Randolph Hotel staff won award after fire but could be made redundant

The front of house team was singled out for praise following the fire which started in the kitchen and caused millions of pounds worth of damage.

Judges for The Caterer said in the awards known as The Cateys that the front of house team had been particularly impressive on the night of the fire.

Read again: Randolph Hotel owners issue 'insulting' statement on redundancies

Now 75 out of 84 staff at the hotel in Beaumont Street have been made redundant as new American owners prepare to close the hotel for a six-month refurbishment starting on October 17.

On the night of the blaze, after evacuating all the guests from the hotel, the team set up a triage centre at the Oxford Playhouse.

When the fire broke out, the hotel had been hosting a major conference, so the team had to try and find 138 bedrooms across Oxford and organise rooms for the conference.

The team carried on working until the early hours of the morning, arranging transport to the hotels to minimise the inconvenience for guests.

Read more: where were you on the night of the Randolph Hotel fire

While firefighters were investigating whether the building could be considered structurally safe, guests were unable to retrieve their personal belongings, leaving them without the necessities for their hotel stays.

The front of house team bought essential items, such as toiletries, clothing and non-prescription medicine, for the guests.

Read more: Has Randolph Hotel recovered after the fire

Some international guests had all their travel documents and passports along with their belongings in the hotel bedrooms, so the team liaised with the fire service on a priority basis to retrieve these items so guests would not miss their flights.

The judges said: "I felt that the way they dealt with the post-fire situation was really commendable.

"It is one thing to have a business continuity plan, but to action it and go to that next level takes real character.

"It's a great example of teamwork, with many hours put in to look after guests. Overall, a really good example of great customer service."

Graduate Hotels issued a statement confirming the redundancies a week after the Oxford Mail revealed the decision.

Stuart Jarvis, who has stayed at the hotel many times, has described the statement as an insult to staff.