Simon Retea is an Administration Assistant in The Croke Park. She’s been working in the hotel since January 2015, when she joined as an F&B Assistant, then moved to her current role in August 2016, after getting her Diploma in Office Management and Administration. We chatted to her about what her job entails, what her working day looks like and her favourite pre-work treats…

“I usually start work at 9am and finish up at 5:30pm. I’m very lucky to live in the area, so I can just walk to work. There is a shop on my way to work where I can get some coffee - and if I get sausage rolls for the girls in the office, I’m their best friend!

The first thing I do when I get to the hotel is to check the post and the Hazard Busters tracking days (Risk Management Programme in the company). After that, I have a look at my calendar reminders and checklist, and plan for the day.

There’s no such thing as a “usual morning” in the hospitality industry and that’s what I like the most about the job.

I tend to interact with guests mostly by email and phone. Some of the guests would know me from when I was an F&B Assistant, so sometimes I like to go down to the bar and say hello to them.

I take my lunch break at around 1.30pm and usually eat in the hotel. But if it’s not too cold outside I like to take a short walk to the closest shop and maybe grab a bite to eat there. The staff food here is really good, but after a few hours at my desk it’s really nice to take a walk.

Every day is different in my job. I can be busy in the morning one day, or at the end of my shift the next day. If F&B is busy then I am busy, if the Reservations department is busy I would also take the calls. I really enjoy working in all the areas in the hotel, and I like to use all the training and knowledge I have in order to help all the departments, as well as getting my own admin job done.

I normally finish up at 5.30pm but as it is a hotel, things can always change at the last minute, so I might have to stay a little longer. Before I leave work I like to plan ahead a little, so I’ll make a brief list of what I would like to get done the following day.  

When my working day is over, I enjoy going to the gym. There is always a class in the evening but my favourite day is Monday, which is Box fit class.

At the end of the week I like to visit my brother who leaves in Rush, Co. Dublin. It’s a beautiful area and he has a great view of the ocean from his backyard. I enjoy a walk on the beach even in the wintertime. He also has a new baby boy (pictured) who is just a few weeks old, so I love to visit him.

The most unusual challenge I had at work was joining the sales team for the The Ploughing Championship in Tullamore. I remember last year when the place was flooded, I had to jump on pieces of wood to try not to fall in the mucky water. It makes me laugh every time I think about it!

I remember my first day at the hotel. I was at the kitchen pass with the duty manager and as we were taking the food, she was telling me something about the guests we were going to bring the food to. It was a very nice introduction to our guests.

Also, on my first day in the hotel I met one of my best friends, and we are still working together today.”