A couple arriving late after a long flight were greeted not just with a smile but with a quiet gesture: a team member waiting at the curb, umbrella in hand, shielding them from the drizzle before they’d even stepped out of the car. No words, no fuss. Just someone who noticed and acted.

Sustainability in luxury hospitality is now an expectation. Guests are paying more attention to where they stay, how their experiences impact the planet, and whether their favourite hotels and cruise lines are walking the talk when it comes to sustainability.

When we engage with a client, one of the first and most critical tasks for us is to establish that brand’s promise to their customers. In some instances, our clients have pre-defined their brand promise, but surprisingly many brands have not yet completed this important step.

When I think about transferable skills, I think of them as part of my career tool belt. The ability to transition from one role to another using these skills shows flexibility in an ever-changing world. I use my existing skills daily by applying them to new challenges, which demonstrate adaptability and resourcefulness (which are also transferable skills).

Can you imagine Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp sending their respective teams on to the pitch without having a pre-match briefing to discuss strategy, tactics, and the game plan? Neither would Andy Farrell send Ireland out to a Six Nations match without going back over the game plan and tactics one more time!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

We believe if you hire the right people, anything is possible and achievable. The reward of believing in people unlocks hidden potential, not only for our business but for our clients too.

We are not consultants. Let me explain why.

Simply put, on our Ship Launch projects we begin at conception. They entail meticulously planning who is needed onsite and when, discussing with the builders appropriate and deliverable venue handovers, procuring accommodation and catering for the team, sourcing quarantine hotels, PCR tests and Booster vaccines to ensure the team members are in top health, and working with local vendors to maintain a high moral.

My career in hospitality started at a very young age. My grandfather bought an old country house on the outskirts of Tralee, Ireland in 1958 and turned it into a hotel. My father eventually took over this hotel, and by the time I was born, my family were living in a wing of an upper floor of that same hotel. Back then it was known as The Manhattan, but it was later returned to its original name of Ballygarry House.