Meet Rebecca Harrington, Trainee Management Development Programme Participant

We catch up with Rebecca Harrington, Front Office Supervisor at Cork International Hotel. Having worked with Trigon Hotels for the past year, Rebecca tells us about her journey in hospitality, her favourite parts of Cork and how things are going on the Trainee Management Development Programme.

Tell us a bit about you…
My name is Rebecca Harrington, I am twenty-one years old, and I am employed at The Cork International Hotel as Front Office Supervisor. I am from Blarney in Cork. I recently finished my undergraduate degree in UCC in English and Sociology back in May and have passed all my exams with flying colours so I will be graduating later in the year. I have always had a flare for hospitality so in hindsight I should have picked a course relevant to hospitality as I despised school and college. I have an eleven-year-old dog, her name is Bubbles, and she is super cute and friendly. She loves treats and playing fetch. I am an only child and every Christmas I used to ask Santa Claus for a sibling, and every year I received a goldfish instead, I wasn’t too happy! My hobbies are listening to music, spending time with my family, watching Netflix, drinking coffee, and of course eating chocolate
 

Who is your role model?
My role model would be my Front Office Manager (recently appointed Deputy General Manager) Edel Kavanagh because she is the equivalent to superwoman when it comes to the front desk. I can go to her with any problem be it personal or work-related and she will sit down and have a talk with me and conclude with various solutions. I also feel I can ask Edel for help/advice with anything. Edel always takes my new ideas on board and gives feedback. Edel has also done the Training Management Development Programme and said it has helped her come on leaps and bounds so I am hoping I can follow Edel’s footsteps and eventually progress up to her level one day. Everyone on the Front Desk works as a whole team purely due to the fact we have an amazing F.O.M. who is the glue to the team and holds everyone together. Edel also helps in all departments if needs be which I find extremely admirable as it demonstrates her diversity and her ability to multi- task. You can always count on Edel which is why she is my role model. I hope to be half as good as she is one day.
 

What do you love most about living and working in Cork?

I love living in Cork as there is always something to do or somewhere to go and see. I love going to the beach, so Inchydoney and Kinsale beaches are two of my favourite places in the whole wide world along with Mullinhassig Waterfall which is a hidden gem- especially on a sunny day with an ice cream in hand. I feel that as Corkonians, we are extremely friendly and hospitable people especially in Hospitality which is why I love working and living in Cork. I love the hotel industry but even guests mention that hotel staff in Cork are different to any other county as we can’t do enough for our guests and we are willing to go to the moon and back for people.
 

What has your hospitality journey looked like?
I started off in hospitality the week I turned sixteen, I got my first job as an accommodation assistant in Jurys Inn, I stayed there for circa four months and then moved on to Food and Beverage in The Mill Café and Restaurant in Blarney Woollen Mills, I worked as a waitress there until I got offered a position in The Commons Inn as a waitress, barmaid, and receptionist. This is where I found my love and flair for the Front Office. I loved working in The Commons, I was employed in The Commons for three years and eventually left due to Covid restrictions. I then worked in the Oriel House Hotel for four months as a receptionist until I was offered a job with Trigon Hotels in The Cork International Hotel as a receptionist back in August 2021. I have recently been promoted to Front Office Supervisor back in May when I finished my final year exams and have been loving every minute of it.
 

What are you most enjoying about your current role?