Hotel Manager Wins Unfair Dismissal Claim—After Wild Office Party Scandal

 

A senior hotel manager has won his unfair dismissal case after being fired for having a late-night rendezvous with a junior colleague but there’s a twist. Though a UK employment tribunal sided with him on procedural grounds, the manager was still denied any compensation due to the nature of his behavior.

Sebastian Kedracki, once the Senior Guest Experience Manager at Club Quarters Hotel in London’s Covent Garden, found himself at the center of a disciplinary storm after what started as after-work drinks spiraled into a scandalous office party that ended in a luxury hotel room and a very public fallout.

According to tribunal findings, Kedracki and a junior colleague were reportedly seen “dancing around the office,” surrounded by bottles before heading out for more drinks and later returning to room 115 at the hotel. It was around 3am when a guest lodged a noise complaint, prompting hotel staff to investigate. What they found became the basis for a headline-grabbing dismissal: loud music, an impromptu party, and the pair allegedly discovered in the shower together and later engaged in intimacy.

Kedracki was swiftly suspended and ultimately fired in February 2023, but he fought back taking the hotel to a tribunal, claiming it was all a “witch hunt” and that the company mishandled the disciplinary process.

The employment judge agreed to an extent.

While the tribunal ruled that the investigation process was flawed (citing lack of independence and procedural errors, like the same staff member acting as both investigator and judge), it also found Kedracki’s actions inexcusable. The panel noted he was already under a warning and, as a senior manager, had a responsibility to uphold professional standards.

“He used hotel facilities without permission, played loud music, and partied drunkenly with a junior employee,” the judge noted. “He inconvenienced guests and embarrassed his colleagues.”

As a result, the judge slashed any compensation by 100%, stating Kedracki’s behavior amounted to a breach of trust and that he showed little remorse during the process.

The female colleague involved described the night as unplanned, citing difficulties finding a taxi and accepting Kedracki’s offer to stay in the hotel. Kedracki himself claimed he didn’t remember the night, only waking up in his underwear.

While he technically won the case for unfair dismissal due to HR missteps, the judgment sends a strong message: bad behavior at work especially from those in leadership can carry consequences, even when the paperwork isn’t perfect.