Working in hospitality can provide unexpected perks despite demanding work. The author details their experience working hospitality jobs at prestigious venues like the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and Donington Park race track. While the jobs require long hours, physical labor, and dealing with difficult customers, they also provide unique advantages. The author has enjoyed free admission and opportunities to watch major sporting events and concerts through their work. They believe the benefits, like building contacts and experiencing memorable events, outweigh any complaints about low pay. Hospitality work provided money for travel goals and a covert sense of prestige in working behind the scenes of major venues.

1. What life is like on
the other side of the
champagne bottle
I
T’S great to be wined and dined, to
have your every need catered for, to be
waited on hand and foot. Don’t we all
relish that luxury? For some of us, though,
we have to start on the other side; to be
an employee in the hospitality world. The
job that requires minimal experience,
yet expects maximum patience, muscles
and a smile that can stretch from ear to
ear. It involves the realisation that your
skills gained from an overpriced time at
University, or hours clocked at another
job, can’t be utilised, and an acceptance
that the need for a pay cheque rules all.
The job is demanding and stressful; with a
constant stream of often difficult customers.
So why do many people work in the
hospitality world? It may not be regarded
highly amongst the job food chain, yet
it has its fair share of advantages. For
those who work purely for the love of
customers, the venue you work at isn’t
such an issue. Amongst the moaners
Students find all sorts
of ways to pay their way
through university. For
Sarah Barltrop, from
Ashover, that means
looking after those who can
afford hospitality suites in
places like the Millennium
Stadium in Cardiff.
and the downright rude, there are also
people who are there simply for a good
time and to make conversation — these
people are the ones you remember after
a long day. When living within a typically
British etiquette, it’s refreshing to have the
opportunity and excuse to speak to those
whom you wouldn’t normally engage with.
It may involve being overly charming to
a brash customer, yet it may also involve
an enthralling conversation with people
you would never normally meet. All
the while the money is ticking over.
You have to face customers in every
hospitality job. This is where the venue
comes into play; if customers are going
to be difficult, at least if you’ve picked the
right employer, knowing that you’re getting
paid to experience some worthwhile perks
makes it all that much more bearable.
It could be one of the jobs most densely
filled with benefits you would ever get
to experience. It’s not an easy ride, but
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2. Above: The Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff, where Ashover’s Sarah
Barltrop is a regular member of the
hospitality team at big games.
Right: Donington Park in Leicestershire -
another top venue for corporate hospitality.
it may be the only industry where those
at the bottom still reap the rewards. The
best thing about working in the hospitality
business? The slightly guilty smugness that
comes with knowing there’s the possibility
of watching some extraordinary bits of
sport or a music concert, whilst the people
you’re liasing with are, in fact, paying for it.
Purely out of geographical pot luck,
working at the likes of Donington Park
and the Millennium Stadium has been
accessible. Premiership rugby finals have
been there for my eyes to enjoy, skilled
race drivers have merely been a factual
element of the work environment, entire
rugby teams have swept past without even
getting a second glance. The normality of
the base of that? The hospitality business.
Without it, there would simply be men
running around chasing an odd-shaped ball.
The same with our East Midlands gem,
Donington Park. It boasts a site in which
spectators can be wowed by drivers at the
top of their game. It has even been graced
by the likes of the late actor Robin Williams,
and seriously considered as a host for the
British Grand Prix. On our doorstep, this
track sees talent sweep
through its doors weekly,
and I can assure you, the
hospitality business has a
substantial role. Luckily,
the ones being treated
are not only the guests.
But don’t be fooled;
they’re no slackers. One
should understand the
kudos that comes with working in it. The
hours clocked in the office aren’t spent
debating who is going to win the grand
slam, or race over the finish line first; it’s
spent meticulously planning events to
aspire to. Stressful, long, rewarding. It’s
more physical than one may presume – I
was once instructed to get a suite ready
it just highlights the regularity of the perks.
What is it like to work in hospitality? Pretty
damn good. Despite the pay slip, this job
is a keeper; I’ve even considered keeping
this casual thing going until retirement.
Last year saw the Heineken Cup final
reach Wales: the proud land of rugby; the
Millennium stadium; and luckily for me,
my University. Unlike thousands of other
fans, who had flocked to the stadium to see
Toulon and Saracens
battle it out for the
title that many aspire
to win, some lucky
workers got to see it for
free, and got paid for
their time. The stadium
boasts some of the best
features of its kind; the
first one to display a
fully retractable roof and an atmosphere
unmatched by any other from the most
patriotic crowd one could wish for. The
stadium that seats 74,500 eager spectators
was opened in 1999, and like many others,
it relies on the image and brand to promote
itself in the competitive world of sporting
events. The rugby is at the centre, but at
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“...an atmosphere
unmatched by any
other from the most
patriotic crowd one
could wish for.”

3. for a last-minute customer arriving
in an hour. It had no furniture, no
appliances, oh, and there was a hole
in the roof. What a fun day that was!
For me, it was never a lifetime goal,
just money as a means to an end; a trip
to Australia to be precise. No matter the
pay slip, one won’t resent what got them
there. So often do we just accept that
pot washing, waitressing and bar jobs
are our only option as a bit on the side;
the enjoyment understandably absent
upon receiving minimum wage. Is that
even legal after hands have washed dirty
cutlery, scraped old food into a bin and
had to tackle some ‘challenging’ guests?
Many people pick up jobs to cover the next
bill, work for those clothes they’ve lusted
over, or pay for that once in a lifetime
travel adventure. But take it from me.
Remove those hands from the pot wash,
unstack that cluster of plates from your
arms. If a means-to-an-end job is on the
cards, if it’s at one of the best hospitality
locations, all of those complaints are
somewhat outweighed by the perks.
It would be a struggle to find an
employee of the most lucrative venues
who would swap it with another part timer,
and it doesn’t end in resentment for that
item of clothing once worked so hard for.
Being grateful, not resentful, of the means
to get you by is important. Life is too short
to begrudge what gets you through.
Could working on the other side be
better than getting catered for? There’s
a covert prestige to knowing that you
have access all areas; that even if you
come back as a visitor you know what’s
going on behind the scenes; you’ve
learnt what actually goes into organising
events like those. When has a sense of
perspective ever been a bad thing?
Long have people thought that
hospitality jobs are simply filled with
awkward requests by sharp customers.
But you cannot deny that working in
world-renowned venues has its fair share
of advantages. Even if it isn’t your final
goal, by interacting with the volume of
people that a hospitality job involves,
you could possibly land yourself with
contacts for your dream job. If in the
meantime you’ve met some amazing
people or seen some unforgettable events,
there’s little left to complain about,
and a few more reasons to smile.
Whether it’s a horse trials, a polo
match or a day at the races, hospitality
is big business at them all.
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