A switch from food and drink to health and leisure has won a hospitality professional from Lancaster a managerial promotion.
Gary Tennant returned to Lake District based English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues after a two-year spell working at another venue. With additional training and qualifications, he has now made the jump to become the new manager of the health club and spa at the group’s flagship venue in Windermere, Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa.
Having served as Food and Beverage manager at Lancaster House Hotel during an 18-year stint there, Gary longed for a return to the group and as luck would have it, a managerial post opened in the resort’s health club and spa.
That position allowed him to undertake NVQ courses including Level 2 in gym instruction and Level 3 in personal training, the perfect springboard for his latest promotion to run the health club and spa at Low Wood Bay.
“The chance to return to Lancaster House turned out to be a great career move,” explains Gary. “I was seeking to get a better work life balance for myself and the family and the switch to health and leisure gave me a new lease of life.
“I had fantastic support in getting new qualifications and cannot wait to get started. There’s a change of emphasis between food and drink and leisure and health – both require strong customer service skills and building a rapport with guests, but the latter is more about the coaching aspects which I really enjoy.”
Gary takes the reins at Low Wood Bay’s health club and spa from Annabel Berry, who has moved up to a new role within the hotel group as product development and training manager.
English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues group leisure manager Michael Kay says: “Gary’s story of progression up the career ladder is fascinating and his return to us hopefully shows we’re on the right track with staff welfare and training. The interpersonal skills he’s developed in his time in food and beverage, coupled with new qualifications, will serve him well within his new position in the company.”
English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues is recruiting across the group’s four venues in Cumbria and North Lancashire. To find out more and apply, visit https://englishlakes.co.uk/jobs/