About the Organisation
Jumeirah, a global leader in luxury hospitality and a member of Dubai Holding, operates an exceptional portfolio of 29 properties across 11 countries in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Around 400 colleagues are based across its two UK flagship hotels.
Jonathan Napier, HR Director at Jumeirah Carlton Tower and The Lowndes London, joined the group at a defining moment for the industry: the implementation of the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023.
The Challenge: A manual process collides with a moment of industry-wide change
Before partnering with Grateful, tronc management across the sector was built entirely on manual foundations: Excel spreadsheets, complex tronc index calculations, and hour-by-hour formulas that made the process not just time-consuming, but inherently opaque. Jonathan experienced this first-hand across his career in hospitality HR.
“It was incredibly admin-heavy. With a team of around 100 people, it would take half a day, if not more, a very manual, very resource-intensive process.”
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 changed the landscape profoundly, but not only operationally. It shone a light on practices that had quietly become industry norms: pooling resources and redistributing, fixing tronc amounts for salaried staff in ways that effectively offset payroll costs, and operating without meaningful transparency to line-level employees.
“The legislation meant that staff became more aware of what they should be getting. It was a double whammy: businesses had to change how they operated, but equally there was an increase in awareness and demand for transparency.”
For a global employer like Jumeirah, the need was clear: a compliant, transparent, and scalable partner, not another provider that worked on spreadhseets.
The Partnership: Not a provider. A partner.
Jonathan joined Jumeirah’s UK business at the precise moment the new tips legislation was supposed to be in place. He needed a partner who could absorb complexity quickly, without friction.
“After the first call, it was very much a sense of: ‘no problem — leave that with us.’ Grateful clearly had more complex clients and more complex scenarios to unpick. There was an immediate sense of expertise that meant I felt: I’m in good hands here.”
What distinguished Grateful wasn’t just technical capability, it was the way the relationship was approached from day one.
“Grateful are very solutions-focused. We sit down, discuss a problem, and they come back with options and solutions. At no point have I felt shut down.”
For Jumeirah’s wider team, Grateful’s involvement has significantly enhanced transparency — helping team members feel that their earnings are being managed by an impartial, expert body working in full collaboration with the business. Rather than replacing trust in the employer, it strengthens confidence in the overall process.
“Grateful represent an independent and transparent body that has the team’s interests at heart. There’s no ulterior motive — they’re just there to make sure staff get what they’re legally entitled to. Because they’re not part of the company, there’s a default trust element.”
The Results: Transparency transformed. Admin eliminated. Trust established.
Admin = Dramatically Reduced
Before Grateful, tronc management lived entirely internally across multiple associates: manual report downloads, data consolidation, and separate payroll outputs. Even in the absence of a systems integration (due to unforeseen circumstances) since partnering with Grateful, almost all of that has been transferred.
“We now just send the data, here’s the tronc earned, here’s the team, here are the hours worked, and Grateful work it out. The admin has been significantly reduced.”
Transparency & Team Trust = Transformed
Across the industry, Jonathan has observed a shift in how tronc is discussed at every level. Team members now compare salaries alongside tronc. HR leaders are talking about recognition and reward rather than solely about retention and disciplinary processes.
“Tronc is now exponentially more transparent and understood. It’s a much better deal for employees, and businesses have got guidance on how to manage it consistently. We’re in a much better place.”
Jumeirah’s own engagement and retention figures have improved across the 18 months since the partnership began, part of a broader industry shift Jonathan describes as a “zeitgeist move towards recognition and reward.”
A Genuine Extension of the Team
As headcounts reduce across the hospitality sector and HR teams are asked to do more with less, Grateful’s on-the-ground support has become operationally indispensable, handling consultation, stakeholder communication, and ongoing tronc committee engagement directly.
“There’s absolutely no way — with three fewer people than I started with — that I could do what Grateful now does for us. Katie isn’t just in theory an extension of my team. She is.”
Looking Ahead, there’s more to come
The game changer is still to come
Jumeirah’s full system integration with Grateful’s platform remains in progress, navigating the complexities of a large, global IT infrastructure. Once in place, Jonathan anticipates a step-change in impact: real-time visibility of earnings directly in the hands of team members, and smart applications that help people make the most of what they earn.
“If and when we can get the integration in, I think that’s just going to be a real game changer — visibility in the palm of your hand, plus applications on what to do with that money. That would just benefit people enormously.”
Beyond Jumeirah, Jonathan sees a wider truth emerging across the industry: in a world where technology is compressing teams and raising expectations, the businesses that thrive will be those who invest in the right partnerships, not just the right platforms.
Beyond Jumeirah, Jonathan sees a wider truth emerging across the industry: in a world where technology is compressing teams and raising expectations, the businesses that thrive will be those who invest in the right partnerships, not just the right platforms.
Would You Recommend Grateful?
“Yes — and I have, to so many people.”
Jonathan’s recommendation is unequivocal — and it comes back to the same distinction he draws for any partnership decision.
“I need partners. I don’t need providers. Grateful are a great example of what a true partnership looks like: it’s conversational, it’s relaxed, it’s collaborative, and it evolves. We don’t just look at a renewal date and a contract. We both work towards the same thing.”
