WE ❤️ HOSPITALITY - Gareth Blake

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 hotels & resorts? 

From a young age I got the bug for cooking from my grandma, which led me to study a NVQ to be a chef at college. While I loved cooking, I soon released being in the kitchen wasn’t drawing on all my strengths so went on to study hospitality management at university. Part of the course was a placement year whereby I worked as a special events organiser and reception supervisor. After uni I worked operationally in hotels for 5 years and got to the point whereby my next natural progression was to be an operations manager, although I had realised, I loved the people aspect and then studied a CIPD level 3 in HR. I went on to study a CIPD level 5 and I have been a HR Manager in hotels for 10 years.

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

Yes, I think studying the field is important, although there are so many different opportunities and routes to be able to do this for example you can work and study at the same time via apprenticeships.

Which leader / figure inspired you and why? 

My college lecturer who discouraged me to further my studies as it motivated me to prove him wrong.

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

I love hospitality. The ability to make someone’s day, whether it be a guest, or an employee is a great feeling. All the teams I have worked with in hospitality definitely make for a great working environment and where you can meet friends for life.

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

We offer fully funded apprenticeships from level 2 all the way up to Level 7 qualifications. We also have a ‘My Academy’ based near Gatwick which is a 2-year long programme linked with an apprenticeship.

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

Put the hard work in at the very beginning and enjoy!

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

I have no regrets and I never look back so I would say - always think about – ‘what’s my next step’ as hospitality is so broad and expansive and ensure your manager knows your aspirations from the offset.

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