‘I love the buzz’: Working at the coal face in hospitality in Cork

International Hospitality Day takes place on April 24 every year, and aims to celebrate and promote the hospitality sector across the world.

A sector that provides flexibility and opportunities for development, it has become an increasingly enticing career option for women globally, with Cork – where hospitality plays a hugely important part of the economy - being no exception.

“I was finding with other jobs that I just seemed to never be at home,” says Mil Burke, a breakfast chef at the Metropole Hotel. She started at the hotel when her children were in secondary school, attracted to the hours that may seem antisocial to some.

“I’m up at half-four and normally in the kitchen by half-five”, Mil adds. “I’m a junior sous chef, so I’m in charge of the kitchen in the morning. I need to make sure everything is up and running... And then I’m out the door again at half-two. It was brilliant, I was able to get home just before the kids came home from school.”

The flexible hours offered by hospitality can be particularly appealing to working mums.

Sarah Hickey began working at the Cork International Hotel as a receptionist in 2007. She has worked her way up the ranks over the 19 years before taking on her current role as Front Office Manager, all the while raising her family.

She and her husband make it work by acting as “ships passing in the night,” she explains. “If he’s working days, I’ll do the evening shifts at the hotel. If he’s on evenings, I’ll do the days. There’s great flexibility”.

Sarah credits the support given by her workplace in allowing for this flexibility. “They support the working mums,” she says. “They support everyone. If I have to go for, say, a doctor’s appointment when one of my sons is sick or anything, then it’s absolutely no problem.”

Sarah caught the hospitality bug in college, when she had a part-time job at the Baltimore Harbour Hotel. “I worked in the restaurant,” she recounts, “before moving onto reception, and I enjoyed the buzz of meeting people and talking to people – I just got a nice taste for it.”

It’s not uncommon for hospitality staff to start out in part-time jobs as youngsters and end up staying in the sector for life.

Mil Burke regularly witnesses the beginnings of such careers at the Metropole. “We have kids coming in on work experience, and at the beginning they’re shaking like leaves, they’re so nervous. And then they do such a great job. Next thing they’re back, they’re here on weekends, they’re part-time, and then we’ve ended up with a couple that are full-time.”

Of course, not everyone comes to hospitality via the same route. Kylie Basnett is the Group Sales Manager for Trigon Hotels - the group that owns the Cork International Hotel and the Metropole - primarily dealing with corporate meetings, conferences and events for the company. Originally from Staffordshire in the UK, Kylie’s background is in horses, but she decided on a career change when she relocated to Ireland 22 years ago.

“When I moved across,” she says, “I wanted to work with people more. I love the idea of working in an environment where you’re consistently meeting new people and building relationships.” Hospitality ticked those boxes.

“I love the buzz of it all,” she adds, “whether it’s securing a new piece of business or seeing an event that we’ve been talking about for months come to life. 

"It really gives you such a sense of achievement. And hospitality is such a fast-paced industry as well. That always keeps it exciting.”

Kylie’s experience of hospitality in Cork has been nothing but positive. The city’s sector is a welcoming, collaborative space. “We work together for the good of Cork,” she explains. “When we go to events, we sell Cork as the destination.”

As well as a passion for all things Cork, good communication and interpersonal skills are essential for the city’s hospitality staff. As Sarah Hickey points out, it’s one of the increasingly scarce industries where face-to-face connection is still king.

“It’s very important, I think, nowadays for people to talk. We’re all caught up in social media and all that, but having that face-to-face contact, the chat, the interaction is so important”.

It is these interactions with guests that make the job so worthwhile. “When I see people enjoying their stay, having a great time, it puts a smile on my face”, says Sarah.

Mil Burke agrees: “As a chef, I’m very guest-focused. I’m very aware that someone is actually eating my food. It makes me want to be the best that I can be. I thrive on that.”

While hospitality is undoubtedly hard work – constantly busy, fast-paced, dealing with the public – for anyone who flourishes in such environments, it can be a hugely rewarding career.

“There’s so many different directions that you could go in,” says Kylie Basnett, who would recommend the sector to anyone starting out in the world of work or, like she did two decades ago, considering a career change.

“My confidence has grown with experience, so trust yourself and your abilities. If you enjoy working with people and having a variety of different things going on every day, it’s just such an amazing industry to be a part of.”

Mil Burke’s advice for anyone thinking of a career in hospitality is clear. “I would say go for it! It opens so many doors. It’s fantastic.”

Sarah Hickey couldn’t agree more. “It’s hard work, but it’s fun. The amount of people you meet that you bond with and grow friendships with is great, and you learn so much from the people you meet as well as the job itself.”