Paul’s career in hospitality training began over 30 years ago as a bartender and then bar owner. After selling his business in 1994 he went on to become a pioneer of the modern day cocktail & mixology consultant, establishing himself as one of the very first cocktail advisors to the UK spirits industry.

A period of working as a drinks industry consultant and trainer followed, during which time he set two mixology world records, won 7 global mixology titles and published 5 top-selling cocktail books. Running alongside his hospitality training activities Paul also began a parallel career in the field of communication skills, running courses and workshops in verbal and non-verbal communication techniques.

His absolute passion for human communication also led to him qualifying to level 3 in British Sign Language, a subject that he has also gone on to teach. Combining his role as a world-class hospitality trainer, with a unique take on human interaction and communication and combined with an exceptional talent for engaging and motivating those he works with, this has evolved in to Paul delivering some of the most impactful and genuinely unique workshops and master-classes on the subject of customer service and customer experience available.

Today, Paul works with everyone from company CEO’s to customer facing staff, helping them to develop a range of skills including leadership and management, communication & rapport building, sales & service and his first love bartending & mixology. In addition to training, Paul regularly delivers keynote and motivational speeches at national conferences and events including having delivered a talk at TEDx Chelmsford. The YouTube video of his talk has received approximately 500,000 views to date.

Paul’s workshops include:

• World Class Customer Service & Guest Experience
• The Psychology of Influence
• Irresistible Upselling & Recommendation
• Creating Instant Magnetic Rapport
• Presentation Skills That Mesmerise
• Turning Complaints into Compliments
• Seven Levels of Selling a Drink! (or anything else)
• Advanced Communication Skills & Creative Language
• Creating Stand-out Memorable Moments
• Delivering Spectacular Service Experiences Under Pressure
• Inspirational Leadership Skills
• Hospitality Style Engagement for Retail (and all other non-hospitality industries)
• Opportunistic & Proactive Service
• Selling without Selling (Through spectacular service)

Paul’s list of hospitality clients includes some of the most revered and iconic hospitality brands, including:

Hôtel de Paris, Monaco; Waldorf Astoria, Ras al Khaimah; Hilton Hotels, UK, Europe & US; Sheraton Hotels & Resorts; Hotel du Vin; Malmaison; Intercontinental Hotel Group; The Exclusive Collection; The Hotel Café Royal, London; Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts; Macdonald Hotels & Resorts; Bless Collection Hotels, Madrid & Ibiza; Divan Hotel, Istanbul; Ramada Hotels; Thistle Hotels; Marriott; The Sloane Square Hotel, London; Nightjar Group; Planet Hollywood, UK; All Bar One Group; Be At One Group; Mitchells & Butlers; TGI Fridays, UK; The Ritz Carlton, Budapest; Hard Rock Café, UK alongside countless other high-street bar and restaurant chains.

In addition, his non-hospitality clients include:

Sky TV Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Yahoo, Tesco Stores, Sainsbury’s Stores, Skoda Retail, Red Bull, Direct Life Insurance, Apple Stores, WAA Chosen, Asia Online Publishing Group, BBC.

NVQ Level 3 in British Sign Language

 

Books

• Ultimate Bartending – The Psychology of Exceptional Customer Service
• The World Encyclopaedia of Cocktails
• The Mammoth Book of Cocktails
• 101 Award-Winning Cocktails – From The World’s Greatest Bartenders
• 2500 Cocktails – A Compendium
• The Cocktail Cabinet

Hospitality/Mixology Awards (retired from competition in 2008):

• ‘Gazzer’ ‘Most Influential’ Lifetime Award (global contribution to the world of hospitality) 2016
• 2 x Guinness World Speed Cocktail-Mixing Record Holder 2004 & 2007
• World Mixology Champion – Noblesse Global Challenge 2004
• Gold Medal Winner – Drinks International Aperitif Competition 2005
• Gold Medal Winner – Drinks International Long Drink Competition 2003
• Gold Medal Winner – Drinks International Short Drink Competition 2002
• Grand Champion – Vinexpo International Cocktail Challenge 1997

TV & Video

Paul has appeared on TV in his role of ‘cocktail expert’ and ‘hospitality guru’ as a guest on over 50 TV shows. Additionally, he was the resident expert on Food Network Daily in the early noughties for 3 full series. In addition Paul has produced a presented training content for over 200 hospitality industry clients and is the presenter on some of the most successful online training cocktail courses on the Udemy platform.

Keynote speaking & hosting

• TEDx Chelmsford (500k views on YouTube https://youtu.be/aSaePVd4VKs?feature=shared)
• Keynote at Spark The Change
• Keynote at GVA Annual Conference
• Keynote at Master Innholders National Conference
• Keynote at Direct Life Insurance Annual Conference
• Keynote at Molson Coors National Conference
• Keynote at TGIFriday’s National Conference
• Keynote at VWCV European Launch Conference Series
• Keynote at Skoda Motors UK Senior Management Conference
• Keynote at Coca Cola UK National Sales Conference
• Keynote at Hilton International European Conference Tour
• Host & Keynote at Drinks Business Industry Awards Dinner
• Host Magner’s Cider UK Launch Conferences
• Host Otium Software Global Conference
• Host AOPG Global Online Conference
• Host VWCV National Training Awards

Testimonials

‘I have attended dozens of training courses over the years and this was easily the best. When I arrived I wasn’t in the mood for it and by the end of the day I didn’t want it to end. Brilliant!’

