Andrew Aigner-MuehlerLIVING OVERSEAS from my eyes.. WORKING AT THE DAVENPORT
January 26th 2008 04:51
WORKING AT THE DAVENPORT
Well I can remember my interview with the hotel at Merrion Square in Dublin, it was with the general manager of the hotel, it was quick and short, was asked “when I am able to start”, like usual I said “when do you want me to start”, they said “now”, I said “I’m still quite tired, can I start tomorrow?” the GM just said okay be here tomorrow at 9 and ask for the duty manager Frank Connoly. One hour or so later they telephoned me asking me “if I sure was I couldn’t start that night”.
Anyway the next day I started my first shift, I was worked a halve day with Bianca and a half day with Maeve.
I was with the hotel from late September to early June, and well it was an interesting time I was there. I started as a barman and worked myself up to being the head barman and cellarman, mostly nights I was on, the supervisers and managers had gone home early and they left me in charge and to close up.
I basically had a set shift Thursday to Monday each week with Tuesday and Wednesday being my days off Thursday to Saturday being function nights down stairs, Sundays up stairs in the presidents bar which were always early nights because it was so quiet I had cleaned up by seven and had nothing else to do until twelve and that was to do the till and pull down the roller door and Mondays was clean and tidy the cellar and accept deliveries, and to help out with the lunch period.
If at any time you needed to ask a staff colleague about anything that happened during the day, all you needed to do was walk out of the staff door walk across the road into the Gingerman pub and there they were all the staff would be in there from probably five onwards, sticking to their culture. One thing I did learn about living and working in Dublin was it was considered rude if you didn’t go for a pint or two after work.
The perfect thing about my job and working at the Davenport was just before starting my shifts at five I ate, I had a break around eight that the chefs looked after me and cooked up a good meal for me and then when I finished at one or two in the morning I ate again, that wasn’t all, most nights I also received ten to twenty Irish pounds in tips as well, and that wasn’t all, after finishing the functions on Friday and Saturday nights at three or four in the mornings a bunch of us use to sit down stairs and drink, must I say we use to polish up a few bottles drip dry. Don’t worry Mr O’Callaghan you never lost any money from us drinking, you’re clients fitted the bill. During the function when the clients who had hired the room, if they had an account open at the bar, our fingers use to do the walking on Micros, meaning we use to add drinks to their account to make up for our drinking. The stocktake was never in a minus, even that new years Stephen and I got left to work so we decided to treat ourselves to a bottle of Smirnoff vodka each, I decided to treat myself to a extra bottle, which I grabbed Jim Beam.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy about working at the hotel was it was haunted, downstairs at night time if you were left alone down stairs, I swear we were in the presence of someone, we could be stacking the shelves back with bottles or glasses then suddenly the door shuts, there is no breeze and there is no one else in the hotel but the night manager who was upstairs. That same story also happened to Angela one night. Also there were reports that one night Jon was standing at the front desk and for a reason he looked up and seen an old man and a boy standing at the bar, there wasn’t actually no one in the bar. There were more freaky stories like that, like a certain room on the sixth floor also having a ghost in it.
Also, when I left the hotel, I wish I left on a better accord, I didn’t do anything wrong or did I. I was meant to finish up on the Sunday night prior but was asked if I could stay on until the Wednesday to see off the AA hotel rating guy. The whole hotel knew who he was and where he was while staying with us. I, to this day, do feel a bit guilty the hotel did not receive the 5-stars it was aiming for. I heard from the hotel down the track the hotel judge put on the report that the president bar staff knew who he was because they paid extra attention to himself rather than to all the guest, I don’t think that was the case because I made sure that I was on the floor and someone else was behind the bar and we kept ourselves busy. The reason I stayed on the floor because of my customer service skills, I always give more than 5 star service. Anyway the hotel was left with a 4 and a half star rating with mistakes also happening in the kitchen with his meal and also when he checked in. the boss was not happy because he spent millions on redecorating the hotel.
To sum up about the Davenport, it was so great and was a pleasure to work in the hotel, even up to five years after I left the place I was still going back there to visit. All the managers and staff were so good to work for and with, even Mr O’Callaghan, who a lot of people thought he ran his hotels on scaring the staff, when he wasn’t in the hotel everything was relaxed but as soon as he walked in everything was in panic mode Mr OC’s in Mr OC’s in, everything has to be perfect, I can even remember one day Mr O’C had a table reserved for him and his family, I was asked to serve and look after the table, I took the order promptly, served the drinks fairly fast but I couldn’t serve the drink toyou know who, the reason being was we were waiting for a t-bag that we run out in the bar and Kevin was too busy to chase one up that the boss asked for from the restaurant, Mr O’C was quick to make a fuss to the acting DM at the time, which I was then forced to apologise. I didn’t make another mistake like that again, neither did I let the bar run out of anything. Just for the record I wasn’t the only one to receive it from the boss either.
If you are wondering the Davenport Hotel is the flagship of the O’Callaghan Hotel group of hotels. Other hotel in the chain are the Alexander and the Monte Clare which were both situated across the road from the Davenport, just around the corner at St Stephens square was the St Stephens Hotel. There are also three other hotels one in Gibraltor, one in the west of Ireland and also one in the United States, and growing. It is definitely a chain to stay out.
