People of Hastings & St Leonards
Rick Sciuriaga
This week Kathryn Sutter spoke to Rick Sciuriaga, owner of Number 46, a Bed & Breakfast in Cambridge Gardens, which he runs with the invaluable support and loyalty of his housekeeper Sue and his sister Jocelyn.
We began by chatting about Rick’s upbringing.
“I am originally from South London. My parents were Maltese and Italian refugees who came to England from Egypt, during the Suez Crisis. When I was a child, my parents separated and I ended up living in a children’s home for nine years. This period influenced my life greatly and made me very independent. If I wanted to do something, I had to do it myself, and this philosophy has stayed with me.
“After my parents’ divorce my mother went back to Italy. I would spend the summers with her as she worked as a tour guide. We stayed in different hotels all over Europe and I was fascinated by each hotel’s individuality. It wasn’t until I came to Hastings in 2020 that I turned this interest into my work.”
Rick continued: “I began my career in high-end retail and worked in places like Harrods and Selfridges. Before I came to Hastings, I had worked in a luxury bathroom showroom for 20 years. I felt I had reached my peak in this career and with less and less family in London I felt called to Hastings to be near loved ones already living in the town.”
Despite only running the B&B since February 2020, Rick has taken it from strength to strength. It is now ranked the fifth best B&B in the town, with the top four being situated in the Old Town. Rick shared how his attention to detail has made this happen.
“In all I do I like to provide a high quality of service. When I bought No. 46, it already had a good reputation and I have worked hard to ensure that this remains. I had no previous experience of running a B&B but my design background has helped me to bring back some of the Victorian features in the property, and redesign areas. Still having access to the expertise of Sue, who worked at the B&B before I took it over, has been invaluable. I am not a chef but I take pride in providing breakfasts that are high quality with fresh local products. Whenever I get good reviews about the breakfast, I feel pleased. I am a people person so I enjoy meeting guests and hearing about their lives.”
The last few years have inevitably been difficult for the hospitality industry. Rick shares his thoughts on the importance of tourism in boosting the town and moving it forward.
“This year has felt like our first ‘normal’ year with guests from overseas returning to the town after the pandemic. There is a lot of scope for tourism and it is good to see developments like the Observer Building making improvements to the area around the B&B. However, there is a lot of beautiful architecture in the town which could be better maintained by private owners and the Council, who could each take more pride in their properties’ appearance. In Cambridge Gardens we have started a Forum to try and make improvements to things like rubbish accumulation, and we hope that the Council will support these efforts.”
To end our conversation, I asked Rick what’s next for him, and what is his favourite thing about his new life in Hastings.
“I plan to continue to develop on the success of the B&B moving forward. There is a lot of potential in the town and I am happy to be a part of this. At first, I thought that Hastings was a bit sleepy – it was a shift compared to London life. However, this morning I walked at the beach and enjoyed the sunrise, I couldn’t have done that in London!”
• Find out more about Number 46 here www.numberfortysix.com
Read more in the series:
Simone Gosling, Manager of Bear’s House Nursery
Irina Lazareva, the force behind Sunshine Cafe
Kate Rosie, owner of Teddy Tinker’s
Millie Rowland, CEO of Boathouse Arts and founder of ‘Millie’s Nightclub’
Father David Hill, Rector of St John’s Church, Pevensey Road
Mike and Sue Shaw of Shaws Hair Stylists
Liz Coleman, member of the Hastings and Rother Interfaith
Gemma Cooksley and Kate Thwaites, Bluebell Ridge RSPCA Cat Rehoming Centre
Martin Symons, Community Volunteering Coordinator, St Michael’s Hospice
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