Oleg Kolisnitsenko, The Bryson Hotel How long has the Bryson been located in Hatton Garden for? And how long have you worked at the Bryson? The Bryson has been here since March 2016, and it is a 4-star luxury hotel with a number of different rooms operating mainly with local businesses occasionally also with travellers. During this period, we of course have less tourists so we try to personalise our service to everyone that stays with us so I would say it is above boutique standards at the moment! I’ve been at The Bryson for 2 years now and have over 16 years of experience in hospitality! What is your role and what does your typical day look like? I am the general manager at The Bryson Hotel! It's quiet multidimensional job. It can include anything from setting revenue and guest satisfaction targets and ensuring that these are met, to recruiting, training and managing hotel’s employees and ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation and licensing laws. During this period when the activity is reduced, I also come to assist with my colleagues' everyday duties when this is appropriate and needed. What do you think makes the Bryson unique? First of all, its location! We are in a very nice location that’s very central that’s good for both people who work near Hatton Garden and travel in and around the city. We have good connections here including Farringdon Station, Chancery Lane and a lot of buses which can easily take you to Oxford Circus. We are also 15 minutes away from the British Museum! What is your favourite thing about working in Hatton Garden? I love its unique and vivid community. On the one hand you see jewellers, on the other you see beautiful parks, bars, pubs and street food! You can do so much in the area, and everything is literally a walking distance away from each other. Where is your favourite place to relax and have a coffee in Hatton Garden – or favourite place to visit? There are so many nice places! It would be difficult to pick just one, there are a few names that I have! For example, The One Tun and Ngon Ngon are great places to grab food. The Ye Old Mitre, which has been here since 1547 which is incredible. A lot of modern countries didn’t even exist when The Ye Old Mitre was here. Do you like the idea of having a Heritage Walking Tour in the area? Yes absolutely, I did a Heritage walk in another city which was very interesting. It makes people want to learn more about each location and enquire more which is something that most people wouldn’t do if they were just walking by. The pandemic was a very challenging time for all of the hospitality industry and still continues to be so now. How do you think this has changed people’s idea of future vacations and tourism? I think that living with restrictions for two years now has made people appreciate things more. Like their ability to travel, communicate with others and socialise with friends. As soon as things get back to normal I’m sure that there will be a boost in travelling because people need it! As humans we need to discover and open up our horizons. I’m feeling very positive about the future! You have just joined the Hatton Garden BID Board what are you most looking forward to – being part of the board? It’s already a great community here in Hatton Garden but there’s always space to make things better. When this proposal was made to me, I was very excited. Since I’ve been a part of this community, I’ve always wanted to make it a better place and contribute to making it a recognised place. So it’s an exciting opportunity and I really appreciate this offer!
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