Salvatore Ragnetti, F&B Director: Hilton Hotels

 

‘Paul was absolutely fantastic, some amazing techniques shared with our team in an inspirational style. The team are transformed. Sales and recommendations are through the roof. Looking forward to our next session.’

Gaius Wyncoll, General Manager: Complete Angler Hotel

 

 ‘Paul is an exceptional speaker and trainer. A wonderfully insightful session. A pleasure and enthralling.’

F&B Director: Waldorf Astoria

 

‘This course has had a profound impact on our sales force. Strong, novel messages delivered in an inspiring style has served to motivate self-belief and desire to succeed. Agent feedback has been very impressive.’

Damon White, Head of Training, BSkyB

 

‘Paul’s an incredibly inspiring speaker; challenging people, making them see things in totally new ways and forcing a re-evaluation of approach that results in a new passion for the job, delivering phenomenal results’

Robert Quayle, Managing Director: Direct Life

 

‘Fantastic talk. Really entertaining and very motivational. Can’t wait to put some of the lessons in to action’

Peter Ford, Managing Director: Jump Start Designs

 

‘Paul is an amazing communicator and trainer. I have learnt so much from this course and enjoyed it a huge amount. Would love more sessions with Paul’

Nicholas Bolton, Head of F&B, Exclusive Hotels

 

‘Paul is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and entertaining drinks business trainers I have had the pleasure to work with. His training style mixes vast cocktail industry knowledge & humour, yet never condescending and always memorable. It is guaranteed that attendees at Paul’s training sessions will be engaged and more importantly leaving with a clear understanding/education from the session. As a training consultant myself, I learn every time I work alongside him and I would recommend him to any area of the industry with confidence’

Paul Young, Diageo Training & Development Regional Director

 

‘I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to recommend Paul to anyone in the training world. His expertise in is second to none, coupled together with an infectious training style makes him one of the best, most engaging and inspirational trainers I have ever worked with.’

Alex Percival, Managing Director: KWM Training Consultants

 

‘It was a brilliant course. For people that are new to sales it is invaluable. Paul is just so good at his job and is a great teacher. It was magic… I learnt so much even though I knew a lot to start with.’

Sales Director: First Source

‘Paul provides the most unique, engaging and professional hospitality training in the UK. His style of delivery is absolutely suited to his audience: he provides a fun and exciting training environment where his trainees are inspired to excel.’

Luke Davies, Spirit Pub Group: Training Manager and Winner of BII NITA Supreme Award for Training Excellence 2011

 

‘Paul is an exceptionally skilled speaker, trainer, motivator and creative facilitator. Having had the pleasure of working with Paul for a number of years, he creates & delivers exceptional training solutions that inspire and motivate attendees to perform within their role.’

Gareth Hill, Managing Director: Brenell Consulting

 

‘Paul is an outstanding professional trainer and facilitator. His deep subject matter expertise is only matched by his infectious passion for excellence. In short he makes a big difference and makes the process of doing so fun.’

Chris Carey, Managing Director: Axiom Communications

 

‘Paul is quite simply the man when it comes to things cocktaily. He is personable, easy to work with and responsive. If you are looking for any advice or help within the drinks industry, Paul is the guy to speak to. We at the Cocktail Shaker Boys certainly tap him for advice regularly.’

Andrew Seaward, Managing Director: Cocktail Shaker Boys

 

‘The best training course I have been on. My team are already strong and will learn loads from this.’

David Davies, F&B Director: Hilton York

 

‘The feedback from the course was extremely positive. Various agents commented that it was the best course they had ever attended. As for motivation they’re ‘zinging’ at the moment, so all in all an excellent day and highly recommended.’

Fiona Ward, Regional Director of Sales: BSkyB

 

‘As a former publisher of Drinks International Magazine I worked closely with Paul on a number of projects. His knowledge of spirits and cocktails is exceptional. Paul is also an excellent presenter, engaging his audience with his relaxed and entertaining style. I would love to have the opportunity to work with him again and have no hesitation in recommending him both as a presenter and an exceptional trainer.’

Jim Cooper, Publisher: Drinks International Magazine

 

‘Paul is a highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic trainer and facilitator. He is a creative individual and manages to combine this flair and his diverse background to great effect when working in a training situation. His delegates love his manner and communication style, making him very effective within his field and delivering great results for his clients.’

Monique Choudrey MLPI MITOL, Managing Director: MC Consultants

 

‘I have had the pleasure of seeing Paul work with our team on numerous occasions. His ability to deliver complex content in a fun, enthusiastic and effective way is second to none. He uses his behavioural and communication skills to make a real difference to his delegates.’

Richard Deak, GM Loch Rannoch Highland Club.

 

 

 

Paul is based in West Sussex and delivers training workshops, programs and masterclasses nationwide throughout the UK and internationally.