1. PH Hotels Graduate Blog
Since a young age I have always had a passion for travelling, meeting new people and
making the best out of every situation. My passion started for hospitality when I studied
Tourism Management as a degree at the University of Chester. It was in my third year of
studying that I decided that this is the sector in which I would like to pursue a career. I love
the fact that every working day is completely different, and there is no better feeling than
exceeding a guest’s expectations, knowing you’ve made their day!
So to start at the beginning, in April 2011 I began working at a cocktail bar part time whilst I
was studying. From day one I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and it was where my love
for the industry began! At times it could be really challenging when there were particular
events in the city, such as Chester Races, but knowing you could really make a difference to
someone’s day really made the whole experience worth it. Once I became confident in my
role; I really enjoyed being able to help new staff in their training from the basics of working
on a bar to learning new cocktail specifications. It was at this point that I realised how much I
enjoyed developing and training new staff members, acting as a foundation of support for
anything they may need.
After graduating in 2013, I had a strong desire to both work and travel, looking to increase
my knowledge and experience. I spent the summer of 2014 working as an Overseas Holiday
Advisor where I could just really focus my time on exceeding guests’ expectations. I
thoroughly enjoyed being able to build a relationship with them on both a professional and
personal level. This experience taught me about all the workings and functions of a hotel and
how they are interlinked, working as part of a team to ensure a seamless service is delivered.
Wishing to gain some experience in a business environment, upon returning to the UK I
accepted a position as a Business Development Manager where I worked closely with the HR
Manager as well as the Public Relations Manager in order to develop marketing strategies for
profit maximisation. I made regular and meaningful contributions to the training and
development of the marketing and sales staff. I believe this experience helped me to develop
business awareness, and I finally felt that I had the experience to match the knowledge of my
degree!
With this in mind I applied for the Graduate Programme. It was after staying in the Hotel
Russell in Central London in early January that I learnt how passionate and enthusiastic PH
Hotels are towards developing all employees and how driven they all are to go above and
beyond for guests. After further research it became apparent that the company values really
spoke to me. Not only that, but I felt that this graduate programme in particular was one of
the most structured, and I was excited by the prospect of tailoring the scheme to your needs! I
applied for the Operations Management Training Programme with a HR Focus and I was
delighted to accept the position of a Graduate Manager where I would be placed at The
Roxburghe Hotel in Edinburgh.

2. Having never been to Scotland before, I was very excited. I wrapped up warm and travelled
250 miles to Edinburgh! The Roxburghe is one of the newest hotels to the PH Group and has
won numerous awards including Edinburgh Hotel of the Year 2014 and the Scottish Business
Hotel of the Year for 2015. The hotel is located in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town
overlooking the beautiful Charlotte Square, with amazing views of Edinburgh Castle and
Princes Street Gardens. I was so excited to get started and felt very welcome within my first
few days of starting my new role. I have never looked back since!
My first rotation started in Housekeeping. This was probably the department I was the most
apprehensive about as I didn’t have any experience whatsoever. Within the first few hours I
felt so welcome within the team and did not have anything to worry about, everyone was so
helpful! In housekeeping, the clock is always ticking and in a busy city centre hotel the rooms
and public areas must be cleaned to a high standard and in a timely manner! It was from this
point onwards I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about going to the gym for the next few
months! I believe this was a great department to start in as it really helped me to learn the
layout of the hotel and the secret passages, the different types of bedrooms and suites that the
hotel has to offer and the exceptional standards of cleanliness. This rotation really helped me
to prioritise my workload, develop my timekeeping and organisational skills. The office side
to housekeeping also taught me about rota management, purchasing orders/stock rotation and
absence management.
Three months passed so quickly and it was time for my next rotation! I spent the first six
weeks of my time in Food & Beverage working in the Samovar Lounge, leading breakfast
shifts and ensuring the team delivered an excellent service for Afternoon Teas. I was excited
to be involved in such a demanding and fast paced environment where we could really make
a difference to the guest’s day! One of my favourite parts of this rotation was the interaction
with guests and being able to enhance the overall guest experience. Especially within the
Samovar Lounge you can really spend time with guests whilst they enjoy a coffee building a
rapport and creating valuable experiences! Becoming a shift leader for our
Breakfast/Afternoon Tea service really enhanced my leadership skills and allowed me to
develop my confidence in terms of briefing the team before a busy shift and really
demonstrating leading by example.
The run up to Christmas was here before we knew it! My final six weeks of this rotation was
spent in Conferences & Banqueting. This was one of the most challenging departments I had
worked in so far! Over the Christmas period there could be so many different events on at the
same time! From Conferences to Gala Dinners, Weddings to our Roxy Fever Party Night,
there was a lot to take on board to ensure a seamless service was delivered. One of the most
important aspects of this department was teamwork. It was essential that we all worked
together and communication was key in order to turn around a room for 300 people in an
hour and a half! I learnt how important attention to detail is and how everything must be so
organised and perfect! My challenges for the festive period included running the smaller
events and Gala Dinners as well looking after the different bars during our Roxy Fever Party
Nights. This department was definitely demanding at times, but when you receive positive
guest feedback from one of the events you were running it is simply the best feeling!

3. Conferences and Banqueting has definitely developed my confidence, leadership skills and
has given me insight to see how demanding yet rewarding it can be. My favourite part was
having the confidence and ability to train new staff members acting as a point of contact for
anything they may need.
At the start of January, I moved into the Human Resources department which is the rotation I
have most been looking forward to! This is one of the most exciting times to be in the
department as we have recently launched Project 1898 within the hotel. Contributing to this
project has meant focusing time on creating and implementing training and recognition
strategies across all departments, and multi-tasking with other daily activities including the
recruitment aspects of the hotel, screening CV’s, arranging interviews and payroll, to name
but a few! After spending a number of weeks in this rotation I have learnt how vital HR is to
the success of a business and how each day is specifically divided into the two different
components; the people who work at the hotel and its resources. I love that each working day
is completely different. It can be very demanding at times yet very rewarding! One of my
favourite parts has been assisting with the training for different departments, listening to team
member’s needs and acting upon them accordingly. I am really looking forward to seeing
what the next few weeks bring! I am thoroughly enjoying my time in HR and I feel this is the
area I could pursue a career in following the graduate programme.
I am now nearly half way through my programme and I can’t believe how many different
opportunities there has been so far or how quickly time is going! In the next few months I
look forward to spending time in Front Office, Sales, Events & Reservations and Marketing. I
am excited to see what challenges and new opportunities they bring. My last seven months at
The Roxburghe and living in Edinburgh has been an amazing experience and I can’t wait to
see what the future holds!