Patrick Burke Jersey
Owner & Managing Director
Born into the hotel industry on both sides of the family, it is fair to say that Patrick Burke was never going to be anything but a hotelier. Educated at St Michael’s School, Jersey and Stowe School, Buckingham, Patrick gained an Honours Degree in Hotel and Catering at the University of Surrey in 1978. He then spent five years on the management team at two of London’s leading five star hotels – The Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge and the Intercontinental at Hyde Park Corner before going on to manage hotels for Mark Warner in several European destinations including France, Switzerland and Greece.
On his return to Jersey in 1985, Patrick became actively involved in the local tourism industry and served for ten years on the committee of the Jersey Hotel and Guest House Association. He was a member of the strategy group which developed the first ever business plan for Jersey Tourism and was closely involved with the re-launch of the Jersey Conference Bureau.
In May 1987 Patrick succeeded his father, Henry as Managing Director of The Atlantic Hotel and soon embarked on a development programme to upgrade every aspect of the property – a process which led to The Atlantic’s admission into membership of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) in 1993 – and continues to this day. The hotel celebrated 25 years of membership of SLH in 2019.
The Atlantic Hotel has won many awards over this time including four Red Stars and four Rosettes from the AA, the AA’s Courtesy and Care Award for England, the Condé Nast Johansens award for Best Service in 2006 and 2014, as well as a coveted Michelin star for 11 years. This dedication to creating a world-class small luxury hotel consistently praised for its exceptional levels of service led to The Atlantic being named ‘Independent Hotel of the Year’ at The 2014 Cateys. In 2019, The Atlantic was also named Hotel of the Year at the Jersey Style Awards.
Patrick’s achievements have been recognised by the hotel industry nationally. He was labelled an ‘Industry Titan’ in the Boutique Hotelier Power List and was also named in the UK’s Top 25 Hoteliers in the Brit List from Hotel Designs which marked him out as one of the industry’s most influential and inspirational individuals. In 2021 Patrick was honoured with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Boutique Hotelier Awards. More recently he was a finalist for the award of Independent Hotelier 2022 at the Independent Hotel Show Awards.
Patrick served as a Director of Small Luxury Hotels of the World from 1999. Elected from the membership by their peers, the International Board represented the interests of over 500 member properties in over 80 countries around the world. Patrick was elected Chairman in 2006 for a three-year period during which time he worked closely with the management company to ensure SLH’s continuing success at a time of rapid change. Patrick serves on the new International Advisory Board to this day and remains deeply committed to SLH, having visited more than 270 member properties around the world.
Patrick is a passionate ambassador for Jersey and works tirelessly to strengthen the public perception of the island as a luxury destination. In 2010 he co-founded the Luxury Jersey Hotels (LJH) consortium, designed to leverage the combined resources and marketing investment of a group of local hoteliers to identify and attract new market segments to Jersey.
For the last 12 years Patrick has served as Chairman of LJH and during this time has achieved both national and international recognition for the island as a leading gastronomic destination. In 2018, LJH launched Taste Jersey as an island-wide celebration of food and drink across the member properties. In the same year, Patrick was also appointed to the Board of Visit Jersey allowing him to further his work in promoting the island as an international destination. In 2019 Patrick was further honoured for his achievements by the Jersey Hospitality Association with their inaugural Island Ambassador Award.
In 2011, Patrick opened a second restaurant, Mark Jordan at the Beach, in conjunction with his then head chef, in St Aubin’s Bay to provide his guests with a relaxed addition to the celebrated Ocean Restaurant. Whilst the proposition of the bistro-style restaurant is different, the ethos remains the same; exceptionally high-quality local produce cooked simply, partnered with attentive service in a stunning location. Mark Jordan at the Beach boasts a Michelin Bib Gourmand for good food and good value for money as well as two AA Rosettes and an entry in the Good Food Guide.
Inspired by the gourmet scene on the island, Patrick launched the annual Eat Jersey Food Festival in 2015. Eat Jersey unites a brigade of renowned chefs from the UK for a weekend of gourmet events, showcasing the finest Jersey produce. The festival attracts nationwide media exposure for Jersey and enables The Atlantic Hotel to extend its philanthropic partnership with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. To date, Eat Jersey has raised almost £30,000 in aid of Durrell.
Patrick Burke’s contribution to the hospitality industry has been recognised by his admission as the sole Channel Islands member of the Master Innholders. The award of membership of the Master Innholders is open to practising hoteliers who have demonstrated not only their innkeeping ability, but also their continuing support for improving standards within the industry. Membership of the Master Innholders is a lifetime award and along with the exceptional honour of being granted The Freedom of the City of London, its members are elevated to Fellowship of the Institute of Hospitality.
In 2020 The Atlantic Hotel celebrated its 50th anniversary, a remarkable achievement for this family-run property where Patrick has spent 35 years as Managing Director. Following the death of his father in 2007 he has now purchased all of the shares in the hotel to become the sole shareholder, securing the future of the business as a family company and enabling the possibility that custodianship of the hotel might one day pass to a third generation. Patrick is married to Treena Burke, also a Director of The Atlantic Hotel, and they have three sons – Harry, George and Tom.
Barclays, who the Burke family have banked with for six generations, recently created a short video showing life behind the scenes at The Atlantic Hotel as part of their ‘Masters of their Craft’ series. The video can be viewed on the Barclays Overseas website.