On Valentine’s Day 2020, the Damon Runyon ‘Guys and Dolls’ inspired Hotel Brooklyn MCR will open its doors to Cottonopolis. Inspired by a New York 1940’s backdrop of prohibition, high jinks and jazz the hotel sets out to walk the walk and talk the talk all the way to Salvation – its 9th Floor Bar – in a language they’re calling ‘brooklynese.’
Staffing Roles have been released via social media and two months out from opening there is already impressive interest – enough for the team to have had to arrange a Casting Day on January 9th 2020 to manage the flow of applications.
Niki Ball – HR Manager for Bespoke Manchester – is leading the pre-opening recruitment campaign but this is also about their story: feeding interest about a new hotel brand and the excitement of their truly unique offering.
General Manager, Paul Bayliss MBE, says of the cast assembly activity “Hotel Brooklyn provides outstanding job opportunities for an already highly-skilled hospitality community in the North West. (Hotel) Brooklyn will be one of the regions hottest and most talked about new openings in 2020 in the UK. As well as being a neighbourhood hotel we’ll be offering something for everyone – whether it’s a business coffee in the informal settings of the ground floor or an ‘on trend’ slap-up Big Apple style dinner with drinks in Salvation or Runyons. Brooklyn Heights, our banqueting and events space, is a state-of-the-art conferencing area which will double for ‘High Jinks and Jazz’ celebrations with a backdrop of the city to admire. Plus we’ll have staff dressed for each occasion: distinctive and different. We are looking for great people: a hospitality background is a bonus but they must have a confident Brooklyn spirit and enjoy being part of a team striving for excellence”.
Hotel Brooklyn is also in line to be the UK’s most accessible hotel with 18 of its 189 rooms and suites adapted for guests with a need for accessibility. It’s a huge leap beyond the industry norm – providing outstanding accessibility in rooms that are almost unrecognisably different from standard rooms. Paul is also the Hotel’s Access Champion, putting emphasis on staff training in the art of looking after everyone in the right way with respect for those with extra needs – and this is at the heart of the hotel’s ethos. Bayliss says that “everyone is different: we know that and we understand people requiring accessible facilities are not always so obvious as we all attempt to fit in. Our team will be undertaking training to understand the range of issues people contend with so we can help. We are using new technology designed to assist us so we meet the needs of guests’ proactively both before and during their stay. We’ll learn from our early interactions and like everyone in our industry does we’ll strive for an even better performance time and again. All guests want a happy and seamless experience – delivered in the right manner”.
Casting Days for a place on stage as a Brooklyn team member will take place January 9 2020 in readiness for the hotel’s official opening on Valentine’s Day. Applicants must first apply online and the day will be fun and all about the team – in Front Office, Reception, Kitchen, Maintenance or Conference there’s opportunity in Brooklyn.
Interest is already high for roles like Night’s Team player, Doors Person and Brooklyn Ambassadors who will make up part of the Hotel Front Office Team.
Hotel Brooklyn is part of Bespoke Hotel’s Manchester cluster of properties that includes Hotel Gotham and The Townhouse Hotel Princess Street. One of the most notable features of Gotham is its immaculate 20’s Bankers style of uniform. Hotel Brooklyn’s uniforms will have a similar appeal – based on a Prohibition, 1940’s, Guys and Dolls, Flappers and flatcaps theme – and will be revealed real soon.
