It is with sadness, and fondness, that we remember Frank Croston, who passed away on 22nd June.
Frank was someone about whom everyone had a story, about whom everyone remembered a forthright comment, or an animated meeting. Frank was one of the personalities who held the sector together, whose knowledge and passion put him at the centre of this close community.
Frank was a lifelong supporter of hotels, starting his career as a financial controller at Grand Metropolitan Hotels, before making his mark at PKF, Arthur Andersen and IHG.
Frank helped to drive the evolution of asset management in the sector and January 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of Hamilton Hotel Partners’ inception – now Hamilton - Pyramid Europe - which he founded with friend and business partner Chris Evans. Hamilton was one of the first asset management groups to appreciate the value of investing alongside owners and achieving true alignment.
At the time of the anniversary Frank wrote: “Our work has taken us across all of Europe and the Middle East and required us to build and sustain a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual team. Collectively, they have been, without a doubt, our greatest asset. Building and developing our team over such an extended period has been our proudest achievement. More than ten members of the current leadership team have more than ten years’ service with us and together, they represent and embody the DNA and culture of our business. Thank you!”
It was this support and enthusiasm for the team around him which will be one of his great legacies.
Closer to home, Frank was vice chairman of BAHA and a member of the management committee for many years, a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting, and an Honorary Fellow of HOSPA.
Russell Kett, chairman, HVS London, said: “Frank served the BAHA community and later HOSPA with distinction and passion, albeit always with his distinctive and remarkable sense of humour. He was an active member of our management committee, personally leading many of the important issues of the time.
“He never forgot his roots as a hotel accountant - indeed he and I were in adjacent London hotels in 1976 - Frank at the Mount Royal, I at the Cumberland - before we moved on to our respective hotel consultancies: Frank to PKF and I to Horwath & Horwath.”
Frank was survived by Debbie his wife, his two daughters, Susan and Lindsay and his five grandchildren.
He will be much missed by us all.