Rob, Duty Manager, Premier Inn

Getting back into the working world after a while, or embarking on something new later in life can be daunting. Fear, self doubt and questioning whether it’s even possible is holding people back from starting a new chapter in their life. At Whitbread, we want to turn around the negatives and help you change your story – both the stories you tell yourself about lack of confidence, ability  or employability, and your future ambitions too. You’re at the best place to #ChangeYourStory, with the UK’s leading hospitality business.

“Hospitality’s an exciting industry. There’s lots of challenges – you’ll meet lovely people, you’ll meet not so lovely people! But you’ll be supported all the way if you join it with Whitbread.

“What I love about hospitality is you get that instant validation of a great guest experience and you see that every day as a Duty Manager.

“I was born and raised in Liverpool but lived overseas for a while as a younger man. Over in Denmark I worked as a semi-skilled machinist but when I returned home I wasn’t dead set on continuing that line of work.

“The hotel near me, ‘Derby Lodge’, needed a Kitchen Porter so I applied and got the job. It was a Premier Lodge at the time, and I moved on to other roles such as Cellarman, Bar Supervisor and Conference and Banqueting Co-ordinator for a while.  

“Whitbread bought the business and the rest is history. It was converted into Premier Inn Roby – although the Table Table restaurant kept the Derby Lodge name – and this role of Duty Manager was created.

“All in all I’ve been 16 years as a Duty Manager. I moved from Roby to Liverpool 1 – a much bigger hotel right in the heart of the city, where I was for six years and I’ve been at Albert Dock for 10 months. I work in a unique hotel and I love it here.

“If you’re thinking about hitting that ‘apply’ button, I’d say that no matter which part of the country you’re in, you’ll be joining a team and a business with something to give you.

“It’s no mystery why we have great people here. My motto is ‘have your aces in places and your business will run efficiently’. There’s no doubt that we bring the right people into our world at Premier Inn and it pays off.

“Whitbread looks after you if you need help or support, which we all do at times. It backs you with training and development and you can make it exactly what you want – at your own pace.

“If you want to be a Hotel Manager with Premier Inn, the steps to progress are clearly there. I’m not ruling out becoming an HM at some point – it would be nice to manage a 30-bed hotel somewhere!"

#ChangeYourStory with shifts to suit everyone at the UK’s leading hospitality business here…