Behind the Scenes of Wales’ AA Hotel of the Year 2024: Success Strategies from Parkgate Hotel’s Damien Martin.
In the latest episode of the Visitor Elves podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Damien Martin, the General Manager of the Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff.
With a wealth of experience across various hotels, including the Bristol Harbour Hotel and The Newt in Somerset, Damien brings a deep understanding of the hospitality industry. His current role sees him leading one of Cardiff’s most prestigious hotels, which opened its doors in 2021.
As Damien shared, he’s proud to represent a Welsh business and excited about Cardiff’s growing opportunities.
“Never rest on your laurels—always aim to be better than the day before.”
Damien’s industry involvement is impressive, serving as the Vice Chair of the Cardiff Hoteliers Association and Chair of the Aspiring Leadership Diploma alumni committee, supporting young professionals.
We chat about:
> Parkgate Hotel’s rapid rise to success and earning AA Hotel of the Year for Wales.
> The hotel’s standout restaurant, The Sorting Room, and its AA Rosettes for exceptional cuisine.
Damien’s five key tips for running a successful hotel:
- Consistency and Simplicity: Keep things consistent across all operations and make simplicity your secret weapon. This helps in delivering a seamless guest experience.
- Attention to Detail: Focus on every little detail of the customer journey, from their first interaction with the hotel to the follow-up after their stay.
- Innovation: Never stop innovating. Continuously seek ways to improve offerings, services, and processes.
- People First: Create a positive work environment. Happy employees lead to happy guests, so build a supportive team culture.
- Continuous Improvement: Always strive to be better than the day before. Don’t rest on past successes, there’s always room for growth!
This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling.
Hello Starling is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations. They’ve work with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today.
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