Name: Joe McGinn
Job Title: Head Concierge at Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club
Joe is a well-recognised face at Ashdown Park Hotel. Not only does he stand very tall and distinctive in the smart Concierge uniform, but he has also been a member of the team at Ashdown Park on and off for over 10 years!
It’s very much a family affair for Joe, as his father was also a Concierge at Ashdown Park, when Joe started as a Hall Porter in 2007. His sister has also previously worked at the hotel and is returning as our Reception Manager. As Joe points out, the hotel is more like a home than any house “I have been here longer than any house I have ever lived in!” combined with the long serving staff that Ashdown is fortunate to enjoy and it feels very much like home.
With ambitions to join the Management Training Scheme, Joe worked in various departments of the hotel, from reception to night shifts and porter-ing, to ensure he understood all the operational aspects of the hotel. His advice that he would give anyone seeking a career in hospitality: “Learn everything you possibly can!”
Although Joe has left and returned to Ashdown Park, it was never a sense of dissatisfaction with the company, but a desire to progress, the down side of having long-serving staff, was the difficulty in getting promoted! Fortunately, Joe was asked to return permanently when a Head Concierge position became vacant and it remains his proudest achievement at the hotel. Having been in the role for a few years, Joe still gets immense satisfaction from seeing customers leave after a happy and enjoyable stay.
"It’s not every job where you are surrounded by people who are not only generally happy, but want to be happy too! They have come to the hotel to enjoy themselves, relax and experience the level of service that Elite Hotels can offer."
He has enjoyed a high level of training throughout his time at Ashdown Park and believe that this is one of the things that the company does very well. From NVQs in Front Office and Customer Service, to in-house supervisory training and wine & spirits tasting, Joe is able to fulfil many roles and cope with almost any situation- a definite plus in the ever changing landscape of hospitality. When asked to describe working for Elite in 3 words, Joe describes Ashdown Park Hotel as Exciting, Challenging and Diverse
For further information on a career at Elite, please check out our latest vacancies: https://www.careersatelitehotels.co.uk/