For all hotel chains, maintaining a high standard of service is imperative, but for the Doyle Collection it’s also a matter of family pride. The Dublin-headquartered hotel chain places its family ownership at the centre of the brand, delivering a warm, homely experience in each of its eight hotels. And when the family name is at stake, you need a team of the very best talent to take care of it.
Jessica Berry, Talent Manager at The Doyle Collection, explains the importance of the company’s heritage. “I think the thing that sets the Doyle Collection apart is that we are still a family business and that sense of family trickles down into all the hotels”, she said. “We still have members of the family on the board of directors and that sense of family and community is something that is key for us.”
Jessica is charged with finding the very best talent to uphold the heritage at their eight Irish, US and UK hotels. The theme of heritage runs through the business, and is especially evident in the buildings, locations and decor of their hotels. The chain consciously chooses notable buildings in the very best city locations, with interior design that is authentic to the local neighbourhood – from The Marylebone in London, to Dupont Circle in Washington DC.
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Why do you choose to recruit from Les Roches?
The Doyle Collection is a long-term Les Roches recruiter, for Jessica the proof is in the feedback from managers. “For us, the training and education that you provide to your students are second to none. I’ve worked with Les Roches students for four or five years now and I’ve had nothing but amazing feedback from the teams they have gone into.”
The unparalleled combination of in-depth classroom studies, practical arts and real-world experience ensures Jessica comes to Les Roches first whenever she needs new talent. “I think they go in with realistic expectations and a really good knowledge and grounding when it comes to going on site at hotels.”
What qualities do Les Roches graduates bring?
Time and again we here professionals and leaders in hospitality share how essential it is to ‘do what you love and love what you do’. This is one big quality that Jessica believes Les Roches graduates bring to The Doyle Collection.
“Trait wise, from Les Roches students that we value, passion is absolutely key. You might have the best education (and your education is excellent), but if you don’t have the passion for the industry and what you do, I don’t think you are going to succeed to the level of someone who loves what they do”, she said.
“You see from Les Roches students that they’ve done the job, they’ve done their internships traditionally, they’ve been working on site at the school as well, and that passion comes through when they work for us full-time.”
What advice can you give to stay ahead of the competition?
“I would say network. I’ve told quite a few students today that I no longer believe business cards. I have connected then and there on LinkedIn. That’s where I’m sharing information, that’s where I’m going to for content, that’s where I’m finding out what our competition is doing, it’s where I’m going when I’m looking for our next talented person to join the team”, Jessica said.
Jessica also shared her top LinkedIn tips: Build a great profile, keep it up-to-date, network with the right people and connect with as many relevant people you can.
Just as the value of community helps to set The Doyle Collection apart, so it can also help set candidates apart too through networking channels like LinkedIn. Thank you to Jessica for the great advice and for taking the time to share why she recruits from Les Roches.
