A Grand place to work
A new column meeting the staff and going behind the scenes at the hotel
As the iconic Brighton hotel has just announced a £5 million refurbishment, we thought we would find out more about what goes on behind the scenes at The Grand from key members of its staff, hearing their thoughts on how the refurbishment will be a brilliant development for them and the hotel.
First we meet Chris McKendrick – Maintenance Manager:
“My job is to look after the infrastructure of the hotel. I need to make sure that everything runs smoothly for the guests and staff here. The hotel is so big it’s definitely a full time job but I’m an engineer by trade so I love developing solutions for how to make all aspects of The Grand work perfectly.
“I can control the entire hotel from my iPhone. I introduced a new Building Management System that controls every aspect of the hotel from the water tanks in the attic to the lights. If a guest asks for the temperature to be regulated in their room late at night, this can be changed at a click of a button, wherever I might be.
“I’ve been here for three years and it wasn’t like this when I got here; everything was running 24 hours a day, but everything is now on a timer to save energy. Not a lot of hotels have this and it’s very unusual for a hotel as old as The Grand to have it.
“This means we’re very green. We are really big on recycling and are expecting to get a Green Tourism Gold Certificate, which will make us the greenest hotel on Brighton’s seafront!
“There are some unusual aspects of my job. Rescuing stuck seagulls from the roof is one of them, as is collecting debris from a guest’s room after they have a rock-star moment. People also don’t tend to realise how much work goes into keeping up the hotel’s standards; we test the water quality and air temperature constantly.
“The £5 million refurbishment is a massive bonus. It will help the hotel keep up its five-star standards. My team and I are really proud of all the work we have done so far and now we can look forward to the next chapter in The Grand’s tapestry.
“People in Brighton are going to love it. There is going to be a brand new restaurant with a fresh fish counter and the lower ground floor is being totally transformed into a spa which will offer seven treatment rooms and a four-station nail bar. It will be a brilliant experience for guests staying here particularly because the bedrooms are also being completely redecorated.”
Next time we will be speaking to Erwan Mauro, the Restaurant, Lounge & Room Service Manager on his thoughts surrounding the exciting new seafood restaurant; Caught at The Grand.
The Grand, 97–99 King’s Road, Brighton, BN1 2FW, 0871 222 4684 www.devere-hotels.co.uk/thegrand
The Grand has entered the ‘Brighton Mix Off’ competition and needs your help to get through to the finals. Click here and ‘like’ The Grand’s entry, and you could be in with the chance to win three on the house cocktails each for you and a friend’!
