We've recently been speaking with members of the Master Innholders community to find out more about their hospitality careers, what working in hospitality means to them, as well as what they are doing currently to give back to the industry as part of their work.

This week, we spoke to Tej Walia FIH MI, Marketing Director at Foxhills Club & Resort, on the importance of programmes such as MIALD, giving back to the industry, as well as expected hotel trends for 2026.

How did you get started in your hospitality career? 

I graduated from a hotel school in India in 1998 and was very fortunate to work with some well-known hotel brands in India at the time, such as Oberoi Group, Leela Kempinski and Grand Hyatt. I worked up the ladder from a waiter, to a barman, to a butler, eventually getting to where I am today as Managing Director of Foxhills Club & Resort. 

I think of my career in three stages - the first was learning the foundations of service. When I moved to the UK, the second stage, I worked in Hilton properties through the mid-management to the HOD level, where I learnt business acumen and management.  The third stage started when I took my first General Manager position 14 years ago and started implementing with the assistance of the team what I learnt throughout the early stages of my career, along with what I had learnt and continue to learn from my colleagues and wider hospitality network.  

What made you want to apply to become a Master Innholder? 

I had known about the Master Innholders for a long time, but it wasn’t until a few industry mentors encouraged me to take the leap and apply. I was hesitant at first, believing there were many other more deserving high achievers in the industry. But with encouragement from my peers, I applied and was selected to become a Master Innholder in 2022. It was a huge achievement and an incredible form of professional recognition which I am immensely proud of and also incredibly thankful to my peers for encouraging me to apply. 

A big part of being a Master Innholder is giving back to the industry – what are some of the ways you have given back to the industry this year? 

I find mentoring to be a hugely rewarding way to give back to the industry, helping younger hoteliers grow and excel as they progress in their own careers. I am currently mentoring two hoteliers and it has been an incredible experience to help those looking to learn and progress in their hospitality careers.  

At Foxhills one of the ways we give back is through our community camps, which offer free school holiday camps for those six to fourteen-year-olds who have been referred by Social Services. I have taken part in several charity events in the past year, such as Hospitality Action’s Back to the Floor.  

As part of the Master Innholders committee, you help oversee the programme and planning for the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma. What can people expect if they are looking to apply this year now that applications are open?

The Master Innholders have once again partnered with Merlin Consultancy to be our programme managers and providers for the Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma (MIALD). As an Approved Centre for the Institute of Leadership & Management, they have an extensive knowledge and experience of the hospitality industry. Around 18 candidates are selected each year and will be selected through a stringent process. The programme is generously subsidised by the Master Innholders and the Master Innholders Charitable Trust.

This program is aimed at those with roles such as head of department, senior supervisor or a first time line manager reporting to a General Manager or Senior Manager in a hotel. 

They will be given an overview and training on eight topics, which include areas such as professional development, marketing, finance, people management and more. 

Students will also have the opportunity of going through this process with like-minded hoteliers from other venues, alongside seeing, experiencing and learning from the other eight venues where these courses will take place. 

With your planned refurbishment of the F&B within the Manor House at Foxhills in 2026, what are some of the challenges you foresee in the role next year and how are you planning to overcome them? 

We are investing a lot of resources into the manor house. The challenge will be similar to all hotel-based F&B outlets, that is, how best to gain footfall on a consistent basis.  

We have been bold with our concept, creating a different experience to our local competitors and partnered with specialists when it comes to branding/marketing both internally and externally to ensure we build momentum pre-launch and keep momentum going, without losing what Foxhill’s stands for as an overarching brand. 

We took our time recruiting the kitchen team, giving them the time they need to understand the resort and location before launching the restaurant and are skilled in delivering our new concept cuisine.  

We have been working on elevating service delivery and were recently awarded our AA four red stars, so we feel confident about the launch, knowing we have an experienced team leading the way. 

What hotel trends do you expect to see in 2026, and are you planning to incorporate some of these into your offerings at Foxhills?   

Wellness retreats remain in demand for both leisure and corporate guests and we are looking at expanding our facilities to include additional Padel courts and extend class timetables where needed to meet these needs. 

I also expect to see an increased demand for relaxed meeting spaces. At Foxhills, we are meeting this demand through the launch of the Hayton Suite, an executive lounge-style space perfect for creative collaboration get-togethers. 

Weddings will remain a trend, but I do expect intimate weddings to become more popular. We saw an increased demand in 2025 and expect this to only increase in 2026.