WE ❤️ HOSPITALITY - Phil Roker

The last year has been terrible for the hospitality sector. Most businesses have seen extreme financial challenges and its reputation as an employer has been severely affected.We are now hearing from many, many of our clients about their fears for the future from staff shortages to skills gaps and top mid-senior talent moving to other sectors.Krishnan Doyle is sharing his conversations with service industry leaders and operators on all that is good about hospitality & catering with the purpose to improve the sector's reputation as one of the largest employer worldwide but also as a great place to develop your career. 

How did you get into hospitality?

I took a Hotel & Catering Management Degree at Portsmouth Poly, and then went straight into hotels – working in 5-star hotels in Munich and London before “falling” into contract catering

Why I took Hotel & Catering Management is a bit of a mystery!! I can only pin it on the fact that in my school holidays a friends dad would often take us to his work, which meant going to a hotel near Cambridge, where we had the run of the golf course, pool, restaurant etc for the day and I think the life must have appealed to me…. It was years and years later that I found out my friend’s dad was CEO of Cunard hotels

Do you think it is important to have studied hospitality to be a success in the sector?

No, not necessarily. I think there are a lot of very successful people in the business who simply started work at an early age and have worked their way up. They will have missed out on 3 or 4 years of great fun as student life though! I wouldn’t have missed that for the world.

Which leader / figure inspired you and why?

I’ve had a lot of bosses who I have greatly admired and who have inspired me, as well as a lot of figures who I see in the industry. Without exception they have all earned their position and earn their respect by walking the walk and not expecting their staff to do anything they wouldn’t/ couldn’t themselves. James Brown who was my GM at the Royal Garden and then the Athenaeum was a proper old school hotelier whose attention to detail was second to none. 

What keeps you in the sector and why to you enjoy working in it?

I inherently love hospitality in its truest sense – looking after people, giving them great food and service, and seeing how it can enhance their lives – whether they are celebrating / socialising, or dining at work. The variety of challenges and different clients we look after in contract catering keeps it forever fresh.

Tell us about the development / training that you give to your teams and management

With senior teams I think the need is for more coaching and mentoring than job-specific training, so I encourage team members to share their strengths so other can learn, and likewise to seek out others whose strength is their own weakness. I will also work with my team on any specific areas for development – teach a man to fish, rather than give him a fish. We started using a professional coach for the senior team a few years ago which was invaluable. With operational teams there is obviously the direct skills-based training, but we are doing a lot of wellbeing sessions now, especially linked to returning to work.

What advice would you give to those starting out in the sector?

You reap what you sow – i.e. if you work hard it will pay back in time. Earn respect – don’t just expect a title and respect. Never burn your bridges! It’s a small industry and you never know where you may end up working for/ alongside someone you thought you’d never see again!

If you could go back and tell yourself one piece of advice as you started your career, what would it be?

Never let your standards slip in recruiting – surround yourself with great people and you will all excel.

If you would like to take part as a leader in this thriving sector, get in touch with Krishnan (krishnan@corecruitment.com)