An employee at a top Cornish hotel has been recognised for her work with a prestigious award at the recent Golden Keys Concierge 2022 Awards.
Sarah Gaskin, who works at five-star hotel The Headland, in Newquay, Cornwall, was revealed as Regional Concierge of the Year for the second time, at the glitzy event in London’s Kimpton Fitzroy hotel.
The awards are hosted by the Society of the Golden Keys of Great Britain & the Commonwealth, which is part of the Les Clefs d’Or.
Sarah, who has worked at The Headland for 11 years, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to win the award because I love helping people’s dreams come true and this is a fantastic recognition for my efforts. I like difficult things to fix and I don’t like failing. If you want it, I get it.”
Previously a police detention officer for 12 years, Sarah used to holiday at The Headland before applying for a job at the hotel because she loved it so much.
She started as a porter before becoming a guest host because “I’m more of a chatterbox than a lifter and a shifter”. She graduated to concierge and then head concierge, during which time she has helped deliver a huge number of hotel guests dreams and desires.
She added: “If you want a helicopter trip to Penzance or a boat trip to scatter your mother’s ashes, I can make that happen. I had a lady who sadly had terminal cancer and she wanted to go on a flight around Cornwall and over the hotel. Because of her illness it was tough to get insurance but I managed to speak to a pilot who I knew at the airport and he said bring her down in an hour. She flew over the hotel and took a photo of me standing on the front step of The Headland.”
Sarah is the only member of Les Clefs d’Or (Golden Keys) in Cornwall, which is an international society for hotel concierges. With a network of 4,000 concierges around the world – there are 260 in the UK, but only seven females.
“I love being at The Headland every day. There is a warm and friendly atmosphere amongst the team and the guests are so lovely. It’s never boring because I don’t know what I am going to be asked. In 11 years, I haven’t once thought ‘I don’t want to go to work today’ Every day is different.”
For more information about The Headland Hotel visit www.headlandhotel.co.uk.
