Robert Richardson FIH MI

In the UK, a pint of beer carries both 20% VAT and around 56p in alcohol duty. In Switzerland, the same pint carries 8.1% VAT and around 13p in alcohol duty. Switzerland treats hospitality as a national economic asset, with the profession enjoying formal recognition and policy support from government bodies. In return, Swiss hospitality employs 4% of the national workforce, contributes up to 6% of GDP, creates community hubs, develops its people, and plays a central role in strengthening the economy. It’s a Wednesday evening in Lucerne, Switzerland, and every restaurant and bar is full, no businesses are closed, the atmosphere is joyous, and the welcome and service are both first-class. And it's a real-world example of how balanced taxation and government recognition can drive economic growth, skills development, and thriving communities. #HospitalityFamily #HospitalityMatters #TaxReform #GlobalHospitality #Switzerland #LearningFromOthers #InspireMotivateLearn #imin

Football and Politics: What it means for Nightlife Monday 27th July | 4pm | Online | Free Today, Andy Burnham will be appointed Prime Minister. What does that mean for the UK's night-time economy and what should our sector be asking for? Join our panel: ▪️ Sacha Lord — NTIA Chair ▪️ Caitlin McAllister — Managing Director, Ministry of Sound ▪️ Robert Richardson FIH MI — CEO, Institute of Hospitality We'll cover where the sector stands today, the challenges holding it back and the changes and support that would move us forward. 🎟️ Register for free — buff.ly/moskxM1

@julesserkin @CAevs @1GarethWynJones @tafarnsinc Amazing news!

@CAevs @1GarethWynJones @tafarnsinc …. @RBWR

Llongyfarchiadau mawr I @tafarnsinc they have won the Rural Oscar for the best pub in the UK!!! Who’s meeting me there for a celebratory pint then?! 🍺 Many congratulations!!

@laurajamesbay Thank you!

@RBWR twenty years of doing the steady work to support actual humans is no small thing. love seeing this kind of milestone for your team ✨

Our HIGHEST membership in over 20 years. I will never not be proud of this. At a time when our profession continues to face seemingly unending challenges, this means something. Congratulations to my exceptional team for delivering such an incredible result, and thank you to every member who continues to place their trust in the Institute of Hospitality. As a professional body, our growth isn't simply about membership. It strengthens our ability to raise professional standards, support careers, and deliver greater public benefit through a stronger, more skilled hospitality profession. Together, we are stronger. #StrongerTogether #InspireMotivateLearn #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #StrongerTogether #imin

The days of chains like Starbucks and Cafe Nero using aggressive tax avoidance schemes needs to come to an end. It's not right that your local independent coffee shop has probably paid more corporation tax than the two of them combined.

@leonburton Well said Leon

We are becoming socially and economically poorer with the constant loss of our hospitality venues. So many see us as tax cash cows… when we actually bring so many benefits to the communities we operate in. Urgent change in how hospitality is viewed and taxed is needed.

We no longer believe X aligns with our values and standards, and as such, we’ve made the decision to leave. This account will no longer be active. However, we'd love to stay connected with you on our other channels! 🔗 LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/instit… 🔗 Instagram instagram.com/ioh_online/ 🔗 Facebook facebook.com/IoHOnline 🔗 Threads @ioh_online" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">threads.com/@ioh_online 🔗 TikTok @ioh_online" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">tiktok.com/@ioh_online 🔗 YouTube youtube.com/institutehospi… Thank you for your continued support. The IoH Team

@leonburton @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to join us

@RBWR @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured ❤️❤️. Thank you so much for my invite - it was great to see you all and spend time with our hospitality family.

