What our placement students say

Louise Pullen

International Hospitality Management BA (Hons)
Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club - 2010/11

I wanted the chance to really experience the hospitality industry as well further my future employment prospects. When the opportunity came to take a year's paid management trainee position through my course, it seemed a sensible and practical life decision.

Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club is a beautiful country house hotel set in the heart of Ashdown Forest. A four Red Star Hotel it prides itself on offering luxurious accommodation, exceptional service to its guests and an investment in all its staff members. With well-maintained gardens and parkland, superb leisure facilities and high standards it certainly is an amazing place to work.

Expectations are high, both professionally and personally and this can be challenging but necessary in order to further my career and myself. As you can imagine I was over the moon when I was told I would be given the position of trainee manager. I have had the opportunity to work in all departments of the hotel and experience every aspect of this lifestyle. From front office, housekeeping, reception, night duties and concierge, to food and beverage operations, the 2 AA Rosette Restaurant, the drawing rooms (lounge), cocktail bar, conference and banqueting and the fairway brassiere, to finally the leisure facilities, gym, spa, swimming pool, maintenance of the golf courses and tennis courts. It has been a very busy year so far!

This job involves a high level of dedication, it is a hard industry to work in, with long hours as standard, but it can also be very rewarding too. Within every department, I have been allowed to manage shifts, or particular jobs, in order to get a real taste of management life. I've dealt with monthly business plans, food audits, securing the daily takings, dissatisfied guests, health and safety issues and glitches in service, to name but a few.

Elite Hotels, the chain of hotels, which Ashdown Park is one of four, run an extensive training programme for all its members of staff. From service quality to excellence, health and safety, manual handling courses, disability welcome all seminars, WSET courses, food and hygiene, on and off the job training and industry shows (Restaurant Show and Wine Show) demonstrates the investment they have in their staff. They have already allowed me to partake in some of these courses. As well as putting my theory in to practice, I am still learning. This is the great thing about Ashdown, they always want to improve you as a worker. You feel valued and part of a very strong team.

Despite all the challenges and steep learning curves, demanding guests and long hours, I love it! You would not find me doing anything else. An unforgettable experience, made with amazing new friends and colleagues.