Advice to Young Hoteliers

In your experience of managing hotels, what are the key bits of advice you would pass on, to someone looking to move into hospitality, in a management position?

You need to love to share a service and providing a service and seeing the smile on the customer’s face. When I started my hospitality career, that’s what was really driving me to be on board and continue in this industry. There is nothing better than when you have a customer leave the hotel and saying, I’ll see you next week; I’m coming back. Can you please book me the same room? It’s the same length of stay and I’m coming back. That’s the best thing you can hear.

On top of that, it’s also making the connection with my colleagues and my peers. In hospitality, you travel all around the world. Tomorrow, you can pick up your suitcases and go and work in hotels, anywhere in the world and that’s a great opportunity. Also, making new friends, seeing new cultures.

What does service mean to you?

That’s a very big word.

You mentioned shared service. You said you’ve got to love shared service. If I walk into one of your hotels, what would I need to look at, to really understand that this is, actually 10 out of 10, in service?

It’s the passion that you put into that service and the way you do it. When I say the service, it can be from providing a room, to delivering a dish to the table, whilst the guest is dining. Beyond that, it’s the passion that you put into it. It’s not just delivering it, but making sure that you are aware of everything. Not just providing them with what they asked for, but going beyond that, and being really interested in the guest. Asking them if they are there for leisure or business and really adapting and providing the information for them. Really putting passion into what the guest is looking for.

So it’s passion; passion in service?