Luton Hoo Provides Five-Star Jobs for Locals

Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa has created unique job and career opportunties for people living locally, and more than than 80% of the staff come from Luton and the surrounding area.

 

To date the hotel has taken on 191 full-time staff, plus part-time employees, and the total will rise to 300 by the end of the year. As well as providing local managers, chefs, receptionists, porters, doormen and other hotel staff with the chance to work in a five-star property on their doorstep, there are opportunities for those who are completely new to the hospitality industry.

 

Elite Hotels began its recruitment drive last year, with the first staff starting work while building contractors were still working on site. The local employment boost was welcomed by Luton South MP Margaret Moran and Richard Lacy, Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce for Luton and Bedfordshire, who both said Luton Hoo would play a major part in showcasing Luton as a top town in which to live, work and do business.

 

One of the locals who has furthered his career thanks to Luton Hoo is Head Chef Stuart Hubbard, who originally trained at Luton’s Barnfield College.

 

“Luton Hoo has provided us with a fantastic opportunity that didn’t exist before,” said 34-year-old Stuart, who previously worked with Gordon Ramsey at the Connaught Hotel and at Anton Mossiman’s Belfry and other top London hotels. Before joining Luton Hoo he was Head Chef at a 19-bedroom hotel in Bedfordshire.

 

“I manage a team of 37 and nearly half of them trained at Barnfield. Until now if you wanted to work for a prestigious hotel you had to go to London, but now we have Luton Hoo right here.

 

“When I was interviewed for my job I was wearing a hard hat and muddy boots as the kitchen hadn’t been completed and there were builders on site. So it was very exciting to work here from day one and be involved with a new hotel and its development.”

 

Another former Barnfield College student who has secured a top position at Luton Hoo is Rebecca Lewis, Head Therapist in the spa. Rebecca, 33, heads a team of five therapists providing a wide variety of treatments using bespoke natural products inspired by Luton Hoo’s gardens. After leaving Barnfield College Rebecca began her career at Henlow Grange, now part of the Champneys group, before moving to the company’s flagship resort at Tring in Hertfordshire.

 

Rebecca said: “I was very excited to be involved with the opening of the new spa and was attracted to Luton Hoo because I know the local area and knew about the elegant mansion before it was transformed into a hotel.”

 

Luton Hoo has also provided Claire Conway with the opportunity to advance her career. The Assistant Front of House Manager, who comes from Luton and studied travel and tourism at college, previously worked for a 28-bedroom hotel in the town that has since closed.

 

“It was a huge step coming to a hotel the size of Luton Hoo,” said 26-year-old Claire. “But at the same time it was very exciting and fantastic that they gave me the chance to prove myself in this new role.

 

“I got a Saturday job as a waitress while I was still at college and, like many people, that was my introduction to the industry,” she said. “From there I got a full-time job and worked my way up the ranks at my last hotel. When I heard that Elite Hotels had taken over Luton Hoo I couldn’t wait to see what it would look like and went straight onto the careers website when it went live. I love my new job as every day is so different and it really is brilliant to have a hotel like this on our doorstep.”

 

General Manager Richard Baker said: “However luxurious and well-equipped the facilities, the excellence of a hotel depends on its team. We have been very lucky to find a pool of excellent staff in our catchment area and to date more than 80% of our employees are local. We are looking to recruit 100 more in the near future and there are all kinds of jobs for the right people, even if they have no background in the hotel industry.

 

“Elite Hotels prides itself on its training programme and there are many people in the group, including some who started as part-time employees, who have risen through the ranks to supervisory and management level. We place a great emphasis on enthusiasm and aptitude rather than paper qualifications.”

 

Information on employment opportunities at Luton Hoo can be found at www.careersatelitehotels.co.uk.