Born in Madeira, Hugo de Castro moved to Jersey when he was 12 to join his parents. He attended St Helier Boys’ School, before working at The Savoy Jersey for five years and then joining The Grand.
Cherished by many for his outstanding service to the Island’s visitors, Mr de Castro worked as head concierge of The Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa for 38 years, looking after everyone from members of the royal family to celebrities including Tom Jones, McFly and Lenny Henry.
Simon Miller, regional general manager of Hand Picked Hotels, said: ‘The entire team at Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa and I are very saddened to have lost our friend and colleague, Hugo de Castro, who just recently passed away after a short illness. Hugo was our beloved head concierge for over 38 years and the familiar smiling face that welcomed guests had a natural warmth and affection. Hugo was the epitome of The Grand and simply had a passion for creating guest happiness. We will miss him greatly and our thoughts go out to his family.’
During his time at the hotel, Mr de Castro would often go the extra mile for customers and dealt with some highly unusual requests, including filling a guest’s fish tank with Evian water, stocking a room with pink toilet paper, arranging for caviar to be flown in from Russia and delivering cocktails to beachgoers.
His attention to detail and excellent customer service led him to be recognised with a number of accolades. He was nominated for a JEP Pride of Jersey Award in 2017 and again last year, where he was a finalist in the Ambassador of the Year category. In nominating Mr de Castro, Lyn McGovern described his best quality as his ability to remember the names of so many visiting families. She referred to him as ‘a great ambassador for not only the hotel, but for the island of Jersey’.
In 2017, Mr de Castro was also recognised as the best concierge in the British Isles at the Boutique Hotelier Awards while, in 2000, he was admitted as a member of the elite Golden Keys Society – a network of top concierges.
Speaking about his career in November 2020, Mr de Castro said: ‘Never did I think, when I came to Jersey all those years ago, that I would have made this my home and have such a wonderful career to date. The hotel has been under many different owners, all of whom have brought something new and different to the place.
‘We’ve hosted Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth and His Royal Highness Prince Philip for dinner as part of the Liberation 60 celebrations [and] we’ve got our regular guests who come and stay with us every year. Some of these families have been coming to the Grand and Jersey for their holidays for over 40 years. There have been so many special moments in this role.’
