I LOOK AFTER two complexes. I inherited my job from my mother, who used to do it until two years ago.
Saturday is my busiest day. I’m here from 8.30am on for check-out and to say goodbye to people leaving. I meet with my cleaners, allocate houses and talk to our maintenance man about what needs doing where.
After that, I start inspecting the houses, checking the equipment and the inventory, which is the biggest job of the day. Most people look after the houses really well. I think if people arrive at a clean and well looked after place they’ll do their best to keep it that way.
Jobs range from a broken toaster to a leaky shower and it’s all got to be done before guests start arriving. Lunch is a question of snacking on the hoof. I eat fruit and nuts as I go and drink lots of water because you need it when you spend the whole day talking to people.
By 3pm guests will start arriving, and so I’ve to meet and greet, and help them settle in. There are any number of questions to answer, from where is the best restaurant to the nearest nice walk.
One of my jobs is preparing the information folder that goes into each house and making sure it’s up to date.
From now until the end of the summer it’s all families and all kids. I love that. In the shoulder season – September to November – it’s mainly older couples and from December to February it’s pretty deserted.
I hate an empty holiday home and I hate it when it’s just me here. I love the buzz of the summer.
I’d say 70 per cent of our guests are Irish. The number of Irish has grown significantly as more people have opted for a staycation.
I have seen the clear rise in numbers and it makes sense to me because Dunmore East is a terrific place for a holiday.
I very rarely have a guest that I can’t make happy. I think if you’re nice to people, and you really listen to them, you can go a long way towards sorting anything out.
For the rest of the week I’m here in the mornings taking bookings from Trident and allocating houses.
Guests have my mobile number and I’m on call 24/7. People ring out of hours for anything from a medical emergency to a broken appliance.
On a Saturday I finish up at 8pm and head home, where my husband will have my dinner and a glass of wine ready.
For my own holidays I often go to other Trident homes. It’s not a busman’s holiday, but it’s hard not to notice how they do things there.
- Kim Judge is manager of 30 Trident Holiday Homes in Dunmore East, Waterford
- In conversation with Sandra O'Connell