Army & Navy Meeting Review

It was a real privilege to be invited into such a historic venue and wonderful to see so many familiar faces alongside new members joining the community. With around 70 professionals from across the hospitality and housekeeping industry, the evening was full of great conversations, networking and shared experiences.

The evening began with a fascinating insight into the club’s history from General Manager Pedro Mendes, setting the scene for what was a fantastic event. The club has over 4000 members with 55% of the membership being service personnel. He also let us know that the Club has the same security level as an embassy, which is why the RSVPs were essential. 

60 Second Spotlight

We also tried something new with our very first “speed dating” session, where five of our associates (drawn at random from the 16 volunteers) had just 60 seconds to introduce themselves, their business and products, as well as share a top tip for housekeepers. It was a fun and engaging way to learn more about the brilliant suppliers who support our industry. It certainly brought a lot of energy and laughter to the event!

Thanks for braving the 60-second spotlight:

• Valentina Marchesini from Hunter Amenities
• Leigh-Ann Carville from Groupe GM UK & Ireland 
• Harriet Morris from Marble Renovation London
• Gareth Draper from Clean Linen Services 
• Simon Tidder from LVC Cleaning Machines 

And to new members' introductions:

• Fraser Borthwick from Guarantee Laundries
• Neil Clews from Silent Night Contract Beds

Marianne Morris "I just wanted to say a big thank you to the team at The Army & Navy Club for making us all so welcome last night, it was a lovely event and so well attended with a lovely introduction of the history of The Army & Navy Club by your General Manager Pedro Mendes. It was a stimulating and interactive evening. The hospitality was enjoyed and commented on by all, in particular the sausage rolls! The next event it might be an idea for the Housekeepers turn to put their cards in the hat and introduce themselves? The hard work the committee is very much appreciated, do pass this on to the other members of the committee."

Refreshments & Raffle

Guests then enjoyed a wonderful selection of food and drinks, which went down an absolute treat. In fact, no matter how hard we tried, we simply couldn’t finish all of the delicious bites prepared for us! The evening concluded with the always-popular raffle, with a fantastic number of prizes generously donated and happily won.

As Margus mentioned during the evening, please remember to book your tickets for the upcoming UKHA Business Lunch, which will be held at the Pan Pacific on 24th April 2026. 

Thank yous

A big thank you to Jacquelin Hehir, Pedro Mendes and Sara Kent for hosting us at the venue, to the London committee and to everyone who brought along a raffle prize, attended and helped make the evening such a success. Events like this truly show the strength of the UKHA community and how valuable it is for professionals to connect, share knowledge and support each other.

Gosia and the London Committee look forward to seeing you at the Annual Business Lunch on 24th April at The Pan Pacific

Meeting Attendance

Our UKHA meetings and events are designed for UKHA members.

RSVPs: Please ensure that you RSVP for every event that you intend to attend, using a unique email address for each individual RSVP. 

Prospective Members: Please apply for membership HERE >>

Lapsed UKHA Members: It would be great to see you back at UKHA London meetings, please apply to renew your membership HERE >>. Or contact london@ukha.co.uk regarding attendance.