Make people feel appreciated - they’ll go to the moon.
Peter Merrett is a multi-award-winning luxury hotelier, Australia’s 2024 Keynote Speaker of the Year, and the visionary founder of The House of Wonderful.
With more than thirty-five years of transforming luxury hotels, commercial properties, and leadership cultures from status quo to best-in-class, Peter has revitalised the hearts of some of the world’s most recognised brands. His approach goes beyond KPIs and mission statements - restoring heart, wonder, and human connection to leadership and service in ways that deliver powerful commercial and cultural results.
He led his teams to historical heights, twice winning the United Kingdom's Hotel of the Year, International Office Building of the Year for Tower 42 in London and Best Customer Experience in the World for JLL Australia. From these experiences, he created his signature “recipes of wonder” - simple, practical ways any organisation can build cultures where people care more, connect deeper, and perform better.
Today, Peter is a Hall of Fame professional speaker, trusted advisor, and “Undercover Wonder” mystery shopper, working with organisations across eleven countries and many industries. He has shared stages with Doug Lipp, former Head of Training at Disney University, represents the global real estate industry as a Fellow of BOMA International, appears annually on the judging panel of the Australian Service Excellence Awards, and recently served on the Board of Directors of Professional Speakers Australia.
Peter’s work blends commercial credibility with emotional impact - bringing more wonder into everyday life and leaving audiences energised, hopeful, and equipped with ideas they can use immediately.
Peter lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons, a friendly house hippo, and a battalion of rubber duckies.
Talking Points
Delivering World-Class Service Without Big Budgets
Service Magic: Simple, powerful ways to turn everyday moments into memorable experiences - building loyalty, advocacy, and stronger business results.
Delivering World-Class Service Without Big Budgets
Creating a Heart-Led Workplace People Love
Workplace Joy: How kindness, connection, and appreciation create teams who are energised, engaged, and proud to give their best.
Creating a Heart-Led Workplace People Love
Becoming a Role-Model, Human-Spirited Leader
Leadership Influence: How leaders who make people feel seen, valued, and appreciated unlock extraordinary commitment and performance.
Becoming a Role-Model, Human-Spirited Leader
Leading with the Art of Hospitality
Culture Differentiation: Hospitality-inspired leadership that creates standout experiences and a culture competitors can’t copy.
Leading with the Art of Hospitality
Becoming a Magnetic Employer of Choice
Recruitment Transformation: How to attract, inspire, and keep great people by creating a culture they don’t want to leave.
Becoming a Magnetic Employer of Choice
The Power of Words to Create Connection
Connected Expression: How language, tone, and word choice shape experience, loyalty, and reputation - one conversation at a time.
The Power of Words to Create Connection
Video
Peter Merrett | Showreel | Saxton Speakers
Peter Merrett is an internationally recognised speaker, business genie and multi-award winner in the art of transforming business culture and customer service.As the founder of The House of Wonderful, he enables organisations to shift from ordinary to extraordinary by unlocking the secret to prosperity: Passion, Positivity and Purpose.Peter Merrett | Audience Reactions Showreel | Saxton Speakers
Peter is a sensational speaker, he keeps the audience engaged and filled with wonder! Highly recommend Peter! ... keep reading Bitzer Australia
Peter was wonderful! As our MC and Keynote Speaker, Peter created the perfect atmosphere to bring our team together for the first time in 3 years. He was so relatable, had such fun and engaging intervals, so relevant, impacting everyone in the room. This set us up for the entire week! His before and after assistance was invaluable. Contributing to the agenda, and how to run collaborative sessions effectively! We were referring to him all week! WONDERFUL!!!
We call you Memorable Mr Merrett. It's been 2 years since your keynote, and we still talk about it today!
Peter seamlessly switched between educational, entertaining and thought-provoking, leaving our audience delighted, informed and excited to make a difference.
Your message will forever change the way that I think about work. A must-experience for any business that wants to increase employee and customer engagement!
Peter’s closing keynote was my all-time favourite over my 10-years attending the SHFM conference. What a motivating and heart-warming message, and especially after such a challenging year.
I’ve been lucky enough to hear a few keynotes in my days, but none with such a profound impact like this one. I came away inspired, empowered, invigorated, and energized.