A week on from the 2026 Institute of Hospitality Annual Dinner & Awards, and the feedback has been nothing short of exceptional. We had the pleasure of welcoming more than 400 members of our #HospitalityFamily, travelling from as far afield as Singapore and Switzerland, to celebrate the passion, talent, and dedication within our profession. What really stood out to me was that, whilst the challenges facing our profession have never been greater, our sector continues to invest in supporting and developing our teams. And against a backdrop of rising costs and the highest (UK) tax burden in history, the atmosphere throughout the evening was full of optimism, pride and celebration. Thank you to our Events Manager, Emma Ellis MIH, and the team at the Institute of Hospitality for delivering such a fantastic event. Thank you also to Danny Pecorelli FIH for an inspiring keynote address, and to Phil Street FIH for making such a successful MC debut. But, most importantly, the evening belonged to our winners. Congratulations to each and every one of you, you are all incredible ambassadors for our profession. Reflecting on the evening I was reminded that, against a backdrop of seemingly constant challenge, the Institute's sense of community has never been more important. Connecting people, inspiring people, supporting people and, most importantly, reminding them that they are never alone. And, frankly, the feeling I took from that is nothing less than pure joy. #imin #MeetingOurMembers #InspireMotivateLearn #StrongerTogether #HospitalityAssured #IoHAwards2026

@DMatiqu @leonburton @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured Thanks Daniel

@leonburton @RBWR @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured Oh my goodness, this makes me so happy! Our incredible leaflets all together!!!!

@andyjlennox @AIH_IoH @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured Thank you very much, and thank you for joining us

@RBWR @AIH_IoH @IoH_Online @Sacha_Lord @HospAssured Was a great evening :) well done 👏

We are incredibly proud that the Institute of Hospitality has more members than at any point in the last 20 years. 🎉 More than 17,000 global professionals have chosen to join us: from emerging talent to senior leaders, general managers, educators, and business owners. Thank you to all our members for choosing to be part of our growing, global community of hospitality professionals. If you want to be part of our hospitality family explore the benefits of membership. We are stronger together. instituteofhospitality.org/membership/new… #17kMembers #IoHmembership #imin #IoH #InstituteofHospitality

This morning, a campaign of hope, has trounced a campaign of division. This is a huge moment for the UK. Congratulations @AndyBurnhamGM, the new MP for Makerfield. A Leader who puts place before party.

🍺 MY FIGHT FOR HOSPITALITY CONTINUES- UPDATE!! 🍺  Over the last few years, I've been consistently campaigning for supports for hospitality, including through a VAT cut for hospitality.  At the end of the last parliamentary session a few weeks ago, my petition that I started finished with 20,000 signatures supporting it!! A HUGE amount! The industry has now come together and has united around the VATs Enough campaign- please ask your MP to support my EDM supporting their campaign. 52 have already signed with support from all the parties in Eng Scotland & Wales and DUP & TUV have signed. Let's get a full house!! edm.parliament.uk/early-day-moti…

@HIT_MD1 Well, exactly!

@RBWR Thank you, who doesn’t love a pie?

Hard times require pie

This conversation should never have started, but if it must, it should have ended at "volunteering at Oxfam". Given the MOD challenges and ministerial resignations this week, the civil unrest in NI, and the contraction of our economy should we not be focusing our attention elsewhere? Ridiculous!

@cathydevine56 I do wish, after centuries of women fighting to get to Parliament, we didn't have to hear so much about this MP's shopping habits. I imagine her constituents are slightly more bothered about almost everything else.

As some of us were saying. Critique the sex denial. Don't attack a female MP's appearance or choice of clothes ...

@leonburton @UKLabour And that attitude, one not reflected internationally, is why our vital profession needs formal recognition from the Crown, and not the informal relationship we currently have.

There’s a real snobbish attitude towards those who work in hospitality, as if we’re somehow not capable, intelligent, or thoughtful. It’s always been there, but it seems to be openly on show from some @UKLabour ministers and their attack dogs.

The annual Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) Conference is always a highlight, and this year was expertly hosted by the School of Surrey Hospitality and Tourism Management at the University of Surrey. It was a pleasure to join the panel on "Achieving Excellence with Industry Bodies", sharing perspectives on collaboration between academia, business, and professional organisations, and reflecting on the global impact and work of the Institute of Hospitality. My thanks to Dr. Xuan Lorna Wang for her excellent chairing, and to my fellow panellists, Angela Maher FIH, Jane Pendlebury MIH and Juliane Caillouette Noble, for such an insightful and engaging conversation. #HospitalityFamily #InspireMotivateLearn #imin