Rai Bhanot is the owner of Gatwick Turret, a hotel that offers a blend of classic English charm and modern comforts, nestled just half a mile from Gatwick Airport.
This isn’t just any hotel. It’s a testament to preserving warmth and authenticity in a fast-paced world. In our latest interview, we sit down with Rai to discover how this family-run establishment has thrived for over 20 years.
Beyond the grandeur of its 1890-built structure and the promise of a quiet stay amidst airport hustle lies a story of dedication, resilience, and the drive to offer a ‘home away from home’ experience – right here in the Gatwick Diamond.
Rai offers a candid glimpse into the challenges faced, the journey so far, and the passion that keeps the Gatwick Turret’s heart beating. Join us as we chat with Rai about what it truly takes to stand out in the hospitality industry while staying true to his roots.
How Long Have You Been Operating?
It started 20 years ago. I was very young, about 15 years of age. It’s a family business. It was me, my mum, and partly my sister, but she always did her own thing at university. And yeah, it was quite a different experience. It was just something that completely took me out of my comfort zone at a very early age, but it was brilliant.
My parents started doing things which they were never accustomed to doing in their previous jobs. And, like any business, you learn, you grow from the business, you take on things that you’re not really aware of.
But no, it’s brilliant. And I’ve completely taken over now. I’ve put my own spin to it and enjoy being around Gatwick.
What Was the Reason for Starting the Business in the First Place?
Well, you’ve got to ask my old man that. He’s the one who started it. But yeah, I think he just wanted to do something different.
I think he had a kind of midlife crisis where he was thinking: “What am I doing? I want to do something.” And I think he drove past Massets Road [where the hotel is located] several times. He saw this property on the market, and I think it just crept on him.
So he risked everything, remortgaging his freeholded house, which he worked incredibly hard for and other properties that he had at the time. I bought this one, and it’s been a very tough journey. But he’s done incredibly well.
I didn’t take too much interest in it at first. I had my own things going on. I was doing personal training and this, that, and the other. But in recent times, the last five to six years, I went back there and started to continue the business. I didn’t really want to do anything else. I just wanted to continue and grow and develop the business. I had other opportunities as well.
My parents said they wanted to retire, and they said, “Look, you can sell it, or you can run it. It’s up to you.” So, I had some time out to think about it, and I took the opportunity to continue and grow.
But I love it. It’s just brilliant. It’s been challenging, but it’s good, like anything else. You go through a lot of things and learn a lot of new skills running a hotel business.
Do you think Gatwick Diamond is a good place for entrepreneurs to take risks?
Absolutely. I think the infrastructure, the online infrastructure that we have at Gatwick Diamond, where people who have businesses locally have that key communication, is so important. We must have that.
For people in business or people who want to get into business, having the insight of people who work in and around the Gatwick area is really good. I think that’s one great thing that Gatwick has: the Gatwick Diamond connection. That’s brilliant.
Do you find Gatwick Diamond to be a supportive region to run a business?
A hundred per cent, no question or doubt. You have people with other businesses or people in the same trade. We have a WhatsApp group, Gatwick small hotels, and we support each other. There’s no, well … there is a little bit of competition! But it’s not the competition where it’s trying to outdo each other as such. It’s just something there that someone’s stuck. Someone’s always there to help.
Like last week, I was fully booked. I had an overbooking, and one of the guest houses said, “I’ll take that guest for you and help me out.” And likewise, finding cleaning staff or anything to do with online services like booking.com. You can say: “I’m not sure about this. Can you help me? Can you find me a support contact number?”
They’re there to help you. That’s what’s so great about Gatwick’s Diamond system.
When you’re an entrepreneur, it’s a lonely place. You sometimes get stuck, and Google can’t do everything. You need to go out and speak to someone. You need to talk to someone and say, “Hey, I need to do this.”
Having that real-life person to contact just explains things much more thoroughly, and you can just execute what you need to do in a better manner rather than Googling. AI is great, but human life connection experiences are much better.
Did the hotel group you describe help each other during lockdown?
Yeah, I mean, it definitely helped. There was a lot going on, and obviously, every industry got impacted by COVID, every industry. But more so, I’ll say the airports, anything with transportation, because when the pandemic happened, we were told to stay indoors.
The transportation industry was absolutely wiped out. Gatwick was a ghost town. I remember walking into the airport, and there was just no one there. It was like a scene from a horror movie, just waiting for something to pop out. But when we had the Gatwick Diamond support, it was telling us what we could achieve, what was going to happen, updates, what was going on. It gave us something to look forward to.
We had the response, say March 2022, that the South terminal was going to reopen. We had something to look forward to a few months to prepare our business. It also gave information about Government schemes, grants, and local councils, which were much needed in order to stay afloat, especially in hospitality.
What Does Resilience Mean To You?
When you say resilience I think of how I can better myself as a person. How can I improve my education as an individual? And that brings strong resilience to the individuals. For me, lockdown taught me a lot, personally, how to look after myself, stop relying on staff to do this or do that and do things myself, like putting new linen on my bed.
I’ve always been in the hospitality business; I’ve got staff to help me, but now I do things myself, cooking for myself and looking after myself. I think the key thing is that what I’ve seen in people since COVID is that people are now taking care of themselves a bit more. And we didn’t see too much of that before COVID.
I think it was an eye-opener how people feel during COVID. And now people are really cautious, and they want to make the most of their lifestyle. People are really factoring in things that they want to do. Building new skills and educating yourself is definitely an aspect of self-growth and building resilience.
As I mentioned today, I went into the business, and all I did was email and speak to the guests. But if you told me five years ago, if the door handle was loose and, “Here’s a screw, sort it out.” I’d look at you like there’s no chance, mate. I wouldn’t have a clue what to do. But now, as you can see, I’ve got my painting and decorating gear on, and I’m ready to get down and dirty and expand my knowledge of how to paint a wall. Something as silly as that, but it’s learning new skills in the industry or just finding new interests and helping you develop as a person.
What About Resilience For The Gatwick Diamond Area As A Whole? Will The Gatwick Airport Northern Runway Help With Resilience?
Well, there are a few key areas here that we need to take into consideration. Obviously, the Northern Runway, I’m totally for that. I just want to be very clear and transparent about that.
I think it will be a great thing for the local community. And I’m completely against a party out there that’s completely against that. I know Gatwick is firm and has the resilience to overcome any obstacle, any objectives that may be preventing this northern runway from succeeding.
But I just want to say I drive a Tesla, so anything that’s going to contribute to reducing air pollution or mitigating climate change, I’m all for it. You have to understand that, in the G7 greenhouse emissions statement that we recently received from the government, we are 50% down on all emissions since 1990. And since then, you have to look at France, up by 22%. China is up by 300%. We are already contributing less than 1% share of global emissions around the world.
So, to understand how we are going to impact something so negatively by just having a second runway. And the pros obviously that’s going to help the community like Crawley or areas in the south-east of England with job creation, economic growth; there’s going to be skill development and training, ancillary services, and, like I mentioned before, community development.