Casa Hotels Group, the Derbyshire business behind Casa Hotel in Chesterfield and Peak Edge Hotel on the edge of the Peak District, says 20 members of its team have clocked up a combined 235 years of service.
The group contrasts this with national figures. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), using Office for National Statistics data, found that hospitality had an annual employee turnover rate of 52%, the highest of any UK sector. A separate 2024 study by employee ownership platform Vestd found that hospitality workers remained with the same employer for an average of just three years.
From waiting tables to running hotels
Managing Director Mark Thurman joined Casa Hotel as Conference and Events Manager ahead of its opening in 2010. He became Operations Manager in 2011 and General Manager in 2018, before taking up his current position as Managing Director in 2021.
Jenna Thurman joined Cocina restaurant at Casa Hotel as a waitress in 2016, becoming Assistant Manager the following year and Restaurant Manager in 2018. She moved to Peak Edge Hotel as Operations Manager in 2021 and was appointed General Manager in 2025. Kirsty Boulden joined Casa Hotel as a receptionist in 2011 and progressed through reservations and group sales roles before becoming Group Revenue Manager in 2026.
Kristine Veselinova joined Cocina as a waitress in 2013 and became Restaurant Manager in 2016. Following maternity leave, she returned to the business in 2021 as a supervisor at the Red Lion, taking on a position that better accommodated her family commitments.
Long service extends across the group’s departments. Kevin Westlake (nights), Lee Roberts (housekeeping) and Mark Carpenter (maintenance) each have 16 years of service, while Mark Walker (maintenance) has completed 15 years.
What the team says
Mark Thurman said: “Hospitality has always had a reputation for being an industry where people move around frequently, but we’ve been fortunate to build a team of people who have chosen to stay with us for many years.” He added: “But retaining good people isn’t just about promoting them. It’s also about recognising that their lives and priorities change.”
Jenna Thurman said: “When I joined Cocina as a waitress in 2016, I never imagined that less than ten years later I would be running a hotel.” She added: “I think there’s sometimes a misconception that hospitality is something you do while you’re deciding on another career. My experience shows that it can be a fantastic career in its own right.”
Steve Perez, founder and owner of Casa Hotels Group, said: “That philosophy applies to our employees as much as it does to our guests. If you want people to care about your business, you have to care about them and give them reasons to stay.”
Promotion and retention
The group also points to a 2025 Hospitality People Insights report by workforce management specialists Sona and Pineapple, drawing on data from more than 35,000 hospitality employees, which found a strong association between internal management promotions and lower staff turnover.
Changes in kitchen and front of house teams are a regular part of hospitality news, as seen when a new head chef took over at The White Hart Inn in West Mersea.
Casa Hotels Group says longstanding team members bring years of operational knowledge, established relationships with returning guests and a shared understanding of the standards expected across the business. It hopes its employees’ experiences will help challenge perceptions of hospitality as a short-term employment option and encourage more young people to consider the industry as a rewarding long-term career.
Details and image via Casa Hotels Group.
