We go behind the scenes at Yorkshire’s finest hotels to discover the goings on and taking offs of everyday life, and sneak a unique view of the city through the eyes of the concierge. This issue enters York’s aptly named 5 star stunner, The Grand.

Life as a Concierge means that no day is ever the same. One of my favourite things about it is that we get to meet so many different people from lots of different cities, all visiting us whilst celebrating a variety of different things. 

 The job puts us in the unusual position of being involved in people’s important life events and seeing them up close. It’s always an honour to open and close the carriage doors for blushing brides and beaming grooms when the hotel hosts weddings. As we’re dog-friendly, we also get to meet the sweetest fur babies! 

Customer service is a main part of our day to day role, from a friendly “hello” to valet parking and luggage delivery to bedrooms, plus offering advice to guests about the city of York. Most of the Concierge team at the hotel have lived in York for all their lives so it is such a treat to be able to talk to visitors about York’s hidden gems and our favourite spots.

 

Of course, it’s always great to point our guests in the direction of York’s fabulous tourist attractions such as York Minster, the city walls, York Dungeons, York’s Chocolate Story and the Jorvik Centre, but also small quaint areas such as Barley Hall, St Mary’s Church in the Museum Gardens and the Cold War Bunker. 

The Grand is 10 years old as a hotel but was originally built in 1906 as the North Eastern Railway Headquarters and was home to one of the most powerful companies in Northern England. The links to this are evident today and influence my other favourite place…

Our Grand Boardroom once held the largest board table in Britain, where huge decisions were made. Also, now named ‘The Penthouse Suite’ and the most luxurious bedroom in the hotel was once the janitor’s bedroom, seen as the least important area of the North Eastern Railway Headquarters. It is always a story that our guests seem to enjoy due to the direct contrast in importance. As it has a huge tie with our heritage, another attraction I love to visit in York is the National Railway Museum – especially enjoying Afternoon Tea on one of their trains!

As we move into autumn, you can feel the change in the hotel and around the city, as restaurants begin to update their menus with seasonal ingredients, and bars reflect the colder seasons with warm infusing flavours. It’s a pleasure to guide people to places that perfectly fit in with autumn, and York is particularly suited to Halloween with the likes of York Dungeons and York’s Spooky Tour, whose guides we have a close relationship with. As the nights get darker, there is also a Northern Lights show at York Minster, which is always beautifully artistic, and an example of one of many things that are unique for York.

Words: Olivia Odudu @thegrandyork

www.thegrandyork.co.uk