I really do miss the place!
Well I can remember my interview with the hotel at Merrion Square in Dublin, it was with the general manager of the hotel, it was quick and short, was asked “when I am able to start”, like usual I said “when do you want me to start”, they said “now”, I said “I’m still quite tired, can I start tomorrow?” the GM just said okay be here tomorrow at 9 and ask for the duty manager Frank Connoly. One hour or so later they telephoned me asking me “if I sure was I couldn’t start that night”.
Anyway the next day I started my first shift, I was worked a halve day with Bianca and a half day with Maeve.
I was with the hotel from late September to early June, and well it was an interesting time I was there. I started as a barman and worked myself up to being the head barman and cellarman, mostly nights I was on, the supervisers and managers had gone home early and they left me in charge and to close up.
I basically had a set shift Thursday to Monday each week with Tuesday and Wednesday being my days off Thursday to Saturday being function nights down stairs, Sundays up stairs in the presidents bar which were always early nights because it was so quiet I had cleaned up by seven and had nothing else to do until twelve and that was to do the till and pull down the roller door and Mondays was clean and tidy the cellar and accept deliveries, and to help out with the lunch period.
If at any time you needed to ask a staff colleague about anything that happened during the day, all you needed to do was walk out of the staff door walk across the road into the Gingerman pub and there they were all the staff would be in there from probably five onwards, sticking to their culture. One thing I did learn about living and working in Dublin was it was considered rude if you didn’t go for a pint or two after work.
The perfect thing about my job and working at the Davenport was just before starting my shifts at five I ate, I had a break around eight that the chefs looked after me and cooked up a good meal for me and then when I finished at one or two in the morning I ate again, that wasn’t all, most nights I also received ten to twenty Irish pounds in tips as well, and that wasn’t all, after finishing the functions on Friday and Saturday nights at three or four in the mornings a bunch of us use to sit down stairs and drink, must I say we use to polish up a few bottles drip dry. Don’t worry Mr O’Callaghan you never lost any money from us drinking, you’re clients fitted the bill. During the function when the clients who had hired the room, if they had an account open at the bar, our fingers use to do the walking on Micros, meaning we use to add drinks to their account to make up for our drinking. The stocktake was never in a minus, even that new years Stephen and I got left to work so we decided to treat ourselves to a bottle of Smirnoff vodka each, I decided to treat myself to a extra bottle, which I grabbed Jim Beam.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy about working at the hotel was it was haunted, downstairs at night time if you were left alone down stairs, I swear we were in the presence of someone, we could be stacking the shelves back with bottles or glasses then suddenly the door shuts, there is no breeze and there is no one else in the hotel but the night manager who was upstairs. That same story also happened to Angela one night. Also there were reports that one night Jon was standing at the front desk and for a reason he looked up and seen an old man and a boy standing at the bar, there wasn’t actually no one in the bar. There were more freaky stories like that, like a certain room on the sixth floor also having a ghost in it.
Also, when I left the hotel, I wish I left on a better accord, I didn’t do anything wrong or did I. I was meant to finish up on the Sunday night prior but was asked if I could stay on until the Wednesday to see off the AA hotel rating guy. The whole hotel knew who he was and where he was while staying with us. I, to this day, do feel a bit guilty the hotel did not receive the 5-stars it was aiming for. I heard from the hotel down the track the hotel judge put on the report that the president bar staff knew who he was because they paid extra attention to himself rather than to all the guest, I don’t think that was the case because I made sure that I was on the floor and someone else was behind the bar and we kept ourselves busy. The reason I stayed on the floor because of my customer service skills, I always give more than 5 star service. Anyway the hotel was left with a 4 and a half star rating with mistakes also happening in the kitchen with his meal and also when he checked in. the boss was not happy because he spent millions on redecorating the hotel.
To sum up about the Davenport, it was so great and was a pleasure to work in the hotel, even up to five years after I left the place I was still going back there to visit. All the managers and staff were so good to work for and with, even Mr O’Callaghan, who a lot of people thought he ran his hotels on scaring the staff, when he wasn’t in the hotel everything was relaxed but as soon as he walked in everything was in panic mode Mr OC’s in Mr OC’s in, everything has to be perfect, I can even remember one day Mr O’C had a table reserved for him and his family, I was asked to serve and look after the table, I took the order promptly, served the drinks fairly fast but I couldn’t serve the drink toyou know who, the reason being was we were waiting for a t-bag that we run out in the bar and Kevin was too busy to chase one up that the boss asked for from the restaurant, Mr O’C was quick to make a fuss to the acting DM at the time, which I was then forced to apologise. I didn’t make another mistake like that again, neither did I let the bar run out of anything. Just for the record I wasn’t the only one to receive it from the boss either.
If you are wondering the Davenport Hotel is the flagship of the O’Callaghan Hotel group of hotels. Other hotel in the chain are the Alexander and the Monte Clare which were both situated across the road from the Davenport, just around the corner at St Stephens square was the St Stephens Hotel. There are also three other hotels one in Gibraltor, one in the west of Ireland and also one in the United States, and growing. It is definitely a chain to stay out.
I really do miss the place!
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