My first 4 weeks as a Duty Manager at The Grand hotel and I’m already being asked to show my literary prowess at blogging! 

Have you ever noticed that when you meet new people in a group, next time you come across them you think either they all look the same or you draw a blank when trying to remember anybody’s name?  Now multiply that tenfold and you have my dilemma – how to remember the names of over 130 staff – thank heavens for name badges!

Having surmounted this problem, my next test was to learn to find my way around the “Grand” maze.  Not only are there 4 floors of bedrooms, 5 function rooms, restaurant, bar and kitchen but also offices, cellars and a million store cupboards.  I seemed to get lost on a daily basis my first 2 weeks and at one point debated whether to get a sat nav device to guide me round.

I won’t bore you with details of all my introductions, training, induction and the paper work that goes with my new job other than to say that I used to think paper work was an excuse for managers to sit in the office all day drinking tea.  Fool me!  It hasn’t been the local steam engine smoking around here – it’s been my head!

If I have come to fear anything during my short time in the job, it’s my pager.  Firstly it makes me jump out my skin when it goes off (a lot), and secondly I get enveloped in this aura of intrepidation as I never know what Reception is going to say when I resp0nd.  Sometimes I get off lightly as it is just a car needing to be parked, a phone call to deal with or a department needing change or something.  Then every now and again it is a matter requiring a little more ingenuity of thought.  How do you deal with a beautiful day and a busy swimming pool that is filled not only with guests of all ages, shapes and sizes, but also feathered ones?  Yes, we have 2 resident ducks who return each winter/spring to do what animals do in the spring – create offspring.  Each year we call in the experts to move the parents and their new offspring to the local pond and that’s the end of it for another year.  This year it is different as our 2 ducks have reared and bid farewell to their offspring and returned to the Grand, having decided that it’s their favourite home. They seem quite happy to swim around with guests and fortunately our guests are quite taken with them.  They (the ducks) have also been known to hop upstairs to the door of the lounge to say hello!  I wonder if they would be so bold if they knew how often duck features on our menus!