General Manager of voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley, an IHG Hotel, Penny Crossley, says she suspects that readers of Travel Monitor will have plenty of experience staying in hotels.
“And on each occasion, I hope they will have had enjoyed a warm welcome, a great bed, hot shower, nice amenities, a good breakfast, or a touch of ‘surprise and delight’. At IHG we call it True Hospitality.”
Last year IHG launched the voco brand and opened the first one on the Gold Coast in Queensland in November 2018.
“I am genuinely excited to now be the second voco General Manger in Australia, and particularly proud to do it in the wonderful Hunter Valley region. This exciting upscale brand is taking the hotel stay back to what it should be: a welcoming, hosted experience with true hospitality at every moment of their stay. It is an exciting adventure for our team and guests,” Crossley said.
Find out what else Penny Crossley had to say about her role and the industry as a whole in this week’s Talking Travel.
What does your job involve?
The General Manager is responsible for leading the diverse hotel team to deliver that hospitality, drive performance and to be the face of the hotel to the outside world. I work for IHG, which manages voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley on behalf of the property owner, so an important part of my role is also to act as caretaker of that asset on their behalf. And that’s what I do, along with my leadership team: deliver a great experience to guests, colleagues and owners. Of course, being part of a small hotel team, everyone pitches in to make things work – on a daily basis I’m inspecting the property, planning shifts, pitching in to help in the kitchen or front desk, resolving a crisis, brainstorming business development and marketing ideas, and helping a colleague with their career or personal development.
We put a lot of emphasis on our Responsible Business practices, constantly looking for ways that we can become more efficient and sustainable, making the most of IHG’s platforms like Green Engage. We remain authentic and inspire our colleagues to make the impossible possible. We always keep things in perspective by remaining fair and balanced and at all times drop everything to support the team and therefore ensure a seamless stay for our guests.
It’s a big job, but it’s not all hard work. By mid-afternoon, it’s often back to the hotel for a quick taste of some new menu dishes in the kitchen, debrief of the day with the department leaders, and getting ready for the next day. For now, it’s off to yoga.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I love being able to bring joy to someone’s day – whether it’s helping a guest to have an amazing stay, or a colleague to have an awesome day. We strive daily to make unique emotional connections with our guests and create memories that they can hold with them for a lifetime. It’s an incredible responsibility and privilege to be a part of a surprise birthday, a wedding or just a great family getaway to reconnect. I’m proud to be able to make a difference in someone’s day, or even their life.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession?
An amazing experience is something different for every guest – what is luxury for someone might be unimportant, or even intrusive, for another. I can honestly say that the voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley team goes out of its way to exceed expectations and make sure a stay is perfect, and quite often we have to flex quickly and try a different something different when one approach doesn’t wow as expected!
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
We are fortunate in Australia to have a low rate of unemployment, but that can make it hard to find people to work in hotels, especially when the industry (and IHG) is growing so quickly! We put a big emphasis on getting out there to tell the story about hotels as a fantastic career choice – I know that other areas of hospitality have had a bad reputation over the years, but not hotels! Who wouldn’t love the flexibility, camaraderie, experience, fast-track career paths, global opportunities make it like no other? I mean, you can literally start working in a hotel kitchen and within a few years have worked your way up to become a General Manager of a multi-million-dollar hotel. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What do you think will be the biggest game changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
It will be interesting to see how technology complements the hotel experience in the next few years. Already we have world-class guest booking technology and just last year we installed Tesla car chargers at the hotel to meet the growing need for hybrid vehicles. AI and robots are already being trialled across a few of IHG’s hotels globally – they can’t replace True Hospitality, but they can play a role in enhancing the overall guest experience. Who knows what will be next, but I’m excited to see it!
Who inspires you most and why?
Leanne Harwood, IHG’s Managing Director for Australasia & Japan. Not only has she blazed a trail for female leaders in what used to be a male-dominated industry, she is an amazing personality inspires change within our business every day by encouraging others to “think differently”.
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
Sir David Attenborough, the Amazon jungle.
