Great service: the difference between a good customer experience and an exceptional one.

While quality food and drink remain fundamental to any hospitality experience, it’s often the interaction with staff that defines the visit – for better or worse.

At our third In Conversation with SLTN event, we’ll hear from hospitality veterans on how they have placed customer service at the heart of their careers, working with teams in different styles of venue to ensure that customers get the very best. What key lessons have these veterans learned through their careers? And what practical steps can attendees take away to help improve service standards in their own venues?

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Shaun studied hospitality and business management with a placement at The Dakota Hotel in Edinburgh, to which he returned following his studies to take on a trainee manager role. Pursuing an interest in food and beverage, Shaun embarked on a career in fine dining, joining Castle Terrace restaurant, where he met his future wife and business partner Roberta Hall. Starting off as a commis waiter, Shaun worked his way up to Restaurant Supervisor, before departing to London to work at Simon Rogan’s Roganic pop-up. Returning to Castle Terrace, Shaun built on his knowledge of wine as Assistant Sommelier position, before taking on the role of Restaurant Manager. Together with Roberta, Shaun left Castle Terrace to take over The Abbots Elm pub in Cambridgeshire - their first experience of running a business as a duo.

Returning to Edinburgh, Shaun and Roberta opened their debut restaurant, The Little Chartroom in 2018. It was followed by Eleanore in 2021, which took over the former space, with The Little Chartroom relocating to Bonnington Road. In 2024, the pair opened Ardfern, an all-day café, bar and bottle shop as well as launching their wine importing business Helix Wines.

One of Scotland’s most respected bartenders, Mal’s career has included time spent at venues including Rick’s and The Blythswood before he was part of the launch team at Kelvingrove Café in Glasgow in 2012. On the drinks side of the industry, he has worked for companies including Brown-Forman, Atom Brands and Distell Group in brand advocacy roles.

Now based on Arran, Mal is the food and beverage manager of The Douglas Hotel, while continuing to work on menu development at Kelvingrove Café. Throughout his varied career Mal has been a passionate advocate for delivering the very best customer experience possible, a philosophy he is now instilling in his team at The Douglas.

Lynsey is a senior leader in digital transformation and cultural change, currently serving as CX Director at HEINEKEN. With 20 years of experience in the trade, she brings deep industry knowledge and a strong track record of driving digital innovation, digital transformation and enhancing customer experience. Her career spans leading strategic change across complex organisations and delivering measurable impact.

Lynsey leads HEINEKEN’s award-winning eCommerce and Customer Care teams and has been instrumental in driving year-on-year growth in Net Promoter Score (NPS), reflecting a sustained improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty. A passionate advocate and campaigner for a more inclusive and diverse UK drinks industry, Lynsey also chairs the HEINEKEN UK Gender Taskforce, working to promote equity and representation across the sector.

The importance of inclusivity in Scottish hospitality venues was the topic of SLTN’s second 'In Conversation with' event. Following the success of the inaugural event, SLTN returned to the topic of inclusivity, this time taking a broader view across the industry.

‘Inclusivity in Venues’ saw professionals from across Scottish hospitality gather to hear from expert speakers and discuss the challenges facing businesses looking to become more inclusive, as well as some ways that venues – and the wider industry – might be able to move forward.

'In Conversation with SLTN: Inclusivity in Whisky’ set out to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the whisky sector in its efforts to attract both a broader range of customers and a more inclusive workforce.

Thanks to our three excellent speakers and our highly engaged audience of bar operators, the event surpassed every expectation, culminating in an electrifying discussion of inclusivity issues and opportunities across the spectrum of gender, age, ethnicity and sexuality.