INDUSTRY ROLE MODEL CASE STUDY – Karen Kevelighan, Marketing Manager at The Bath Priory Hotel Introduction This case study consists of a personal profile of Karen Kevelighan, Marketing Manager at The Bath Priory. It is based on a questionnaire interview. Many thanks to Karen and to The Bath Priory for providing this information.
The Bath Priory is a quality work placement provider with Springboard’s INSPIRE Scheme (click on the INSPIRE logo for details).
Introduction The Bath Priory is a luxury hotel, restaurant and spa set in beautiful gardens in Bath, an ancient city which is an extremely popular tourist destination. The hotel offers a wonderful relaxing stay to its guests. The amenities and facilities include 27 luxuriously decorated and equipped rooms, a junior suite and four family suites in an adjacent annex, a fine dining restaurant, private dining rooms, spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sun terrace, and private parking.
The Bath Priory Hotel at night
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Interview Name: Job Title: Location:
Karen Kevelighan Marketing Manager Bath Priory Hotel
1. Why were you attracted into the industry? I grew up living in a small country hotel and developed a love of the hospitatlity industry. 2. What was your first job in the industry? From a very young age I always wanted to help and progressed from washing up to waitressing and then just about everything else as the years went by. 3. What educational qualifications do you have and/or training at work? How have these helped in your career? I did a degree in Hotel & Catering but nothing beats the experience of working in the industry in a variety of different property types; this gives you a feel for which niche suits you best. Big city hotels, small country hotels, restaurants of industrial catering - the industry offers a broad range of options. 4. Did you have a mentor who encouraged you during the early stages of your career? If so, who and why were they inspirational? In my first role as a Junior Assistant Manager I worked under a lady deputy manager who was a real inspiration to me. She was an absolute stickler for standards on every level but delivered her requests in such a pleasant way staff were receptive rather than defensive. The same person was also very good at rolling up her sleeves and working as and where the business demanded. This was an essential lesson for this industry. Never think you are above cleaning a bedroom or washing a pot! The lady was Lucy Naismith. 5. What do you regard as being your biggest achievement to date? Over the years there have been many highlights but one of my proudest achievements was turning around a team of kitchen porters, giving them ownership of their department and pride in their work. Boosting moral at this level had a great impact on the whole team and remains something which I am proud of. 6. What industry ambitions would you still like to achieve? There are many goals still to achieve, one day I would like to run my own business within the industry; something small but that keeps my love of hospitality alive. 7. What gives you a buzz about your job? I love that no two days are ever the same. In this industry there is always a new challenge to reach and always a new element to tackle. The hotel industry lives and breathes due to the many people involved in it, and this always makes it interesting. Springboard Education at: http://education.springboarduk.net and http://resource-gateway.co.uk To contact us directly email: education@springboarduk.org.uk
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8. Why would you recommend the industry to potential recruits? Few industries offer such a varied scope of roles and few industries offer such wonderful working environments. At every level this industry opens doors for people to discover food, entertainment, and learn more about people and it potentially opens the door to travel the world and never be out of work. 9. What are your top 3 tips to people entering the industry? • Be prepared to work hard, especially in kitchen, restaurant and housekeeping. • Don’t discount the industry because of the working hours. Your colleagues become your friends and your social life can still exist. • 9 – 5 jobs do exist and can be equally rewarding. Sales and marketing are prime examples, but lots of other admin roles are available within the industry. 10. What are your main tasks in a typical day at work? 8.30 Arrive, open emails and check the post Work through the day's to do list. In marketing this is always changing according to news stories that hit overnight and enquires that come in. The website content management and use of social media for the business is on every day’s to do list. 11.00 Daily meeting - this is where the team runs through the day’s business and highlights anything of importance coming up in the day. For marketing the role is a strange combination of very proactive work to different timescales. Magazines typically work to a 3 month deadline for long lead titles, so in the summer we will be planning and working on Christmas adverts and copy, and at Christmas looking ahead to Easter. Local publications tend to work a month ahead. Website management is much more in the moment. There really is no such thing as a typical day in Marketing. The work is varied and interesting and can cover a wide variety of subjects. Anything people are unsure about tends to end up in the marketing tray! 11. Any other comments you would like to make? The hospitality industry is a great place to work and there is such a diverse range of career options available taking in a wide range of skill bases. I would certainly recommend young people looking for career choices to delve very deeply into the many options available. .
For further information plus details of careers and job opportunities please visit: http://www.thebathpriory.co.uk Springboard Education at: http://education.springboarduk.net and http://resource-gateway.co.uk To contact us directly email: education@springboarduk.org.uk
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