Master Innholders: Next-Level Career Development
Established in 1978, the Master Innholders influence standards and extend professionalism within the industry, promoting consideration, study, discussion and research in the areas affecting hotel management.

The Master Innholders set professional standards in hotel management and proactively help shape and inspire the hospitality industry. Established in 1978, the Master Innholders influence standards and extend professionalism within the industry, promoting consideration, study, discussion and research in the areas affecting hotel management.
To support the message of development at a critical time in our industry, the Master Innholders established two highly sought-after personal development programmes – the Innholders Scholarship and Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma (MIALD).
Innholders Scholarship
The Innholders Scholarship is designed for general managers and heads of department to learn from highly qualified leaders about market evolution, future challenges, managerial skills and global demands. To date, over 300 people have completed the Innholders Scholarship thanks to the generous support of the Worshipful Company of Innholders, the Savoy Educational Trust, the Master Innholders Charitable Trust and the Lord Forte Foundation who have funded the programme.
The programme offers two courses of study:
The Cranfield Talent Development Programme develops fast-track managers early on in their careers and challenges them to develop greater managerial visibility, credibility, influence and managerial value. Held at Cranfield University in the UK, participants benefit from world-leading teaching in management studies.
The General Managers Programme at Cornell University focuses on specific and workable solutions to real-world, real-time demands and brings a world-wide perspective to the table. Held in the US at the world-famous and Ivy League university Cornell, the programme is designed to mould decision makers into strategic thinkers, expand their knowledge, broaden their viewpoint and produce new solutions to the challenges they face.
Each year, several hotel professionals have the opportunity to take part in one of the world-class programmes, worth £11,000.
Stephen Mileham, General Manager at Thistle Hyde Park & Thistle Kensington Gardens, was awarded a scholarship in 2018 and says the opportunity was career-changing: “The Master Innholders has provided me with one of the most valuable experiences, not only in my working career but in my life to date. The insightful content and excellent training environment has provided me with many new skills and a much broader managerial approach to my current role and certainly future ones too”.
Peter Hendry, General Manager at Jurys Inn Cheltenham, found the scholarship rewarding both personally and professionally: “I came away with a great sense of achievement, new friends, a book full of ideas and the mind-set to really make a concerted effort on my continual learning. The opportunity to step away from the business and spend significant time strategizing and planning is something taken for granted, however only when you can experience an opportunity like Cornell does it truly bring home what taking time away from the day to day really means and the impact that focused planning time can have”.

Master Innholders Aspiring Leaders Diploma (MIALD)
Quality assured by a prestigious Princess Royal Training Award and endorsed by the Institute of Hospitality, the MIALD offers junior management professionals a valuable professional and personal development experience.
Designed to develop management skills, leadership talent and build career prospects, the MIALD covers eight key business areas: Professional Development, Business Management, Service Operations Management, Marketing and Sales, Financial Management, People Management, Team Management, and Leadership.
The year-long programme combines mixed teaching in the form of group workshops, back-to-work activities, private study, project work, best practice visits and carefully chosen guest speakers, resulting in an internationally and industry recognised Level 3 Award from the Institute of Leadership & Management.
Each module of the course is taught at a different outstanding property, with past locations including Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel London, Pennyhill Park Hotel & Spa, The Ned, The Chesterfield Mayfair, Rudding Park, Hilton Bankside and the Royal Air Force Club.
For more information on the Master Innholders and its development opportunities, visit https://masterinnholders.co.uk