A Solitary Confinement

Robin Sheppard had always seemed liked a lucky guy! Proud father of two sons: Sam the eldest (the musical/wordy one) and Charlie (the artistic/sporty one). Still good friends with his first wife Georgina and partnered by the effervescent and indomitable Suzanne when his hitherto contented life took a different turn. He had bounded through 50 years of an unfettered existence. A universe largely comprising five star hotels set in manicured gardens, with fine wines and outrageous flower arrangements, separating well-heeled customers in which the ‘anticipation of need’ was paramount. After growing up in Bath he had become an hotelier who delighted in operating some of the very best of Britain’s hotels, winning hotel of the year prizes along the way, before founding with some like-minded chums, their own specialist hotel operating group. Ending up in London he presided over an empire of a dozen or so glamorous hotels which featured architecture of the grade one variety, decadent décor, period fixtures in Capability parkland surroundings, and food of the highest standard. His was an untroubled workplace. Taking time out along the way to invent the truly iconic, deep blue, skittle shaped, Ty-Nant mineral water and then a niche adult soft drinks business. He became an entrepreneur without even knowing it and a role model for many a novice hotel student along the way. Then things changed.

Robin Sheppard bounded through 50 years of an unfettered existence working in places that didn’t feel like any factory or office you might know. A universe largely comprising five star hotels set in manicured gardens, with fine wines, fabulous foie gras, and outrageous flower arrangements, speckled with well heeled customers in which the anticipation of their needs was paramount. After growing up in Bath he had become an hotelier who delighted in operating some of the very best of Britain’s hotels, winning hotel of the year prizes along the way, before founding with some like minded chums, his own specialist hotel operating group. Ending up in London he presided over an empire of a dozen or so glamorous hotels which featured architecture of the grade one variety, decadent décor, period fixtures in capability parkland surroundings, and food of the highest standard. His was an untroubled workplace. Taking time out along the way to invent the truly iconic, deep blue, skittle shaped, Ty-Nant mineral water business and then a niche adult soft drinks business he became an entrepreneur without ever knowing it and a role model for many a novice hotel student along the way.

Magnificent, he ought to change job, retire somewhere gorgeous and just carry on writing.


It’s a great read, sad and funny. The piquancy of the humour sits right up there with Tony Hancock in The Blood Donor when he asked for a badge to be inscribed ‘nothing pretentious, just they gave that others might live’.