a further 24 bedrooms, a brasserie for up to 110 diners plus additional meeting and function rooms, all equipped with the latest technology. The hotel is open for bookings from summer 2012. For more information, visit: www.wivenhoehouse.co.uk.

About the Edge Hotel School: The Edge Hotel School will be the UK’s first hotel school based in a fully operational hotel, Wivenhoe House. A partnership between the Edge Foundation, an independent education charity (www.edge.co.uk ), the University of Essex (www.essex.ac.uk) and its academic partner Kaplan (www.kaplan.co.uk ), it will combine a luxurious country house hotel and innovative hotel school, where the future leaders of the hospitality industry learn their profession. Students of the Edge Hotel School will ‘learn by doing’ as the basis of their two year, fast-track degree-level qualifications in hotel management and culinary management. The Edge Hotel School works closely with the hospitality industry to ensure the curriculum is relevant and students graduate equipped with the knowledge, skills and experience employers want. For more information visit: www.edgehotelschool.ac.uk.