01 June 2009 · Features

My First Job - George Westwell, director, responsible for HR, Cheval Group

I started full-time employment in the hotel industry at the age of 18. I had started to work as a waiter at a local hotel to earn some extra pocket money while studying for A-levels. I also worked in reception, in its bars, in conference and banqueting and the kitchen, eventually taking up a full-time position as a general assistant or, more aptly, as a general dogsbody. This was a great experience as you were often thrown into the deep end and had to think on your feet.

I spent the next 33 years in hotels, predominantly in London, and was general manager of Europe's largest hotel for 12 years, employing the equivalent of 700 full- time staff. But the hotel business model changed and that was one of the reasons I left and moved into serviced apartments. There is a more strategic and long-term approach to this business.

Being in the hotel industry is like acting on stage - take the lead, deliver the goods and the opportunities are limitless. I think it was this experience in the early days, together with the knowledge gained from a wide variety of roles, that have been the foundations for the job I now do as director of the Cheval Group of luxury serviced apartments.