Service always trumps cool in NY hotels

New York isn't an easy place in which to succeed. This is especially true for those brave enough to work in the hospitality sector, arguably one of the toughest businesses in the Big Apple.

For Gerard Denneny though, New York is not just the city that put him on the path to success in the mid-1990s, but also a place that he's come to love all over again. Having returned to live and work in Manhattan for a second time in 2011, after some years in London, he's the first to admit that it's a tough environment.

But, having been involved in the opening of six luxury hotels in Ireland, London and New York, he’s well able to handle the pressure..

“When it comes to luxury hotels, there’s not actually a whole lot of difference in terms of the services offered to customers, no matter where they are,” he said.

Now working as general manager at the Viceroy Hotel near Central Park, Denneny (48) got his break in the hospitality sector at the K Club in Co Kildare, where he worked as resident manager after it opened in 1991.

After winning a Green Card in the Morrison Visa Lottery a few years later, he decided to try his luck in the US. His friend John Brennan, now chief executive of Jurys Inn, helped him to land a job as assistant manager at the Four Seasons Hotel in midtown Manhattan in 1995.

“The hotel had just opened and it was like nothing else I’d seen. It had been designed by the renowned architects IM Pei and Frank Williams, and was arguably the hottest property in Manhattan at the time, with room rates running in excess of $500 (€367). With 369 rooms across 52 floors, it’s also the tallest hotel in the city and people staying there expect to be treated well,” he said.

“The Four Seasons was an incredibly busy hotel in a fast-moving city and I spent much of my time just trying to hang on in there. It was one of the most intense roles I’ve ever had and was certainly a change from what I’d experienced while in Kildare.”

Despite a steep learning curve, Denneny quickly got to grips with his new position and his success didn’t go unnoticed back in Ireland.

In 1996, he was offered the opportunity to return home to become second-in-command at the Merrion Hotel, which was about to open.

“I didn’t have any desperate urge to come back, but the Irish economy was picking up and working in a relatively junior role on a low salary in New York was a challenge. The offers I was getting from Ireland were significantly better than those where I was and I was also keen to see what was happening at home as I was hearing great things, so I returned.”

After just over a year, Denneny was poached by what was to be one of the first designer hotels, the Morrison, before moving on again a short time later in 1999 when the Four Seasons sought him out to become director of rooms at its soon-to-be-opened hotel in Ballsbridge.

While astounded by the changes afoot in Ireland as the boom took off, Denneny was unimpressed by much of what he saw. With some of the uglier aspects of the Celtic Tiger being played out in luxury hotels, he was privy to scenes he found unpleasant.

“I saw Ireland becoming a different place and it wasn’t a nice thing to witness in many regards. I think the personality of the country changed and its character became diluted by the whole experience,” he said.

In 2004, he accepted an offer to become general manager at the Dubai-Holdings owned Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge in 2004.

“London wasn’t hugely attractive to me and it was only on repeated visits to see my sister that I started to enjoy the place. I’m glad I did because working at the Jumeirah was a great experience and gave me a wonderful insight into what was happening in Dubai, which was just taking off then,” he said.

After seven years in London, he was asked to return to New York to manage the Jumeirah Essex House. However, it turned out to be a short-lived move as the hotel was sold to JW Marriott. Now with the Viceroy, which opened a year ago, Denneny is hoping to stay put in New York for some time.

“The hotel scene here has become much more competitive over the years. Some 5,000 rooms have come on stream over the past 18 months alone. It’s hard to remain popular in a city that demands so much, especially when it seems as though the next big thing is opening every other day. However, we’re in a great location and have a popular roof-top bar with views over Central Park. That makes us the place to be at the moment.”

“There can be a lot of talk about how cool this or that hotel is, but if you don’t provide good service, you’ll fail. That’s something I’ve seen at every place I’ve worked,” he added.