The Headland Hotel’s evolution of luxury – a people story

This episode is set on Fistral Beach in Cornwall, UK and here we’re going to discover something special.

Host Ryan gets an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of The Headland Hotel with Kai Sinkevicius, Assistant Operations Manager, as we explore what five star hospitality really looks like on the Cornish coast.

From the grand lobby and recently refurbished restaurant to the cottages, spa and Aqua Club, this is a story about heritage, reinvestment and the power of family values. But more than that, it’s about people. Kai’s journey from porter at 18 to senior leadership, and the pride shared by long-serving team members, says everything about the culture being built here.

What We Explore

• From Porter to Leader: How rotational training, mentorship and industry qualifications are shaping the next generation of hospitality talent.

• Sustainability in Action: Why EarthCheck silver, local sourcing and conscious refurbishment are embedded in daily decision making.

• Community at the Core: How family ownership, long service and local partnerships create loyalty that guests can feel.

We walk through rooms transformed during lockdown, a ballroom reupholstered by a local seamstress, and suites designed to frame uninterrupted Atlantic views. We talk about levelling the seasonality curve in Cornwall, investing year-round, and building experiences that keep guests returning for weddings, birthdays and multi-generational stays.

There’s also a strong message about perception. Hospitality is too often seen as a fallback career, yet here is a business investing in young people, visiting schools and championing the industry as a genuine profession. With over 450 years of combined service celebrated at one long-service dinner, it’s clear that loyalty runs deep.

The Headland blends heritage with evolution. It embraces sustainability without losing soul. It nurtures talent instead of waiting for it to appear. And standing on that coastline, looking out over the Atlantic, you can feel that this is more than just a hotel. It’s a community.

About Haynes MarComs Haynes MarComs is a hospitality technology marketing and PR strategic consultancy and in the past decade has supported and consulted leading tech companies in PMS, RMS, ePOS, booking engines, Marketing, Hotel Representation, CRM, and AI. Haynes MarComs focuses on commercial objectives to support the KPIs for real growth that actually hit the bottom line.

Author and publisher of Hoteliers’ Voice Podcast sharing real insight from hoteliers and hospitality professionals in regular weekly episodes on Spotify, LinkedIN, Apple and other podcast channels