This article is the follow up article by one of our International Hotel School 3^rd year students Taylor Farrimond, who is completing our three year Hospitality Management Programme. Taylor now works in the last standing luxury family owned hotel in London. Open for over 100 years they have an extreme  passion for the hospitality industry and commitment to the best quality service. Taylor has continued to let us be apart of his journey into hospitality success and we are so excited to be able to relish in his experiences as a Guest Relations Assistant and Footman. The hospitality industry really does lend its hand to many successful Hotel Careers.

Suiting Up

First day jitters well in place, I get up earlier than necessary and start preparing myself for the challenging day ahead. Putting on the 3 piece suit along with the bright red tailcoat took about as long as I had expected it to. Trying to avoid letting the brace clasps slip from my hands was a considerable battle, I could almost envisage being the joke of the hotel arriving to work with “whip marks” from the well elasticized trouser support.  Once safely dressed, I stepped-out onto the street and wearing this magnificent suit which brought about an extreme sense of pride. I felt like I had now officially joined The Goring and as if I had become a part of the rich and long history of the fine institution it has come to be.

The Pleasantries

Meeting everyone at the hotel is always so daunting, the sheer pressure of trying to remember everyone’s names is stressful enough, and I do put so much pressure on myself to remember names as it leaves such a good impression! None the less, most people are generally very kind and show a genuine interest in me and where I come from. People from all over the world have made their way to London to work in the hotel and add to the fascinating diversity of this vibrant city. Some of the unfamiliar names threw me a little but little stories in my head helped me remember them. Quite a few people seemed disappointed that I had not arrived with a heavy South African accent as they had anticipated. In fact, some commented saying that I sounded more Australian than South African! I quickly put their concerns to rest when I did the best rendition of my home-grown accent, and believe it or not, it’s hard to try and replicate an accent that one is no longer surrounded by.

The Tour

Being shown around the hotel proves to be another memory game. The small corridors and stairwells are navigated expertly by the Human Resources officer who has been tasked with showing me around. She had clearly travelled these spaces in her beautiful black stilettos and smart dress more than a few times. Battling to keep-up, I maintain a mild smile whilst passing all my new colleagues. Call it nerves, or call it demeanour, a smile has stood me in jolly good stead in the past, so I decided to flash some enamel and “swish” my tailcoat after my HR officer.

The interiors in the hotel are magnificent, marble floors and custom painted wall coverings are lit-up by grand crystal chandeliers in the lobby. Silk adorns the walls of the rooms and the features created by the various acclaimed interior designers are pointed-out and explained. I just thought to myself “how am I going to remember all the designer’s names as well?”. In the following days, I learn just how important interior design is to the hotels personality. The Queens nephew, David Linley of David Linley Interiors had designed the dining room and also weighed in on other decor decisions throughout the hotel.

Introduction to Guest Relations

I meet my direct manager, Samantha Lopez (Guest Relations Manager) who has been keen to meet me but is unable to indulge in lengthy conversation as she is paged to tend to an urgent matter. My fellow footman introduces himself and quickly begins to tell me about the position. He speaks of how varied the position is and how we work with so many departments but strictly reaffirms that everything we do needs to of such a high standard as we are the face of the hotel and are always in guest view. He too receives a page to greet a guest who is checking-in and politely excuses himself. Guest Relations is the smallest department in the hotel but has the most diverse and wide-spread roles and responsibilities.

Training

I spent 6 days training with various departments including the bar, reception and room service. These are the departments that I will interact the most with. Trying to take in such varied information was very challenging and being so young in the job, I wasn’t sure to what extent I would need to be able to perform the various tasks. None the less, I absorbed as much as I could and tried not to get in the way when busy periods hit and the polite smiles become dim with the increasing pressure.

I still have so much to learn, not only in my new and exciting job role but about how to communicate and work with people who all have such varied backgrounds and cultures. I look forward to sharing my next blog with you all about how settling into my role goes.

(Source Image: http://londontopia.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Goring-Hotel-London.jpg )