Back in 2019, I began working as an Events Coordinator and I knew it wasn’t my forte. I decided to take a part time job as a reservation’s agent in Athlone, it was the best decision I ever made. Before I knew it, I was working full-time, I loved my job, and I really progressed in that role. I went from part-time, to full-time, reservations agent to reservations supervisor and it was there that I earned my first Managerial Role. The Revenue Manager at the time was amazing support and progressed to Hotel Manager Role so I knew that growth was there for me if I put in the hard work.

Without a shadow of doubt my family, but mostly my parents.

My Dad retired almost 2 years ago. He worked as a Bus Driver for 40+years, he has always inspired me to stay committed and “keep the faith”. My Father has shared commitment to Meath GAA, our local community and many other causes or organisations over the years – of course when you grow up witnessing this first hand, you can’t help but embody it yourself. My Mam of course, there are no words. She let my siblings & I pursue our dreams, no matter what they were – she stood on sidelines, attended parent teacher meetings, graduations, every event or occasion, she was by our side – wonder woman, to be honest.

Being from the Midlands, I always knew about the Heritage Hotel, it is a fabulous venue!!! (I might be more bias now than I was before)

I heard about the role online, applied, was called to attend an interview and as soon as I arrived at the hotel, (My Mam came with me as company for the drive) I pretty much fell in love with it! Had an interview at the time with the Revenue Manager and then Weddings/Events Manager and I just remember being super comfortable and both ladies were employed by FBD Hotels & Resorts for several years, and I could see how genuinely happy they were and how it was a great place to work.

I got a call the following morning to say I was successful and was offered the job. I didn’t even hesitate: the timing was perfect, and I just knew this was the right move for me.

As the Reservations Manager, I look after the day-to-day tasks in the Reservations Office. Daily tasks would include but not limited to, looking after potential and future group bookings, ensuring all our guests queries are actioned in a timely manner, working in conjunction with other departments to ensure the guest experience is seamless and making sure all standard operation procedures are adhered to. The most important task is making sure the guest gets a great first impression of the Hotel and that starts with us!

I would think a challenge would be that no two days are the same, but that’s not always a bad thing either. Challenges can happen outside of the Hotels control, and it is hard to adjust but you must work with the changes and challenges to grow.

My favourite part of my job is the people. I love working engaging with guests on the phone and I love working with my colleagues and despite no two days being the same, I like that about my job.

Nothing stands out to be honest, it’s not that the job is perfect, but I enjoy when I must do things I wouldn’t normally do or tasks I don’t like, I think it helps me for the next time it might happen. The more frequently you do things, they become second nature, so I try not look at them in a negative way.

I think you need to be a people person to work in hospitality, it is the forefront of everything we do. I think the skills I bring my workplace is being patient, IT proficient, a good timekeeper, organised, have great attention to detail, be a team player, be adaptable, a multitasker and most important - to be accountable.

I did Business in secondary school and I loved it, and I think it really helped me with my career choice. I studied in Athlone Institute of Technology (now TUS Athlone) and have a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Leisure Management. We have many modules throughout the 3-Year course but the most relevant for my career path would have been Human Resource, Information Technology, Accounting, Marketing, & Customer Relationship Management.

I completed my Leaving Cert and went to Athlone Institute of Technology (now TUS Athlone) where I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Hotel and Leisure Management. The course was a 3-year course and gave me the skills I needed to fulfil my career path. I did love that the course is specific to Hotel Management, most of our lecturers had worked in the hospitality industry which really helped me to understand Tourism and Hotels. We did a couple of months work experience as part of our course at the time, just before we entered our final year which really helps.

In recent years, I completed a Certificate in Revenue Management & CRM with Tralee Institute of Technology, Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) and I recently complete a Roadmap to Revenue Management with the IHF.

All the subjects I would have studied in college I would use daily now, there wouldn’t be one subject in particular which is most beneficial, but I would have to say completing work experience was the most important aspect of my education. That gave me an insight into hotels that I really needed. To learn in a classroom is one thing but to be able to apply them in the industry, that’s what makes it worthwhile for me.

I received an award recently as the Manager of the Year here at the Heritage, definitely a very proud moment for me. To be recognised by our Senior Management Team, it made my year to be honest!

If I could be anything in the world, I would love to be a lecturer.

Yes absolutely. I am lucky enough to currently work a Monday to Friday role. Like any job, something can happen when you’re not there and I am always happy to help where and when I can, but I have to say FBD hotels and resorts really do an amazing job at allowing us to have that work life balance.

You need to be good with people, be a good communicator, an organiser, a good timekeeper and motivated. Do any courses and workshops you can.

Communication Skills – it is at the hear of everything we do from our guests to our colleagues.

Empathy – to learn to understand guests and colleagues, to help you create memorable experiences.

I recently completed a Roadmap to Revenue Management with the IHF. I do intend on doing some more training for my current role and seeing what training I can undertake to help me work towards my next natural career progression. There are lots of courses and workshops out there now, so I am very lucky!!

I started working in a Student Bar when I was in college, I worked in Banqueting, Waitressing, Events, Front Office to Reservations – I recommend trying your hand at most departments if you can until you find your passion. That’s the best thing about this industry; it can take you anywhere.

Reservations Manager at The Heritage Hotel in Laois.