Front Office Manager
Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Crowne Plaza)
Daniella W
0.00.00 My name is Daniella W. I’m the Front Office Manager. Some days I’m managing the team for training, some days I’m checking and talking to the guests. Some days I’m managing accounts, I’m looking at reservations, hosting events that are going on in the hotel. I also look after concierge as well, so I’m making sure that they’re going, picking the guests up from the airport. So it’s very, very varied really in a hotel. I’m also Duty Manager as well a few shifts a month, so I’m in charge of the whole hotel as well.
0.00.30 There was two sides to Daniella at school I think. There was the, I was very academic. I was very into certain subjects. I’ve always been quite creative so I loved art. I loved English. I liked my languages and things like that. I wasn’t particularly great at maths. I had this fear of maths. I couldn’t do it and you know I did pass my exams but I didn’t pass them as well as I wanted to. At school it’s so general you just think oh, you know, I don’t think I’m going to be able to do these kind of exams,
0.01.00 but when you get to the workplace and it actually relates to something like it’s relating to how much money we’re taking or how much our payroll’s got to be, etc. it’s relevant and it becomes a lot more easier. My parents are typically working class background. My mum works in a big supermarket chain. My dad works in engineering. You know my family never pushed me to go to university, they just wanted me to, end up working in an environment where I would be really happy in.
0.01.30 Going to university was purely a choice I wanted to do. I wanted to learn more and just, just get the most I can out of a job, you know, we spend a lot of time in our jobs and I want to have a good time and getting something back from my job at the same time. I graduated in 2003 from Salford University with a degree in business and finance, so a little bit different. A lot of my background before then was in service, customer service roles, retail. And I was looking for a management role in something similar and it just happened that hotel had all those elements rolled into one.
0.02.00 And I got on a graduate scheme for Premier Inn Hotels and I did a year with them where I basically worked in every single department, food and beverage, reception, housekeeping, a bit of sales, and then I was looking for that next challenge and I got the job here at Crowne Plaza at the airport. Very, very different roles because the airport is very fast paced. It’s very unpredictable. Obviously it’s international company this one as well so it gives me a lot more opportunities in the future.
0.02.30 I think the biggest obstacle for anybody really going to university is, you know, having a job while you’re working. I mean you’re studying full-time. I worked 20 to 30 hours, you know, that’s a lot of hours to work but you’ve obviously got to fund yourself through university. I think trying to get that balance is, is so essential to, you know, obviously passing your degrees and also getting your work experience, it takes a lot of planning, a lot of organisation, but you know if you can manage to do that, those organisational skills will set you up for the future, especially in this industry because you do need to be organised.
0.03.00 In my spare time I learn Spanish, personal hobby, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to, go and see my friends and family, catch up with them cos they have very different jobs to what I do so it’s nice to see what’s going on there, travel. I absolutely love travel. I’ve been lucky enough to go to some amazing places over the last few years. We get an amazing staff discount on rooms as well. For example, next month me and my colleague are going on girl weekend to Belfast, so we can just go,
0.03.30 you know, I’ve been to places like Australia, the United States, Europe, Middle East, you know, I’ve travelled really, really well. My parents are really proud of what I do. I’m 27 now and I work in a four star hotel, one of the top twelve in the company in the UK. I run a department of 30 people at front of house, you know, we’re in the spotlight and I just keep pushing myself really because I want bigger and better things.
0.03.57
Daniella Willcock is a Front Office Manager at a Crowne Plaza hotel. While she was at Salford University she worked 20-30 hours to fund herself through the course. That meant that she was getting a lot of relevant work experience while she was being educated, and to pull that off she had to develop her planning and organisation skills as well. So now, at age 27, she is running a team of 30 people in a four star hotel.
More information about Hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors
The UK average salary is £29,813
There are 37.5 hours in the average working week
The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male
Future employment
- Analyses demand and decides on type, standard and cost of services to be offered;
- Determines financial, staffing, material and other short- and long-term needs;
- Ensures physical comfort of residents or passengers and makes special arrangements for children, the elderly and the infirm if required;
- Approves and arranges shipboard entertainment and shore trips and liaises with ship’s agent to ensure that ship is adequately provisioned;
- Arranges for payment of bills, keeps accounts and ensures adherence to licensing and other statutory regulations.
