Loungers holds hospitality's largest staff party

On Monday 3 June, more than 200 coaches carrying staff from more than 250 sites descended on Charlton Park Estate in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, for Loungers' annual day-long, retro-inspired festival, LoungeFest. 

Revellers enjoyed fairground rides, DJ sets, live bands, games, activities, workshops, and a vast food and drink offering. 

LoungeFest – the hospitality industry's largest staff party – began in 2013, standing as the operator's annual celebration to thank over 8,000 staff for their hard work and dedication. 

'The most talked about staff party in hospitality'

Guy Youll, chief people officer at Loungers, says of this year's event: "LoungeFest 2024 has been a fantastic day with over 4,000 of our team members celebrating with us. This year marked out 10th LoungeFest and it was certainly the biggest and best yet. Back in 2013, Loungers was one of the first in the hospitality industry to host a party like this for its teams and we're delighted to continue to celebrate our amazing staff in this way, getting bigger every single year. I think not only is this the most talked about staff party in hospitality, it must officially now be the biggest!

"The whole purpose of the day is to show our teams that we really appreciate the hard graft they put in every day in our sites," he adds. "And it's been great to see everyone letting their hair down, dancing, singing, eating and drinking."

Nick Collins, group CEO, adds: "[LoungeFest] is, without a doubt, the most important day of the year in the Loungers calendar, and indeed my favourite day of the year. Since we started back in 2013 with a couple of hundred people in a field, LoungeFest has grown enormously to the 4,000 plus people here today.

"It's a significant investment, particularly not least, closing the entire business for 24 hours, but well worth it and the spirit and purpose of the day have remained consistent over the last decade. LoungeFest doesn't really have anything to do with work – it's simply a great opportunity to say thank you to our teams, and for everyone to enjoy each other's company and be themselves. It's a great expression of everything that's special about the business."

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